Indepth analysis of persistant problems in the field of community development. Woodstock's research reports contribute to the body of knowledge used by policymakers and community development practitioners.
Profiles model small business lending programs around the country that
target modest-income communities. Examples include bank-community
partnerships, specialized bank units, multibank efforts,
government-administered programs, and CDFIs. The report also offers
lessons for effectively reaching underserved markets.
The most recently available home mortgage data for
the Chicago region show that refinancing loans were not uniformly
accessible to all residents. As a result, many borrowers,
particularly African-Americans, have not benefited from the refinancing
boom of the 1990's.
Advises community development financial institutions on how they can use CRA to attract more resources from banks and thrifts, thereby building scale and increasing their impact in their communities. Recommends ways CRA can improve regulation of community development lending and investments.
Finds that lending for home purchases throughout
the Chicago area has increased dramatically in recent years, with loan
volume up by 50 percent from 1990 to 1994. Loans to low- and
moderate-income individuals increased at even higher rates than overall
loans, increasingby 85 percent over the same period.
Describes the benefits of collaboration between CDFIs and mainstream
financial institutions; regulatory and legislative opportunities for
building and strengthening such partnerships, and an analysis of the
types of relationships that have evolved in recent years. Detailed case
studies describe how creative partnerships have developed between a
variety of CDFIs and conventional lenders.
