(A Project by the Credit Union Foundation, Inc.) Documentation of the Vermont Development Credit Union's Affordable Mortgage Lending Program, a unique program which combines home purchase counseling with non-mortgage loan products to assist potential homebuyers become ready for a mortgage. The program can serve as a model for other lenders interested in affordable homeownership for lower-income families.

Explains the importance of small business development to modest-income urban neighborhoods, including discussions of access-to-credit problems and the role of CRA and economic development finance in these markets. Provides a framework for developing strategies for addressing small business financing needs in targeted markets.

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 Community Reinvestment Act has brought solid benefits to a critical part of the Chicago economy -- the multifamily housing market. Good quality rental housing is essential to the well-being of low- and moderate-income families in Chicago, and is a sign of neighborhood stability particularly in neighborhoods where a high percentage of the housing stock is multifamily.

A guide for congregations interested in understanding their community investment options, with descriptions of financial and management aspects, as well as social benefits, of different investment options. Examples provided.

This alert examines two proposed changes to the regulation of the Community Reinvestment Act:  A regulation calling for the collection and disclosure of small business loan application and origination data for banks and savings and loans by census tract. Second, a proposal calling for the use of some objective measures as key indicators of a bank's responsiveness to credit and capital needs. Woodstock Institute found that on both these central changes, the revised proposal is a substantial retreat from earlier progress.

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.

Lending test under the proposed 1994 CRA rules show that some large Chicago area mortgage companies have poor lending records in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods.

Describes some of the key features of the proposed 1994 CRA regulation and the advantaages and disadvantages.