February 8, 2006

Federal Financial Regulators Sponsor 2006 National
Community Reinvestment Conference, March 19-22

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The federal bank and thrift regulatory agencies today announced dates for the 2006 National Community Reinvestment Conference at the Green Valley Ranch, Las Vegas, Nevada, March 19-22.

This year's conference, "Winning Strategies for Community Development," provides a look at community development programs that build vibrant, diverse neighborhoods with strong economies, particularly important in light of recent changes to the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), Hurricane Katrina, and new and complex financing tools.

The conference features leading experts sharing innovations and practical examples of community development finance. Scheduled speakers include:

• Janet Yellen, president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco;
• William E. Strickland, Jr., president and chief executive officer of Manchester Bidwell Corporation;
• Richard Baron, chairman and chief executive officer of McCormack Baron Salazar;
• Angela Glover Blackwell, founder and chief executive officer, PolicyLink;
• Bruce Katz, director of the Metropolitan Policy Program, The Brookings Institution;
• Mark Willis, executive vice president of JP Morgan Chase;
• Michael Stegman, Macrae Professor of Public Policy at the University of North Carolina;
• Thomas FitzGibbon, president of MB Financial Bank CDC;
• Mary Houghton, president of Shorebank; and
• Bruce Murphy, president of Community Development Banking at KeyBank.

Attended by bankers and community development professionals from throughout the country, the conference is for anyone committed to making a lasting and positive difference in the nation's low-income communities. Deadline for registration is March 3, 2006. For more information or to register on line, visit: http://www.frbsf.org/community/.

The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, with branch offices in Los Angeles, Seattle, Salt Lake City, and Portland, and a cash processing office in Phoenix, provides wholesale banking services to financial institutions throughout the nine western states. As the nation's central bank, the Federal Reserve System formulates monetary policy, serves as a bank regulator, administers consumer protection laws, and is fiscal agent for the U.S. government.

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