Community Development Innovation Review

February 2009
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Expanding the CRA to All Financial Institutions

Author(s):

The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) was enacted in response to the fact that minority and low-income communities were not being fairly and adequately served by banks which have been beneficiaries of the U.S. government’s safety net since the Great Depression. The federal government, by expanding its safety net in 2008 to include investment banks, broker-dealers, and other financial institutions, took the steps necessary to stabilize the global financial markets. The central premise of this article is that in return for access to the Federal Reserve’s Discount Window, investment banks, broker-dealers, and other financial institutions should be required to comply with an updated CRA. Fair access for all Americans to the full range of financial services is essential to restore our faith in the U.S. financial system and the health of our economy.

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Other articles in this issue

A Framework for Revisiting the CRA

The Community Reinvestment Act and the Recent Mortgage Crisis

The 30th Anniversary of the CRA: Restructuring the CRA to Address the Mortgage Finance Revolution

The CRA within a Changing Financial Landscape

The Community Reinvestment Act: Outstanding, and Needs to Improve

It’s the Rating, Stupid: A Banker’s Perspective on the CRA

The Community Reinvestment Act at 30 Years

A Tradable Obligation Approach to the Community Reinvestment Act

The Community Reinvestment Act: Past Successes and Future Opportunities

A More Modern CRA for Consumers

CRA Lending During the Subprime Meltdown

What Lessons Does the CRA Offer the Insurance Industry?

CRA 2.0: Communities 2.0

The Community Reinvestment Act: 30 Years of Wealth Building and What We Must Do to Finish the Job

The CRA as a Means to Provide Public Goods

Putting Race Explicitly into the CRA

Community Reinvestment Emerging from the Housing Crisis

A Principle-Based Redesign of HMDA and CRA Data

The Community Reinvestment Act: Good Goals, Flawed Concept

A Banker’s Quick Reference Guide to CRA