Community Development Working Papers

The New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program was created by Congress in December 2000, at the end of the Clinton administration. When initially passed, the program was to provide a total of $15 billion in tax credits between 2001 and 2007 to subsidize investments in businesses and real estate developments serving low-income communities.

The financial services landscape of low-income communities is often dominated by “fringe” financial services, including check cashers, payday lenders and pawn shops. However, mainstream financial institutions are increasingly learning that there are “emerging markets” in low-income neighborhoods, and that opening a bank branch in an underserved area can translate into profitable business, not just Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) credit.

There is a lack of information exchange between community development lenders and capital investors that limits the growth of a secondary market for community development assets. This obstacle limits the ability of community development lenders to tap into the virtually endless capital resources of the secondary market, thereby limiting the valuable services these organizations provide to underserved communities.

The relatively low rate of mortgage default and foreclosure in California in recent years obscures the fact that many Californians have high-cost home loans that they cannot afford. High cost loans are particularly common in low-income and minority communities, suggesting that those who can least afford it are paying the most for credit.