SUMMER 2004

Loan Pools May Be Answer
to Meeting CRA Mandate

Rural Communities Look
for Entrepreneurial Spirit

New Yardstick Measures
Memphis CDCs

Brochure on Home Loans
Translated into Spanish

And the Survey Says:
Readers Value Bridges

July Forums to Focus
on Entrepreneurship

Save the Dates

Have You Heard

Spanning the Region

Calendar

Resources

A Closer Look
This issue of Bridges includes a supplement for readers in the Kentuckiana region. The inaugural publication of A Closer Look focuses on the growing Latino population in Kentucky and the market opportunities it represents for financial institutions.

Resources

Reaching the Immigrant Market: Creating Homeownership Opportunities for New Neighbors—The American Bankers Association (ABA), Georgetown University and the Development Training Institute have collaborated on a business planning workbook for financial institutions. The workbook teaches institutions how to tap into the growing immigrant market and how to stimulate sustainable immigrant homeownership. The lessons are based on a handbook published by Georgetown and the Fannie Mae Foundation. The publication is free to ABA members and $25 for nonmembers. Call 1-800-226-5377.

Your Right to a Financial Fresh Start—This pamphlet contains detailed information on bankruptcy, including the legal process and pros and cons. The publication is available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese as PDF files online, or can be obtained by sending a self-addressed, legal-size envelope with 60 cents postage to: Consumer Action Bankruptcy, 717 Market St., Suite 310, San Francisco, CA 94103. Specify the language version desired. The publication was created by Consumer Action, a nonprofit organization, in partnership with Capital One Services Inc. Consumers can find the information online by going to www.consumer-action.org and clicking on MoneyWise.

EITC Web Site—Interactive data on the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is available on a new web site from the Brookings Institution Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy. Users of the site can view and download detailed information on EITC claims for states, counties, cities and towns for tax years 1997 through 2001. Visit www.brookings.edu/urban/eitc.

AssetBuilding.org—The New America Foundation has started an online clearinghouse of ideas, policies and programs promoting asset ownership. Information is categorized under 35 topics related to asset building. The web address is www.assetbuilding.org.

Agricultural Marketing Resource Center—Up-to-date information on value-added agricultural enterprise development is available at this national virtual resource center. More than 150 topics—ranging from biomass to dairy, beef or swine to horticultural crops to tilapia—are featured. Marketing, processing and production issues are addressed. The center is partially funded by the Department of Agriculture. Go to www.agmrc.org.

IDA Program Directory—The Corporation for Enterprise Development offers an online directory of 308 individual development account (IDA) programs. The directory lists each program’s location, account holders and program elements. The result of a 2003 survey, the information is a valuable resource for funders, practitioners, financial institutions and potential account holders. To access the online directory, visit www.idanetwork.org.

Robo de Identidad—The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston’s Identity Theft brochure is now available in Spanish. The publication teaches consumers what identity theft is, how to reduce the chances of becoming a victim and what to do if their identity is stolen. The brochure can be found on the Boston Fed’s web site at www.bos.frb.org/consumer/identity/spanish/index.htm.

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