Communities & Banking

Fall 2012 Fall 2012

Communities & Banking | 2012 Series |Fall 2012

Community Lending: A Driver for Bank Growth

Financial institutions that make loans for affordable housing and economic development do well by doing good. One bank booked $125 million of good CRA-eligible loans in 2010 and 2011.

by Peter Hollands

Communities & Banking | 2012 Series |Fall 2012

For Financial Literacy, the Play's the Thing

A theater project partially funded by a bank got teens to create a play from interviews they conducted with 80 respondents on the topic of money. Come see the play October 18.

by Claire Greene

Communities & Banking | 2012 Series |Fall 2012

Geographic Segregation: The Role of Income Inequality

A new study shows that as income inequality grows and higher-income people seek communities with better schools, the old neighborhood becomes segregated by income and is less likely to provide access to opportunity.

by Benjamin Forman and Caroline Koch

Communities & Banking | 2012 Series |Fall 2012

How Peers Affect Student Performance

New research, including a study by Tim Sass and the Boston Feds Mary Burke, helps identify what combination of ability levels among students is most effective at promoting learning.

by Kevin Todd

Communities & Banking | 2012 Series |Fall 2012

Incarceration and Community Health

Poverty, illiteracy, and harsh sentences for minor offenses often result in prisons full of poor minorities. Those suffering from addictions could be treated more effectively in communities.

by Brad Brockmann and Josiah D. Rich

Communities & Banking | 2012 Series |Fall 2012

by Caroline Ellis

Communities & Banking | 2012 Series |Fall 2012

Mapping New England: Income Distribution by County

Franklin County, Vermont, has the smallest gap between low-income and high-income residents. Nantucket County, Massachusetts, has the biggest gap. Check the map for your county.

by Kaili Mauricio

Communities & Banking | 2012 Series |Fall 2012

Moving Skills from Low to High

After job losses in manufacturing, a new program to give workers the skills most in demand at companies in Maine has been a win-win-win for workers, employers, and communities.

by Jorge A. Acero

Communities & Banking | 2012 Series |Fall 2012

Resilience Circles Born in a Struggling Economy

As banking giants tottered, small groups got together to discuss possible repercussions and to provide mutual support. Resilience Circles born then are spreading today.

by Sarah Byrnes

Communities & Banking | 2012 Series |Fall 2012

by Ben Senauer

Communities & Banking | 2012 Series |Fall 2012

The Role of Mediation in Foreclosures

Using testimony that he presented at the Massachusetts state house, the author shows that having a lender, a homeowner, and a neutral third party negotiate in person can prevent foreclosure.

by Robert Clifford

Communities & Banking | 2012 Series |Fall 2012

When Neighboring Jurisdictions Collaborate on Housing

Some municipalities are banding together to leverage funding for housing challenges that don't respect boundaries. The author explains how interjurisdictional collaboration works.

by Susan Longworth