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COMMUNITY REINVESTMENT ACT (CRA)

What is CRA 101?

The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) encourages banks to help meet the credit and financial needs of the communities they serve, including low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. At its heart, CRA is about connection — ensuring that financial institutions and communities grow stronger together.

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CRA 101 is designed to help nonprofit and community leaders better understand how CRA works, so you can more confidently approach financial institutions with partnership ideas that support local impact.

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Why It Matters

When community organizations understand CRA, it becomes easier to develop meaningful, mission-aligned partnerships that support economic stability, small business growth, homeownership, and neighborhood revitalization. This session will help you: 

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  • What the Community Reinvestment Act means for your organization's work

  • How to access and interpret key neighborhood data

  • How to build meaningful, mutually beneficial relationships with banks

  • Where opportunities exist to align your programs with community investment priorities

     

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In Minnesota, a bank’s CRA performance is assessed by how well it serves low and moderate income individuals, businesses, and geographies, including lending, investing in community development, and providing services in those neighborhoods.

For one Minnesota assessment area, a bank originated 45 community development loans totaling about $7.5 million, representing 19.2 percent of its allocated tier one capital during the evaluation period.

The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) was enacted in 1977 to ensure that banks meet the credit needs of all communities they serve, including low and moderate income areas.

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