The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) has been under much scrutiny amid the subprime lending bust. Critics of the CRA contend that the law pushed banking institutions to undertake high-risk mortgage lending. A Federal Reserve Board staff analysis finds that the CRA was neither a source nor driver...

As the LIHTC program faces the biggest challenges of its nearly 25-year history, it's imperative to look holistically at the evolution and distribution patterns of this housing production program. This issue provides a program overview, a current market-condition analysis and an update on recent...

Residents from every walk of life focused on financial education April 19?25 during the inaugural Money Week Houston campaign. In a citywide effort, more than 150 free public events were held at libraries, churches, schools and community centers throughout Greater Houston, offering consumers the...

Exceptionally high numbers of unbanked Houston residents are experiencing the advantages of having a bank account as the Bank on Houston program wraps up its second quarter of operation.

What began several years ago as a network of matched savings programs to encourage low-income Texans to save has blossomed into a statewide, comprehensive asset-building movement now known as RAISE Texas.

An associate professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, Jargowsky directs the Bruton Center for Development Studies, which researches urban and regional development policies and trends, and the Texas Schools Project, which studies educational issues. His research interests center on the...

This issue of Banking and Community Perspectives focuses on some nonlegislative efforts to foster healthier communities, particularly in low- and moderate-income areas. These efforts are led by both public and private organizations across the Federal Reserve's Eleventh District.