National Community Reinvestment Coalition

National Community Reinvestment Coalition
Name	National Community Reinvestment Coalition
Formation	1990
Type	Nonprofit advocacy organization
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Region served	United States

National Community Reinvestment Coalition is a U.S.-based nonprofit advocacy organization focused on fair lending, community development, and financial inclusion. Founded in 1990, it engages with a wide range of stakeholders including civil rights groups, financial institutions, regulators, and community development organizations to combat discriminatory practices and promote equitable access to credit. The organization is active in policy advocacy, research, litigation support, and technical assistance.

History

The organization emerged amid activism linked to the Community Reinvestment Act and responses to practices challenged by groups such as ACORN, NAACP, and National Fair Housing Alliance. Early coalitions included alliances with Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, and legal advocates from NAACP Legal Defense Fund and ACLU. During the 1990s it engaged with regulators like the Federal Reserve Board, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation on implementation of Banking Act of 1933 reforms and fair lending enforcement following cases involving firms such as Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and JPMorgan Chase. In the 2000s the organization responded to the United States housing bubble and worked alongside entities including Federal Housing Finance Agency, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and advocacy partners like PolicyLink and Prosperity Now. Post-2008 collaborations included participation in settlement negotiations related to the 2008 financial crisis and engagement with congressional committees including the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and the United States House Committee on Financial Services.

Mission and Activities

The organization's mission aligns with principles promoted by groups such as Southern Poverty Law Center, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Anti-Defamation League, and international bodies including the United Nations Human Rights Council on economic inclusion. Activities intersect with work by Urban Institute, Brookings Institution, Economic Policy Institute, and Center on Budget and Policy Priorities through joint research, testimony before legislative bodies, and public comment on rulemaking by agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission and Department of the Treasury. It also coordinates with service providers including Habitat for Humanity, Enterprise Community Partners, National Low Income Housing Coalition, and financial intermediaries such as Community Development Financial Institutions Fund and Low Income Investment Fund.

Policy Advocacy and Impact

The organization has filed comments and amicus briefs in matters before the Supreme Court of the United States, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and federal district courts, often alongside civil rights litigators from American Civil Liberties Union and Southern Coalition for Social Justice. It has advocated for enforcement actions involving institutions like Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, SunTrust Banks, and regulatory reforms promoted by leaders such as Elizabeth Warren and former regulators including Ben Bernanke and Jerome Powell. Legislative engagement has involved proposals with implications for programs like Community Development Block Grant and tax policy debates tied to the Internal Revenue Service and Congressional budget processes led by figures like Nancy Pelosi and Mitch McConnell. The group's impact is visible in settlements and consent orders with regulators, and in coalition campaigns with organizations such as National Housing Conference, Democracy Collaborative, and The Century Foundation.

Programs and Services

Programs include technical assistance comparable to services from Local Initiatives Support Corporation and training initiatives resembling offerings by National Alliance to End Homelessness and Corporation for Enterprise Development. Services support community reinvestment planning, capacity building for organizations like United Way affiliates, and partnerships with financial institutions including Fifth Third Bank and PNC Financial Services. Grantmaking collaborations have involved foundations and funders such as the Ford Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and MacArthur Foundation. The organization also convenes national conferences and regional workshops often attended by representatives from Federal Home Loan Bank System, National Association of Affordable Housing Lenders, and municipal officials from cities like Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, and Atlanta.

Research and Publications

Research outputs have been cited alongside analyses from Pew Charitable Trusts, RAND Corporation, Kaiser Family Foundation, and Committee for Economic Development. Publications cover topics intersecting with studies by Harvard University, Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and think tanks including American Enterprise Institute and Manhattan Institute on disparities in mortgage lending, payday lending, and access to small business capital. Reports have examined geographic patterns including redlining maps similar to those developed by Home Owners' Loan Corporation and scholars linked to University of California, Berkeley, University of Michigan, and Columbia University. The organization issues data-driven reports used by media outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, ProPublica, and broadcast outlets including NPR and PBS.

Organizational Structure and Leadership

The organization is led by an executive team and governed by a board of directors drawn from advocacy groups, community development practitioners, and financial institutions, similar in model to boards of National Community Development Association and National Urban League. It partners with networks such as National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders, Asian Real Estate Association of America, National Congress of American Indians, and philanthropic intermediaries including The Rockefeller Foundation and Open Society Foundations. Leadership interactions include testimony before committees chaired by members like Sherrod Brown and Maxine Waters, and coordination with regulators such as Marty Gruenberg and former agency officials like Mel Watt.

Category:Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C.