The Economic Opportunities Program (EOP) of the Aspen Institute advances strategies (primarily in the areas of workforce development, microenterprise, community-based forestry, and access to capital and credit) that connect the poor and underemployed to the mainstream economy. The EOP...

The Chicago Fed and the Federal Reserve System have a longstanding interest in the causes and ramifications on unstable housing markets and high foreclosure rates, The Federal Reserve System helped to establish what is now known as NeighborWorks America, the umbrella organization for national...

This article explores the demand for and the availability of financial products for Muslims who adhere to religious prohibitions against receiving and paying interest. This is an evolving area of consumer and small business finance, and the goal of this article is to provide an overview of the...

For many households, the amount owed on their credit cards constitutes a large and growing share of their total debt. This article uses responses to the Consumer Finance Monthly (CFM) to examine credit card debt among households of varying incomes, educational attainment, and other...

The location of bank branches is an important issue for consumer advocates and other groups that monitor access to financial services for low- and moderate income people. The proximity of banks and their branches to the places where people live and work is one basic element of mainstream...

In 2009, states, counties and cities across the country applied for approximately $3.9 billion from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to confront the problems of foreclosures and property abandonment. The Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) is the principal...

Nationwide in the U.S. over the past 15 years, small businesses generated 64 percent of the net new job growth. Small businesses with fewer than 500 employees, a definition used by the Small Business Administration (SBA), represent 99.7 percent of all employer firms, and employ more than half of...

In October 2012, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, the Michigan Bankers Association and the New Economy Initiative for Southeast Michigan co-sponsored a symposium in Detroit that brought together business experts, business owners, policymakers, funders and bankers to explore issues around...

Holding a savings vehicle with mainstream financial institutions carries several benefits including asset building opportunities, secure storage of income, a cushion against unforeseen financial events and the ability to establish or maintain a positive credit history. To better understand the...