Show me the money : promises and pitfalls of asset growth in community development credit unions and loan funds

As private non-profit, locally based organizations, community development financial institutions (CDFIs) are increasingly important supporters of community development policies and programs designed to alleviate poverty. In the face of declining federal funds and political support for social programs, deregulation in banking, and capital market failure, CDFIs provide a range of financial services that encourage economic self-sufficiency and wealth in low-income communities. In order to expand their impact, some CDFIs have increased their assets to serve more customers and offer more products and services. This thesis seeks to answer the question: which factors and practices do large CDFIs employ to increase their total assets that other small CDFIs do not? This thesis uses two research methodologies: web surveys and case study interviews. Surveys of low-income credit unions (LICUs) and community development loan funds (CDLFs) indicate that large CDFIs grow through geographic expansion, customer and product diversification, more debt and equity funding sources, and a focus on fundraising.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2006

Author dc:creator

• Stevens, James (James Arthur Depew)

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Karl Seidman.

• Urban Studies and Planning.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/37864

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/37864