Category: Press Releases

California – The House of Representatives joined the Senate’s vote on Wednesday in affirming the $700 billion dollar bailout of financial institutions. The bailout contains virtually no language that will compel financial institutions to effectively address the foreclosure crisis or to embrace adequate measures to keep people on Main Street in their homes. The bailout also includes a wide range of benefits for big business but nothing for the small business community that will keep our economy going through a recession. Continue reading “When Will We Bailout Main Street, Cesar Chavez and Martin Luther King Blvd?” →

Berkeley, CA – The Greenlining Institute, a national public policy and advocacy center that has been highly critical of Countrywide’s predatory subprime lending, had urged Attorney General Brown to bring suit at a December 2007 meeting. The organization labeled the so-called $8.7 billion dollar settlement “ far less than appears on the surface.” Continue reading “BofA Countrywide Settlement May be Less Than Appears” →

Contact:
Christian González-Rivera
Program Manager, Research
Tel.: 510-898-0507
christiang@greenlining.org
greenlining.org

Today, the Greenlining Institute released its annual report card ranking the performance of top financial institutions in SBA lending to minority entrepreneurs in fiscal year 2008. The report will be sent to the top management of the nation’s largest SBA lending institutions in order to foster competition in lending to minority-owned small businesses. The findings are based on the verified data for fiscal year 2008 provided to Greenlining by the SBA through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Continue reading “Report Card Ranks Best and Worst Small Business Lending to Minorities” →

Contacts:

Press Conference:

555 California St (BofA headquarters) at 11:30am, at the beginning of the march

Berkeley, CA – January 15, 2009, approximately one hundred California consumer advocates and community members, led by the Greenlining Institute, will march along California Street in San Francisco’s financial district to deliver a Main St. message to the Federal Reserve and the new Obama administration.  They will be accompanied by a Mariachi Band.

Continue reading ““Billions for Banks: What’s in it for Main Street?” Dr. King March Against Banks on January 15th in S.F.” →

Contacts:

Greenlining Applauds Obama’s Homeownership Proposals

Berkeley, CA – Since 2004, Greenlining has been highly critical of federal banking regulator responses to excessive predatory lending.  And since 2006, it has been highly critical of the federal government’s failure to forthrightly and aggressively address the problem.

Today, Greenlining in a letter to Secretary of the Treasury Geithner, Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke, and FDIC Chair Bair, applauded the Obama $75 billion dollar home stabilization program announced in Phoenix, Arizona.  Greenlining also urged suggestions that would further assist low/moderate income homeowners and renters (letter attached.)  Also attached is Greenlining’s letter, prior to the announcement, to the Secretary of the Treasury urging a bold program that would avoid the problems that have continually confronted the Japanese government over the last fifteen years during its deep and growing recession. Continue reading “Greenlining Applauds Obama’s Homeownership Proposals” →

Contacts:

Greenlining Signs on to Constitutional Convention Summit in Sacramento on February 24th

Berkeley, CA – The Greenlining Institute, a statewide multi-ethnic public policy organization, has long urged improvement to the state’s budget process.  Structural problems like the two-thirds rule, Proposition 13, and the consistent misuse of our initiative system has led to partisan bickering and pushed our state to the brink year after year.

Continue reading “Communities of Color Need to Be Part of the Budget Reform Solutions” →