Erica Plasencia

Economic Equity Program Manager

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Erica Plasencia

Economic Equity Program Manager

Erica Plasencia (she/her/ella) is a first-generation daughter of Mexican immigrants. She grew up in a small rural town in Northern California, where she experienced the clear impacts of limited access to resources and education, and its implications on social and economic mobility for communities of color. As the Program Manager for Economic Equity at Greenlining, Erica leads bank accountability efforts at the federal level using the Community Reinvestment Act, an anti-redlining law that obligates banks to serve the needs of low and moderate income communities and reinvest in these communities in order to combat the racial wealth gap and segregation. Prior to joining The Greenlining Institute, she worked at California Community Builders where she helped address economic and racial justice issues through community education efforts on redlining and policy advocacy focused on access to homeownership for people of color. In addition to her non profit work, Erica has worked in various higher education settings helping address the Latinx educational pipeline by assisting students with college readiness skills, retention programs, and implementing culturally relevant curriculums. Erica enjoys going home to her mom's home cooked meals, dancing, playing volleyball, and going on hikes with her fiance.

Economic Equity Policy Staff

Comments to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation on Proposed Statement of Policy on Bank Merger Transactions

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) requested comments on their Proposed Statement of Policy on Bank Merger Transactions in June 2024. The FDIC’s proposed rule intended to increase clarity and transparency to the public regarding their review of bank merger applications. In this timely update to their statement of policy, the FDIC made progress by setting clear expectations that applicants demonstrate how the bank plans to improve post merger conditions through products and services. Greenlining recommended that additional guidance on the use of Community Benefit Agreements (CBA) are essential for accountability to meet the convenience and needs of the community, and continued to advocate for CBA’s to be a legally binding agreement between community members and bank’s CEOs.

You can read the full comment letter here.

Comments to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency on Business Combinations under the Bank Merger Act

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) requested comments on their Notice for Proposed Rulemaking for Business Combinations under the Bank Merger Act in April 2024. The proposed rule aimed to increase clarity and transparency to the public regarding the factors that the OCC considers when reviewing bank merger applications. Greenlining provided comments on the disproportionate impacts that bank mergers continue to have in low income and communities of color, causing ripple effects in local economies due to job losses, branch closures, and reduction in affordable products and services. Greenlining upheld the importance of Community Benefit Agreements (CBAs) in mitigating these local impacts and continued to advocate for CBA’s to be a legally binding agreement between community members and bank’s CEOs.

You can read the full comment letter here.

Erica Plasencia

Economic Equity Program Manager

Read Bio