Today, The Greenlining Institute released Greenlined Banking Standards, a new report that provides banks with a clear, actionable framework for advancing racial and economic equity through their practices, products, investments, and partnerships.

The report comes as the racial wealth gap continues to grow and federal economic safeguards are being dismantled. Our economy cannot thrive unless communities of color have fair access to credit, capital, and wealth-building opportunities. The Greenlined Banking Standards call on banks to take a proactive role to help expand that access.

Developed in partnership with banks, community-based organizations, and advocates, the Greenlined Banking Standards build on Greenlining’s 30-year history of combating the impacts of redlining and offer banks a practical roadmap for moving beyond minimum compliance toward community-centered banking.

The standards include recommendations across seven key areas: small business lending, homeownership, community development, climate finance, consumer-centered products, equity-centered practices, and community engagement.

“For decades, communities of color have been denied access to the capital, credit, and financial tools needed to build lasting wealth,” said Rawan Elhalaby, Director of Economic Equity at The Greenlining Institute. “At a time when federal protections are being weakened and financial institutions are facing pressure to retreat from equity commitments, banks have a responsibility to step forward. The Greenlined Banking Standards lay out a clear path for banks to move beyond statements and adopt measurable practices that expand opportunity, repair harm, and build trust with the communities they serve.”

The report arrives at a critical moment for communities of color and low-income communities facing an affordability crisis made worse by weakening accountability. As costs rise, federal rollbacks threaten tools that protect communities from extractive financial practices and expand access to wealth-building opportunities. 

Last year, federal regulators moved to rescind the 2023 Community Reinvestment Act update, returning to the prior 1995 framework. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s overdraft rule, which would have limited excessive overdraft fees at large financial institutions, was also repealed in 2025. In April 2026, the CFPB finalized changes to Regulation B under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, narrowing protections against discrimination, discouragement, and barriers to targeted credit programs. Together, these changes create new uncertainty for communities that already face barriers to fair credit, affordable financial products, and meaningful reinvestment.

These deregulatory actions weaken accountability tools that help ensure banks meet the needs of low-income communities and communities of color. Without strong standards, transparency, and community partnership, historically redlined communities could face deeper disinvestment, more predatory financial products, greater barriers to targeted credit programs, and fewer pathways to build wealth.

The Greenlined Banking Standards respond to this moment with guidance for embedding equity into core banking practices. Each standard includes a purpose, recommendation, performance metrics, desired outcomes, and practical guidance for implementation.

“Banks play an outsized role in determining who has access to opportunity and who is left behind,” said Erica Plasencia, Senior Program Manager for Economic Equity at The Greenlining Institute and report author. “In this political and regulatory environment, banks have a choice. They can retreat from equity, or they can support a more stable and inclusive economy by investing in communities that have been excluded for generations. These standards provide a roadmap for banks to build durable partnerships, set measurable goals, and ensure banking practices deliver real benefits to low-income communities and communities of color.”

The report calls on banks to adopt the standards and work with Greenlining, community-based organizations, and advocates to implement them over a three- to five-year timeframe. Through annual data requests, collaborative working groups, and ongoing community engagement, Greenlining will work with banking partners to measure progress, identify gaps, and ensure investments align with community priorities.

Read the full report here: https://greenlining.org/publications/greenlined-banking-standards/