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Global Investors Find Value in a Small Bank in the Deep South

Oscar Perry Abello

July 11, 2018 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Little Rock, Arkansas

Southern Bancorp is a regional bank based in Little Rock, Arkansas and is a member of the Global Alliance for Banking on Values. Founded after the financial crisis in 2009, the Alliance shows that values-based banks, especially those that are putting a higher proportion of funds toward loans in their own communities, outperformed more traditional large banks. Southern Bancorp is doing just that by investing in loans for local business owners and municipal bonds to benefit the cities in which they operate.

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Good design is good policy

Sara Hudson

June 26, 2018 |

FastCompany |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, St. Louis, Missouri

As the treasurer of St. Louis, Tishaura Jones is making transformative change to connect more people to banks and savings accounts. Modeling initiatives after other successful municipal government programs across the country, Jones helped start the College Kids Children’s Savings Accounts, which creates a college savings account for all children entering public kindergarten. This is one of many steps to help St. Louis residents take better advantage of financial services.

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Moving Community Foundation Dollars from Wall Street to Main Street

Oscar Perry Abello

June 25, 2018 |

Next City |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Fresno, California

Community foundations have a new way to invest their funds: they can opt to invest in community projects, such as credit unions, as opposed to more traditional financial investments. The Self-Help Federal Credit Union has benefitted from this shift. A $2.6 million investment from Central Valley Community Foundation has helped the credit union provide over 1000 loans to predominately low-income families in the region.

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For just $5, you can now start a responsible investment portfolio

Ben Paynter

June 19, 2018 |

FastCompany |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

Newday Investing is a an app that allows people to begin impact investing with as little as $5. While attempting to engage millennials in socially-conscious investing, the investment firm is hoping small investments will lead to larger investments over time. With funds that focus on areas such as gender equality and climate action, Newday Investing is trying to make impact investing more accessible and interesting to young people as well as to bigger investors.

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Environmental impact bonds can help cities invest in green infrastructure

Laurie Mazur

May 25, 2018 |

Ensia |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

Environmental impact bonds (EIBs) are a relatively new form of financing that combine private investment with government funding in a “pay for success” model. They are different than municipal bonds in that they are intended as a more experimental approach: for instance, Washington, D.C. started using EIBs to test green infrastructure and evaluate the results. Though all current EIBs are too early-stage to show formal evaluations, they are helping promote sustainability initiatives in D.C., Baltimore, and Atlanta.

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Saving for Retirement: How Auto-IRA Plans May Secure the Future

Emily B. Hager Clara Ritger

April 11, 2018 |

Wall Street Journal |

Video |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Medford, Oregon

Oregon is helping its residents save for retirement by automatically enrolling those eligible for the Roth IRA retirement savings program. Employees can choose to contribute or opt out, and thus far the participation rate is 80%. As social security benefits are at risk in the future, this program, in Oregon and around the country, is helping people start early in preparing for retirement.

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An International Final Four: Which Country Handles Student Debt Best?

Matthew Chingos Susan Dynarski

April 02, 2018 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

In a March Madness bracket style competition between Sweden, the United States, Australia, and Britain, experts choose Australia as the country with the most effective student loan repayment system. Judges cite automatic collection of income-based payments as Australia's best feature and discuss what the U.S. can learn by "acknowledging that possible ideas for improvement don't stop at the border."

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The rebel bank, printing its own notes and buying back people's debts

Anna Leach

March 23, 2018 |

The Guardian |

Multi-Media |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, Walthamstow, London

How is Street Central Bank buying back the debt of ordinary people? Part art installation and part charitable endeavor, the “bank” prints its own money, sells it for real tender and then uses the funds to help neighbors. The project draws inspiration from similar debt buyback efforts in the United States.

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Is 2018 the Year of the Public Bank in America?

Aaron Fernando

February 27, 2018 |

The Progressive |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Los Angeles, California

The Bank of North Dakota, the only public bank in the United States, has weathered financial crises and provided financial stability to the state. Now, in 2018, many municipalities across the United States are looking at North Dakota’s success, as well as success in countries such as Germany, and gathering the support needed to start their own public banks. In Los Angeles, a group called Revolution LA is making substantial progress toward creating a local public bank that will also help support green energy.

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How a private company is bringing affordable houses to Indian Country

Mark Fogarty

February 05, 2018 |

High Country News |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Kansas City, Missouri

A private company called Travois acts as a bridge between tribes and private investors in order to help make affordable housing more accessible in tribal homelands across the West. The company brings investors to tribal land and, in turn, helps to attain tax credits for investments in this land.

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