Economic Inclusion

SBA: More Than $26 Million Granted to Create 13 New Women’s Business Centers Nationally

Funding Establishes First WBC in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Adds Support for 17 Existing WBCs and Specific Grants for Childcare Enterprises and Government Contracting Today, Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the voice in President Biden’s Cabinet for America’s more than 34 million small businesses, awarded $26.25 million to create 13…

Census Bureau: New Data on Minority-Owned, Veteran-Owned and Women-Owned Businesses Released

The U.S. Census Bureau today released new estimates on the characteristics of employer businesses. According to the 2023 Annual Business Survey (ABS), which covers reference year 2022, there were approximately 5.9 million U.S. employer firms, of which 1.3 million (22.6%) were minority-owned; 273,542 (4.7%) were veteran-owned; and around 1.3 million (22.3%) were owned by women. This release also includes…

FDIC: Survey Finds 96 Percent of U.S. Households Were Banked in 2023

Record low 5.6 million households remain unbanked Nearly 96 percent of all U.S. households were banked in 2023, according to just-released national survey by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). The 2023 FDIC National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households found that 4.2 percent of U.S. households (representing 5.6 million households) lacked a bank or credit union account. …

FDIC: New Online Tool Unveiled at the Minority Depository Institutions Subcommittee Meeting to Promote Creation of New Minority Banks

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) will introduce a new online tool to help financial institutions, investors, and other interested groups to identify neighborhoods that could benefit from banking services. The FDIC’s new Minority Banking Opportunity Explorer will be presented at a meeting of the agency’s Minority Depository Institutions (MDI) Subcommittee to the Advisory Committee on Community…

SBA: New Report Reveals Historic Surge in Small Business Financing

Dramatic FY24 Growth Driven by Small-Dollar 7(a) Loans and Loans to Women, Black, and Latino Entrepreneurs Today, Vice President Kamala Harris and Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the voice for America’s more than 34 million small businesses in President Biden’s Cabinet, announced(Link is external) that the SBA delivered a transformative $56 billion…

ABA: Seven Banks Win ABA Foundation 2024 Community Commitment Awards

The American Bankers Association Foundation today named seven banks as 2024 Community Commitment Award winners. The annual awards recognize banks for extraordinary corporate social responsibility efforts in seven specific categories ranging from affordable housing to economic inclusion. The winners will be recognized at ABA’s Annual Convention in New York City on Oct. 29. The selection committee, made up…

OCC: Acting Comptroller Discusses Financial Inclusion

Acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael J. Hsu today discussed the importance of financial inclusion in remarks at the Inclusive Finance for Development: 15 Years of Impact event in New York City hosted by United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development. In his remarks, Acting Comptroller Hsu discussed how people-centered metrics on…

SBA: AMEX, WIPP and SBA to Co-Host Education Initiative for Women Entrepreneurs This Fall

Today, Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the voice in President Biden’s Cabinet for America’s more than 34 million small businesses, announced that the federal agency will cohost two events in the Washington, D.C., area and Florida alongside Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) and American Express (AMEX) this fall as a continuation of the 2024 National…

ABA: 2024 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award Winners Announced

The American Bankers Association honored the winners of its 2024 ABA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion awards today at the association’s virtual 2024 DEI Summit, cohosted with Virginia Bankers Association and Maryland Bankers Association. These awards recognize ABA member banks for their internal-facing programs, leadership and activities focused on improving diversity, equity and inclusion within their workplace. “We are…

SBA: Small Dollar Lending and Lending To Underserved Entrepreneurs Continues to Rise as Record 19 Million New Business Applications Filed Since 2021

Today, Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the voice in President Biden’s Cabinet for America’s more than 34 million small businesses, announced the Biden-Harris Administration has tripled SBA lending to Black-owned businesses while doubling small-dollar lending and lending to Latino- and women-owned small businesses. The new data comes as the United States reaches a record 19 million(Link…