Banking
We look at trends and current conditions in the district’s banking and financial services industry.
Recent Articles
Notes from the Field
Smallest Firms Reveal Barriers to Economic Inclusion: Lessons from Pandemic Support Programs
11.10.2021
Data from the Small Business Credit Survey and insights from community-based organizations prove to be invaluable tools for helping small businesses access the credit they need.
Community Development Reports
Has Bank Consolidation Changed People’s Access to a Full-Service Bank Branch?
10.06.2021
As consolidation within the banking industry during the 2000s accelerated in the 2010s, the number of banking institutions and the branches they operate fluctuated. How did these changes affect banking customers?
Notes from the Field
Small Businesses in Our Region Appear to Have Had Greater Access to Traditional Credit Compared to the Nation...but Inequalities among Firms Persist
10.01.2021
Nearly 18 months from the outbreak of COVID-19, small employer firms—businesses with fewer than 500 employees—continue to cope with the extra challenges the pandemic brought. How are they weathering the pandemic?
Research [in] Brief
Research [in] Brief: Assessing the Reach of PPP Loans in Low- and Moderate-Income Communities
08.02.2021
To help small businesses cope with the loss of revenue during the pandemic, the Small Business Administration extended forgivable loans through the Paycheck Protection Program. While the program reached millions of small businesses, it is important to examine to what extent this occurred in low- and moderate-income communities.
Notes from the Field
Feedback Appreciated: What Community Members Told Us about Modernizing the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA)
04.08.2021
Discussions to share info and seek public comment on proposed changes to modernize the CRA revealed two things key for ensuring access to capital for all people and communities.
Notes from the Field
The CRA Is Important for Underserved Communities, and Your Input Can Help Modernize It
11.16.2020
The Fed is seeking to modernize the Community Reinvestment Act in a way that significantly expands financial inclusion, and you can have a say in how it’s done.
Research [in] Brief
Research [in] Brief: Tax Cuts and Business Investment
09.28.2020
One anticipated effect of the 2017 tax cuts was to stimulate business investment. But the two provisions work in opposite directions, and that’s likely to keep investment lower than it would have been without the reform.
Research [in] Brief
Research [in] Brief: What's the Most Helpful Way to Measure COVID-19 Deaths?
08.17.2020
The number of deaths caused by COVID-19 is a key metric to judge the novel coronavirus’s trajectory. Leaders need accurate data about COVID-19 deaths to make informed policy, and two competing approaches are being debated.
Notes from the Field
Partnership Connects Pittsburgh’s Small Businesses to Paycheck Protection Program Funds
08.13.2020
Community partnerships are essential for local responsiveness during a crisis. Just one such Pittsburgh partnership led to saving more than 100 jobs and securing more than $1.3 million in PPP funds.