Valuable web site

[john Taylor]

Dear Friends,

Last month we launched a pretty incredible web-based resource free to anyone interested in matters relating to housing, neighborhood revitalization and wealth-building. *We have passed 50,000 hits per week and it is proving to be a valuable information source for all involved. *If you haven’t visited it yet, please do so. *We are also interested in what other sources of information you believe would add value for you at this site.

The site is www.communityinvestmentnetwork.org and it is free. *Visit it now and let NCRC know what you think (contact Jonny, NCRC’s Communication’s Director, at jgoldstein@ncrc.org)

Below is more information about the site.

John Taylor
President & CEO
National Community Reinvestment Coalition
727 15th St., NW, Ste. 900
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: 202/628-8866 **Fax: 202/628-9800


Launch of Powerful Information Platform Provides Users with News, Information, Research and Commentary on Creating, Rejuvenating and Maintaining Viable Communities and Local Economies and Advancing Social & Economic Justice

Washington, DC (May 22, 2007) -– The National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) *today announced the formal launch of “The Community Investment Network(SM),” a comprehensive Web-accessed news and information resource designed for use by its 600 Member organizations as well as other community-based advocates. *Users will include appointed and elected officials, banking regulators, bankers and lenders, journalists, academics, civil rights advocates, social and economic justice advocates, and others interested in reinvestment in America’s urban, suburban and rural hometowns.
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The “CIN” is designed to deliver timely news, commentary, research findings, and networking information focused on key aspects of community revitalization, job creation, affordable housing, improving consumer financial literacy, banking and financial services regulation, rural development, and available funding sources. The Web address is: www.communityinvestmentnetwork.org <http://www.communityinvestmentnetwork.org/> .
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“The Community Investment Network (CIN) is provided at no charge to Users as a public service by NCRC,” noted NCRC President John Taylor. “The CIN is a unique resource with a very broad sweep of information presented, user-friendly types of access to content, and the organization of a wealth of information from thousands of sources in the media, federal and state governments, think-tanks, foundations, social profits (non-profits), advocacies.” Many of the 550-plus member organizations of NCRC are profiled in the CIN and all are encouraged to provide news of their activities for publication on the CIN.
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NCRC President Taylor acknowledged the support of the founding sponsors, six major banking institutions whose financial support is making the CIN available to all public users. *“We are encouraged by the financial support of Bank of America, Washington Mutual, US Bank, HSBC, CitiGroup, and JPMorgan Chase; each of these institutions devoted considerable effort to creating special content for CIN as well as customized Web page portals (Web entry points) at their banks for the Users of the CIN.”
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Content Focal Points: The Community Investment Network has several dozen separate “Focus Points” for Users, which are in-depth “silos” of information; these include: affordable housing, job development, community revitalization, federal and state banking regulation, rebuilding the Gulf coast, Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) activities, rural America, financial literacy, state profiles, profiles of advocates and stakeholders, federal-state preemption issues, and *financing sources. Each of these sections is rich with information, research, analysis and commentary that is useful and actionable. A number of content “silos” are so comprehensive they could be Web sites on their own (e.g., each of the 50 states).
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For information: *Contact John Taylor at NCRC – 202-
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About NCRC: NCRC is the nation’s Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) trade association based in Washington, D.C, with more than 550 community=based organizational members. The Coalition is dedicated to increasing access to lending opportunities in minority and low- and moderate-income communities. NCRC seeks to strengthen the nation’s fair lending laws and the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), and federal and state legislation requiring banks to meet the credit needs of low- and moderate-income neighborhoods.




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