|
|
Contact:
|
Robert Schmermund
(202) 857-3104
Jim Eberle
(202) 857-3145
|
Jim Eberle
(202) 857-3145 (work)
(703) 893-2593 (home)
[email protected]
|
For Immediate Release
September 13, 2002
#02-43 |
|
E-mail:
[email protected] |
|
| |
ACB PRESENTS FINANCIAL LITERACY PROGRAM
TO CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS
WASHINGTON, D.C. — America’s Community Bankers presented its new financial literacy program today to the Congressional Black Caucus at that group’s issue forum on how African Americans can build wealth.
Participating in the forum discussions on behalf of ACB was Jacqueline Daughtry-Miller, senior vice president, Independence Federal Savings Bank, Washington, D.C.
“ACB has made financial literacy one of its major policy priorities to help consumers build wealth and more readily achieve their financial goals through a better understanding of the basics of budgeting, saving, investing, borrowing and spending wisely,” said Daughtry-Miller.
“ACB’s new program, Money Rules, is an information program that will help community bankers educate their customers on the financial facts of life,” she added. ACB has distributed Money Rules brochures to 8,000 community banks in both English and Spanish and has encouraged bankers to make the brochures available in their offices or as statement stuffers.
The brochures include a series of questions designed to make customers think about their own level of financial literacy, and to seek help from their local banker.
“Money Rules will encourage customers to ask their community bankers to share their expertise on basic financial issues,” said Daughtry-Miller. “It will strengthen the unique bond of trust between community bank customers and their bank.”
Another important goal of Money Rules is to protect consumers from predatory lenders and other scams. “Educating consumers with basic information on finances is the best deterrent,” said Daughtry-Miller.
ACB is also working with: Operation Hope, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing economic self-sufficiency to the inner city through education; the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s financial literacy curriculum called Money Smart; and the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy, which seeks to improve the personal financial literacy of young adults.
Daughtry-Miller also noted that, as part of its outreach efforts, ACB created the MBank Council a year ago to address the special issues and challenges that face minority and multi-cultural community banks — and the diverse needs of their customers.
Membership in the council is open to African-American, Hispanic-American, Asian-American and other multi-cultural financial institution members of ACB, and any ACB member that serves minority and multi-cultural communities.
The goals of ACB’s MBank Council are to understand the priorities and needs of minority and multi-cultural institutions, and to identify products and services that bring value to these members.
America’s Community Bankers is unique among financial trade groups in reaching out to minorities and women. Of the 32 minority owned thrifts, 25 are ACB members. ACB was the first bank trade group to elect a woman as chairman, and the only bank trade group to have a woman as president and CEO. Several minority group members serve on ACB’s board.
“Community bankers play a leading role in the economic development of their communities and in the financial growth of their customers,” said Daughtry-Miller. “But community bankers are more than community lenders; they are community leaders who take an active role in community affairs from the economic development council to the airport board to chairing the hospital fundraising campaign to Scouting, Junior Achievement.
“We are the bankers who are closest to our communities and to our customers.”
America’s Community Bankers is the national trade association committed to shaping the future of
banking by being the innovative industry leader strengthening the competitive position of
community banks. To learn more about ACB, visit
www.AmericasCommunityBankers.com.
-30-
|
| |
About
ACB |
Government Relations | Products
& Services | Affiliates
| Members
Area
| ACB
News Bank | In
The Community | Tools
& Resources | Contact
Us |
America’s Community Bankers
900 Nineteenth Street, NW, Suite 400,Washington, D.C. 20006
phone 202-857-3100 | fax 202-296-8716 | [email protected]
Copyright 1996-2002 © America’s Community Bankers. All Rights Reserved.
|
|
|
