CSR Event

Rethinking Risk & Reward: Communities, Consumers, & The New Financial Landscape

DAYBOOK/CALENDAR ITEM
FOR FEBRUARY 25, 2009

ORGANIZER: Opportunity Finance Network, a national network of financial institutions that originated more than $19.8 billion in responsible financing in non-conforming urban, rural, and Native communities through 2007.

CO-HOSTS:

• Bank of America


• Center for Responsible Lending


• Chicago Community Loan Fund


• Citizen Potawatomi Community Development Corporation


• Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED)


• The Ford Foundation


• Low Income Investment Fund


• The Milken Institute


• National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC)


• National Council of La Raza


• Net Impact


• Northeast Entrepreneur Fund


• Northern California Community Loan Fund (NCCLF)


• Opportunity Finance Network


• Partners for the Common Good


• The Reinvestment Fund


• RW Ventures, LLC


• Social Investment Forum


• U.S. Public Interest Research Group

EVENT: RETHINKING RISK & REWARD: COMMUNITIES, CONSUMERS, & THE NEW FINANCIAL LANDSCAPE. The financial market crisis and the economic collapse that followed will lead to sweeping restructuring of the financial marketplace-through laws, regulations, and practices.

Who will be part of the policy debate? This special forum will look at the roles of communities and consumers in the new financial landscape. It will question assumptions about risks and rewards. It will focus on what works.

DETAILS: This special policy forum will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Carnegie Institution for Science, 1530 P Street NW Washington, District of Columbia 20005. There is no cost to attend, but space is limited and you must register in advance at: www.opportunityfinance.net/dcforum.

PRESS OPPORTUNITIES: The conference is open to a limited number of journalists who register in advance. Please register at:
www.opportunityfinance.net/dcforum.

SPEAKERS: Speakers and presenters will include:

• Binyamin Appelbaum, Staff Writer, Washington Post


• Janie Barrera, ACCION Texas


• Janis Bowdler, National Council of La Raza


• Doug Bystry, Clearinghouse CDFI


• Daniel Gross, Senior Editor, Newsweek


• Ellen Harnick, Center for Responsible Lending


• Elsie Meeks, Oweesta


• Jeremy Nowak, The Reinvestment Fund


• Mark Pinsky, Opportunity Finance Network


• Ellen Seidman, The New America Foundation


• Mark Willis, Visiting Scholar, The Ford Foundation


• Alison Yonas, Latino Community Credit Union


• Betsy Zeidman, The Milken Institute

CONTACT: Media contact is Lina Page at lpage@opportunityfinance.net or 215.320.4326. Event registration contact is Jaqueline Fox at jfox@opportunityfinance.net or 215.320.4313.

Over the past 30 years, the opportunity finance industry has provided more than $25 billion in financing. Every dollar of that financing has created benefits for low-income and low-wealth people and communities. Our nation's foreclosure crisis and weakening economy are affecting distressed communities and their residents first and most painfully. Community development financial institutions (CDFIs) are already at work in these struggling communities to provide affordable, responsible credit and to stabilize neighborhoods.