The State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) is a $10 billion federal investment that enables states to craft programs that expand small business financing. SSBCI includes strong incentives to reach socially and economically disadvantaged business owners, and community development financial institutions (CDFIs)are a critical vehicle for reaching those businesses.

This resource focuses on the four basic factors to be considered in assessing a program’s strategic and financial impact on the CDFI. With some initial assumptions about those factors, this tool helps a CDFI to assess the pros and cons of a program relative to these four key factors.

Treatment of Purchased Small Business Loans under the Retail Lending Test in the New CRA Rule for those Financial Institutions that are subject to the new Retail Lending test or that opt-in to the new Retail Lending Test.

For decades, when community development financial institutions (CDFIs) have been asked what they need to grow, the response has been the same: “More net assets.” But while the need for net assets to support CDFI growth remains (and will not go away because of the scale of the challenge), the industry now has new capitalization tools to bring to bear to reduce this pressure.

Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) loan funds face a common capitalization challenge as they seek to grow—they must raise net assets to enable the additional debt financing needed to support an expanding portfolio.