U.S. Bank Invests $750,000 in Forward Community Investments to Assist with Affordable House and Services in Wisconsin

Business Wire, Sept 26, 2007

MADISON, Wis. -- U.S. Bank will give $750,000 in program-related investments to Forward Community Investments to spur the development of affordable housing and community facilities throughout Wisconsin.

According to Travis Evans, U.S. Bank vice president of community development, Forward Community Investments (formerly The Dane Fund) will use the capital to provide below-market rate loans to community-based organizations and community development projects that improve services to low- and moderate-income individuals living and working in economically challenged neighborhoods in urban and rural Wisconsin.

"We are very proud to partner with FCI to help make affordable housing a reality in Wisconsin and to provide a creative financial vehicle for community projects that promote economic self-sufficiency and stabilize low-income neighborhoods," said Scott Lockard, U.S. Bank Madison market president.

Salli Martyniak, president of Forward Community Investments, said, "We thank U.S. Bank as these funds will go a long way in helping to provide and sustain affordable housing and promote neighborhood revitalization efforts and services currently taking place throughout Wisconsin."

Since it was established in 1994, Forward Community Investments, a nonprofit loan fund, has disbursed more than $10 million to eligible nonprofits in Dane County and statewide beginning in 2005. In 2006 alone, FCI closed loans totaling more than $3 million; these loans leveraged an additional $9.5 million in public and private sector capital; created 132 affordable housing units; resulted in the addition of 33 new jobs and developed more than 36,000 square feet of nonprofit facility space. In all, more than 25,000 low-income individuals have benefited from the services Forward Community Investments has provided to community-based organizations.

U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB), with $223 billion in assets, is the parent company of U.S. Bank, the 6th largest commercial bank in the United States. The company operates 2,499 banking offices and 4,867 ATMs, and provides a comprehensive line of banking, brokerage, insurance, investment, mortgage, trust and payment services products to consumers, businesses and institutions. Visit U.S. Bancorp on the web at www.usbank.com.