Banking On Natural Capital

Whole Earth, Spring, 1998 by John Haines

3577 Nykand Way IV, Lafayette, CO 80026; 303/499-8189, fax 303/499-3923, zpaiss@aol.com.

Provides consulting and early stage bridge financing to qualified co-housing and other community groups.

Vermont National Bank's Socially Responsible Banking Fund

PO Box 804, Brattleboro, VT 05302; 800/772-3863, fax 802/258-4098, dberge@vnb.com.

Uses deposits only to support flexible loans for affordable housing, environmental and conservation projects, sustainable agriculture, education, and small and dual bottom line businesses.

Wainright Bank and Trust Company

63 Franklin Street, Boston, MA 02210; 800/444-2265, 627/478-4000, fax 627/478-4020.

Has over $50 million committed to local development projects including housing for people living with AIDS, breast cancer research, and the protection of wilderness areas.

Credit Unions

National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions

120 Wall Street, 20th fl., New York, NY 10005; 222/809. 1850, fax 212//809-3274.

The national association for credit unions that serve low-income communities, both minority and other. Capitalization program acts as a "central revolving fund," accepting loans from social investors and channeling the proceeds into low-income credit unions as insured deposits.

Alternatives Federal Credit Union

301 W. State Street, Ithaca, NY 14850; 607/273-4666, fax 607/277-6391, afcu@alternatives.org, www.alternatives.org.

Deposits are re-invested in community: loans for minority- and women-owned businesses, energy-efficient cars, flexible mortgages, and youth credit union.

Self-Help Credit Union

PO Box 3619, 302 West Main Street, Durham, NC 27702; 800/966-7353, fax 919/956-4600, info@self.help.org, www.selfhelp.org.

Provides home and small business loans to low-wealth families, women, minorities rural residents, and nonprofit organizations. SHCU loaned $2.79 million in mortgages in a recent year, of which 92% went to minority households and 64% to female-headed homes. Of their $2.56 million in commercial loans that year, 44.4% went to minority-owned firms, 37.6% went to women-owned firms, and 13.5% went to co-ops and nonprofit ventures.

Banking Institutions of Special Note

Women's World Banking

8 W. 40th Street, 10th fl., New York NY 10018; 222/768-8513.

A nonprofit institution that provides loan guarantees to banks and other financial institutions for the purpose of promoting entrepreneurship of women, particularly those women generally without access to established financial services.

Creative Investment Research

PO Box 55793, Washington, DC 20040-5793; 202/722. 5000, fax 202/785-4682, www2.ari.net/cirm.

Surveys, evaluates, and publishes information collected from minority and women owned banks, thrifts, and brokerage firms. Also determines Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) ratings and reviews CRA activity at these banks.