Elizabeth Young
Selma, AL 36701-1100
January 9, 2006
Robert Feldman
Federal Deposit Insurance Commission
550 17th Street, NW.,
DC 20429
Dear Robert Feldman:
The most effective way to expand access to credit to underserved borrowers is to implement rigorous and
comprehensive CRA exams that maintain the focus on meeting the credit and deposit needs of low- and
moderate-income borrowers and communities.
CRA exams should also penalize banks for abusive products such as bounce protection, the wealth
stripping features of which are not advertised clearly to consumers.
Finally, I encourage the regulators to add an anit-predatory lending provision to the CRA regulations
that will penalize banks for illegal, abusive, and discriminatory loans.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the need for a strong CRA.
The final Q & A Notice should clarify that the community development exam criterion includes
an examination of the number and percent of branches in low- and moderate-income communities.
In addition, I recommend that the final Q & A Notice provide CRA points for the provision of low-cost
banking services.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Young