The 2013 Interagency Minority Depository Institution and CDFI Bank Conference
Plenary Sessions
Industry Overview
| Panel Moderator | |
| Michael Grant | President, National Bankers Association, Washington, DC |
| Panelists | |
| Arturo Carrion | Executive Vice President, Puerto Rico Bankers Association, San Juan, PR |
| Ross Hill | CEO, Bank 2, Oklahoma City, OK |
| Jeannine Jacokes | Chief Executive, Community Development Bankers Association |
| Alan Thian | President, National Chinese-American Bankers Association and President & CEO, Royal Business Bank, Los Angeles, CA |
| Rebeca Romero Rainey | Chair, ICBA Minority Bank Council and Board Chair & CEO, Centinel Bank of Taos, Taos, NM |
Overview
Minority and CDFI trade groups and CEOs, representative of banks serving African-American, Asian-American, Latino-American, and Native-American communities, explored several themes, including, “How we are the same, how we are different, and how we can work together.” They discussed how they serve different types of minority communities and their views for the future.General Discussion
The leaders of trade organizations that represent African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic-American, Native-American, Puerto Rico and Community Development banks spoke of their common purpose: permitting members to work together in their respective groups to share information with each other, the public, regulators and legislators. Citing the earlier FDIC presentation, “MDIs by the Numbers,” participants stressed that there is greater strength in numbers. Trade groups would have more impact if they worked together toward common goals. Many share the same concerns as other community banks. And they all share concerns unique to serving minority communities.
The panel expressed concerns regarding the financial and social impact of proposed rulemakings, including regulatory relief, mortgage, capital, housing and small business proposals. Some suggested that government should be more proactive in seeking their input, noting that although revisions to some of the proposals were positive steps, more could be done. They outlined some of their efforts to influence these changes through meetings on the Hill, with regulators and at public forums.
Panelists and members of the audience noted the strong spirit of inclusion flowing through the conference itself. As the moderator noted, “I have never seen such inclusion as I have with Bob Mooney’s efforts in bringing together this conference.” There was a basic agreement to foster cooperation and collaboration among these different representative groups of MDIs, to bring them under the same umbrella.