ICBA CRA Solutions has gone through a few name changes during its 25 years of existence, but it continues to be a strong tool for community banks when trying to meet your ongoing CRA needs.

Initially known as Senior Housing Crime Prevention Foundation (what a mouthful), ICBA CRA Solutions solely focused on providing programs to protect the elderly from financial fraud and abuse in senior housing facilities. These programs are still used today to serve the needs of facilities within your assessment area. They provide lock boxes for each unit within a senior housing community, as well as various articles, videos and other materials that help seniors stay alert to the potential of financial fraud or abuse.

Your bank can support these programs in a few different ways and receive CRA credit for your efforts. There are three primary avenues to consider when working with ICBA CRA Solutions, including a CRA-qualified community development loan, an investment that is collateralized by CRA-qualified securities or a grant to the program.

The loan would be a 3–7-year funding commitment, with monthly or semi-annual interest payments, on a 1-year note that renews annually. The investment would be a 5–7-year commitment as preferred stock in the Senior Housing Crime Prevention Foundation with regular dividend payments. Finally, the grant, the simplest funding option, would be a 3+ year funding commitment where the bank would receive an annual invoice for its contribution.

Several Indiana banks have taken advantage of this opportunity to support their community through these efforts and have stated, “While our bank makes investments in community projects of all kinds, there is no better one than the opportunity to provide a safe and secure environment for the very ones that made our community what it is today.”

The ICBA has also expanded CRA Solutions to now include various CRA training opportunities, support services and peer group interaction.

The CRA-focused training includes programs for bank staff and the Board of Directors that cover:

• What qualifies as a community development activity?
• HMDA reporting

… while also helping banks create customized CRA toolkits, action plans, scorecards and policies.

CRA Solutions knows that community banks face challenges in meeting regulatory requirements. With rule changes and staff turnover, it can be difficult to determine the best path forward for your bank to fulfill community reinvestment goals and obligations, track them and clearly communicate value to the examiners. The support services can help bridge any gaps your bank may be facing and optimize your compliance efforts. This can be done through:

• self-assessments;
• assessment area analysis;
• peer analysis;
• CRA action plan or program review;
• CRA ratings appeal; and
• many more.

We all know how beneficial it is to have a group of peers you can turn to for insights and fresh ideas. CRA Solutions provides quarterly online meetings with hundreds of compliance professionals across the U.S., led and moderated by compliance experts. These experts will brief you on any new rulings or changes, plus facilitate relationships and strengthen skills among participants.

For more information about these various CRA opportunities through ICBA CRA Solutions, contact Kristine LaVigna at Kristine.LaVigna@ICBA.org; or you can always contact me at RLasley@indiana.bank.