NeighborWorks® Officials Join NCUA Workshop
to
Help Credit Unions Make More Mortgages
May 10, 2004-- Two representatives of the NeighborWorks
network of community development organizations will serve as keynote
speakers at a free workshop for credit union officials on expanding
homeownership opportunities to people of modest means.
The workshop, sponsored by Debbie Matz, the National Credit Union
Administration representative on Neighborhood Reinvestment's board,
will be held in Boston on June 2. It is part of a Partnering and
Leadership Success (PALS) program, introduced by Matz, that encourages
credit unions to share innovations to improve member service and
reach everyone in their field of membership.
Nelson Merced, New England district director for Neighborhood
Reinvestment Corporation, the national organization that founded
and supports the NeighborWorks network, will inform PALS participants
about resources available in their own communities to help credit
unions reach people who are most in need of affordable mortgages.
Felix Torres, executive director of Manchester Neighborhood Housing
Services, a NeighborWorks organization, will explain how credit
unions can partner with similar organizations to offer innovative
mortgage programs that will help new members buy their first homes
and provide financial counseling that will help these members
keep their homes.
With a Congressional appropriation of $105 million, Neighborhood
Reinvestment leverages nearly $2 billion worth of direct investments
into 2,500 communities through the 228 organizations that comprise
the NeighborWorks network. Last year alone, NeighborWorks organizations
helped more than 80,000 families with low-to-moderate incomes
buy or improve their homes.
"As NCUA's representative on the Neighborhood Reinvestment
board," Matz observed, "I see the wonderful work they
are doing to help people from all walks of life achieve the dream
of homeownership. Their stories can inspire credit union leaders
to help young families and new immigrants put down roots in their
communities, help long-time renters build wealth for the next
generation, and help those who have fallen on hard times become
stable homeowners and productive credit union members."
Both Merced and Torres will present their keynote addresses during
lunch at the PALS workshop on "How to Make More Mortgages."
Co-hosts for the Boston workshop include the Massachusetts, New
Hampshire, New York, and Rhode Island Credit Union Leagues, the
National Association of Federal Credit Unions, and the National
Federation of Community Development Credit Unions.
For more information on NCUA and the PALS workshop, visit www.ncua.gov
and click on PALS.
For more information on the NeighborWorks network, visit www.nw.org.
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