What is the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977?

Congress enacted the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) of 1977 to encourage financial institutions to meet the credit needs of the communities in which they operate and to combat redlining. The evalutation of a bank's CRA performance includes reviewing a number of different factors, including: 

• The depth of a bank's community development lending
• The distribution of small business and home mortgage loans in local communities
• The availability of bank branches and services in low- to moderate-income neighborhoods
• The bank's commitment to serving the community through volunteerism and by providing financial education
   

M&T's Outstanding CRA Rating 

M&T has a long history of providing financing and making investments that expand affordable housing and support the growth of small business. The bank has established a clear track record of supporting meaningful community development projects positively impacting our neighbors and generating meaningful economic activity in our communities. This work also includes providing access to a full range of banking products and services through convenient banking locations across the bank's entire footprint.

As a result of this steadfast commitment, M&T Bank's current CRA rating from both the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the New York State Department of Financial Services is an "Outstanding", the highest rating awarded by both agencies.  

For a copy of the M&T Bank CRA performance evaluation, stop by an M&T Bank Branch or review the bank's CRA Public File here.