Community Development

• Read local revitalization plans to learn about community needs from those that are most familiar with the needs
• Develop a peer analysis of similarly situated institutions to identify opportunities you may not be aware of
• Develop relationships with community groups and community development (CD) practitioners to learn about the needs/opportunities with those who have the "boots on the ground."
• Match activities to CRA objectives to highlight the bank's ability to meet the needs most in demand
• Document the impact of activities (e.g., number of jobs created or low- or moderate-income individuals benefitting) to highlight responsiveness

CRA Program/Examination Readiness

• Track CD activities on an ongoing basis; credit cannot be given if examiners are not aware of activities
• Document qualifying aspects of a community development activity
• Provide summaries of donation grantees or organizations in which employees are involved
• Prepare a qualitative analysis of the bank's "CRA Story" to share with examiners
• Ensure all bank employees are aware of how their job could impact the bank's CRA performance
• Evaluate and strengthen any CRA program inefficiencies identified during the last CRA exam

Common Examination Issues

• Lack of supporting documentation to help examiners qualify CD activities
• Not communicating important performance context factors or qualitative considerations for CD activities
• Under reporting of community development loans