Wednesday, in his post “Has the Budget Crisis Du Jour Got You Down?” Bill Daley pointed out that if Congress were to close one tax loophole on offshore accounts, it could be enough to create a ‘job stimulus’ program the country has not seen since the beginning of the Great Recession. Continue reading
Fred and Sophia Patterson have a mortgage that was bought from Bank of America by Freddie Mac. When Mr. Patterson had his identity stolen, he lost everything, and asked for some assistance. The Pattersons accepted a temporary loan modification and continued to pay the adjusted monthly amount, Continue reading
This report shares the findings of a survey of Maine small businesses, focusing on their experiences with credit and their reactions to one current proposal to support small business and economic growth: the creation of a state bank. This report contributes to the discussion of such a proposal by sharing the perspectives of Maine’s Main Street small businesses.
Click here to download the full report. Continue reading
The big banks live in a parallel universe.
In their universe, the financial meltdown was beyond their power to stop. The recession that left more than 1/10th of the American workforce unemployed is a shame they had little to do with. The massive government bailout of the financial system was an opportunity to make a tidy profit so that you could give your executive hefty bonuses. And the budget deficit that was catapulted to its current highs because of the recession proves that the government has gotten too big. Continue reading
This report shares the findings of a survey of Washington small businesses, focusing on their experiences with credit and their reactions to one current proposal to support small business and economic growth: the creation of a state bank. This report contributes to the discussion of such a proposal by sharing the perspectives of Washington’s Main Street small businesses.
Click here to download the full report. Continue reading
This post was written by Dan Lombardi, small business organizer for the Main Street Alliance of Oregon.
On Wednesday, January 12, the Main Street Alliance of Oregon held a press conference in the state capitol of Salem to announce the release of a report: Direct from Main Street: Oregon Small Business Views on Credit and Lending. The report asked 116 Oregon small business owners and small family farmers about their experiences, since the recession began, with credit and lending. It also asked them for their perspective on one proposal to address the credit crunch: the creation of a state bank that would partner with local financial institutions to support small business lending and community economic development. Continue reading
This report shares the findings of a survey of Oregon small businesses, focusing on their experiences with credit and their reactions to one current proposal to support small business and economic growth: the creation of a state bank. This report contributes to the discussion of such a proposal by sharing the perspectives of Oregon’s Main Street small businesses.
Click here to download the full report. Continue reading
It’s always been tough for working families in the Northwest to make ends meet. The recession has made it even harder – and harder still for people of color, who have historically faced racial inequities in the job market. The economic crisis has only worsened these disparities in employment, wages, and income.
Race Matters shines the light on wage disparities faced by so many families of color in the Northwest and Colorado. It takes a close look at jobs that currently exist in the economy and asks whether these jobs provide wages that can actually support individuals and families. It then examines whether people of color in the region are less likely than white people to earn a living wage. Finally, the report makes recommendations for policymakers with a focus on improving access to high-quality jobs for people of color and raising the floor for everybody. Continue reading
On Tuesday, October 26th, members of the Idaho Community Action Network gathered outside of the Wells Fargo bank in Pocatello, Idaho to demand changes to the bank’s excessive overdraft system. Many Idahoans have experienced the pains of the economic recession and are in a state of discontent with Wells Fargo’s failure to address the financial crisis. “Due to the fees, my family and I had to let go of some things from the grocery store because we live paycheck-to-paycheck,” said Debra Maltos, a member of the organization. Continue reading
