Financial Access for Immigrants: Learning from Diverse Perspectives

Posted by on November 26, 2004

Policymakers and academics are now catching up to financial institutions in their desire to understand how and why immigrants use U.S. financial markets. “Financial Access for Immigrants: Learning from Diverse Perspectives,” a conference co-sponsored by the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program (formerly the Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy) and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, was held at the Chicago Fed on April 15-16, 2004. It included presentations from scholars and practitioners who discussed recent research on the financial practices of immigrants as well as the practical experiences of for-profit and nonprofit institutions working to provide financial services to the immigrant community.

Underscoring the broad interest in immigrant financial access, the conference audience was made up of financial institution representatives, academics, regulators, policymakers, and representatives of community-based organizations and immigrant advocacy organizations. This Policy Brief highlights the research findings that were presented at the conference. To access the full conference presentations, visit the Chicago Fed’s homepage (http://www.chicagofed.org). Click on “Community Development” to get to the Center for the Study of Financial Access for Immigrants and the National Conference agenda.

To read the full report of Conference Proceeding #19, “Financial Access for Immigrants,” visit: http://www.brookings.edu/comm/conferencereport/cr19.htm