CRA Regulatory Analysis
What Is the Community Reinvestment Act? A Practical Guide for Banks
The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) is one of the most important—and misunderstood—regulations in banking. At its core, CRA is about ensuring financial institutions serve the needs of their entire communities, including low- and moderate-income populations. But in practice? It’s much more complex. This guide breaks CRA down into clear, actionable insights your team can actually use.
What You’ll Learn
- The purpose of CRA and why it still matters today
- The four pillars of CRA and how banks are evaluated
- The three performance tests: lending, investment, and service
- What assessment areas are and why they’re critical
- How CRA requirements vary by bank size and designation
CRA is evaluated through lending, investment, and service activities, all tied to a bank’s defined assessment areas, making geographic strategy just as important as program strategy. Banks that treat CRA as a checkbox miss the bigger opportunity. Those that approach it strategically can:
- Improve exam outcomes
- Strengthen community relationships
- Drive long-term business growth
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Build a stronger, smarter CRA strategy—starting with the fundamentals.
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CRA Quick Start Guide
How to Build CRA-Eligible Financial Education Programs That Deliver Impact
Financial education isn’t just good for communities—it’s recognized under CRA as a powerful, qualifying community development activity when done right. The challenge? Most banks struggle to connect program design with regulatory requirements. This quick start guide shows you exactly how to do both.
What You’ll Learn
- How financial education qualifies under CRA primary purpose criteria
- Why schools are one of the most effective CRA-aligned delivery channels
- How to target low- and moderate-income (LMI) populations correctly
- How to structure programs as qualified investments and services
- What documentation you need for CRA examinations
Financial education programs must demonstrate a clear primary purpose and target LMI populations to qualify under CRA standards, something many institutions overlook. When done strategically, financial education programs can:
- Check multiple CRA boxes (investment + service)
- Deliver measurable community impact
- Strengthen relationships in key assessment areas
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Turn your financial education strategy into a CRA-qualified advantage.
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The Gap Between Financial Knowledge and Real-World Readiness
High school students are stepping into financial independence earlier—opening bank accounts, planning for college, and even thinking about investing. But beneath that activity is a growing gap between access and understanding.
Based on insights from more than 161,900 high school juniors and seniors, this infographic reveals where students feel confident—and where they’re falling behind.
What You’ll Learn
This infographic highlights key trends shaping the next generation of financial decision-makers, including:
- Where student confidence breaks down across critical financial skills
- The disconnect between what students plan to do and what they’ll actually face
- The biggest areas of confusion—from credit to student loans to investing
- Why demand for financial education is higher than ever
Students are actively engaging with financial tools but that doesn’t mean they know how to use them. Many are planning major life decisions like college and credit use, yet large percentages report feeling unprepared to manage those responsibilities effectively.
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Without the right education, students are entering adulthood without the confidence or skills to navigate debt, manage accounts, or make informed financial decisions. At scale, these gaps have long-term consequences for individuals, communities, and the broader economy.
Get a deeper look at the data—and the opportunity to better prepare students for financial independence.
How ORNL Federal Credit Union is Expanding Financial Literacy Across Tennessee
ORNL Federal Credit Union (ORNL FCU) has long believed that financial education should start early. As demand from schools increased across East Tennessee, the organization saw an opportunity—and a challenge—to expand its impact. Through its partnership with Everfi, ORNL FCU scaled its K-12 financial education efforts, delivering high-quality, engaging learning experiences to students across 19 counties while staying true to its community-first mission.
The Challenge: Scaling K-12 Financial Education Across 19 Counties
ORNL FCU’s early K-12 efforts showed strong results but scaling them was difficult. With a small team and a large geographic footprint, the organization faced key barriers:
- Limited capacity to reach schools consistently across rural and urban areas
- Ongoing strain from building and maintaining curriculum internally
- Difficulty engaging students with traditional teaching formats
- The need to align with state standards while keeping content relevant
- A strong commitment to prioritizing low- to moderate-income schools with limited access
Without the right infrastructure, expanding access equitably—and sustainably—was out of reach. Everfi delivered a turnkey K-12 platform designed to scale impact without increasing workload. This approach allowed ORNL FCU to expand beyond in-person delivery and build a scalable, school-based model for financial education.
Discover the Impact
Within the first year, ORNL FCU transformed what was possible for student reach and engagement. What began as a small, resource-constrained program became a scalable initiative reaching thousands of students across dozens of schools. By investing in early education and removing barriers to access, ORNL FCU is helping shape more financially confident generations—while strengthening its role as a leader in community impact.
Learn how your institution can empower individuals and communities with the financial knowledge and tools to improve their financial well-being today: everfi.com/sponsorship
How ORNL Federal Credit Union is Expanding Community Impact Through Adult Financial Education
For decades, ORNL Federal Credit Union (ORNL FCU) has supported the financial well-being of individuals and families across East Tennessee. But as demand for adult financial education grew, so did the need for a more scalable, accessible approach. By partnering with Everfi, ORNL FCU launched ThrivePATH, a mobile-first financial wellness platform that delivers personalized, on-demand education while expanding reach across its 19-county footprint.
The Challenge: Meeting Adult Financial Education Needs at Scale
ORNL FCU was already making an impact through workshops, branch events, and one-on-one counseling—but those efforts weren’t built to scale. With a lean team and no centralized digital platform, the organization faced increasing pressure to:
- Expand access without increasing operational burden
- Keep content relevant and up to date
- Make financial topics feel approachable, not overwhelming
- Reach both members and non-members, including underserved communities
- Deliver education in a format that fit into everyday life
At the same time, community partners like nonprofits lacked the tools to deliver financial education themselves, creating an even wider gap in access. Everfi Achieve provided a turnkey, digital solution that allowed ORNL FCU to scale without sacrificing its people-first mission.
Discover the Impact
In just months, ORNL FCU saw measurable growth in both reach and engagement—not just sign-ups, but meaningful participation. Adult learners are actively progressing through content, spending time learning, and completing full pathways. By removing barriers to access and meeting learners where they are, ORNL FCU is positioning itself as a trusted partner in financial well-being across the region.
Learn how your institution can empower individuals and communities with the financial knowledge and tools to improve their financial well-being today: everfi.com/sponsorship
Questions Financial Institutions Should Ask Before Investing in School-Based Financial Literacy
School-based financial literacy programs are a powerful way to expand access, strengthen communities, and build long-term customer trust. But not all programs deliver meaningful impact.
Before you invest, make sure you’re asking the right questions.
What You’ll Learn
This quick, actionable checklist will help you evaluate financial education partnerships with confidence. You’ll uncover how to:
- Reach all students—not just the already engaged
- Measure real outcomes, not just participation
- Scale programs across markets without added complexity
- Support educators to ensure long-term adoption
- Align investments with community development and regulatory goals
Why It Matters
Too many programs look good on paper but fail to deliver measurable results. This checklist cuts through the noise so you can focus on what actually drives impact—for students, your institution, and your community.
Download the Checklist
Get the essential questions every financial institution should ask before investing in school-based financial literacy. Download now and make your next investment count.
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The Critical Window: Invest in Young Adult Financial Education
Young adults are making the most important financial decisions of their lives — and many are doing it without trusted guidance. While they’re opening their first checking account, choosing their first credit card, and building credit, only a small percentage have received meaningful financial education.
That gap creates a defining opportunity for financial institutions to step in — not just as product providers, but as trusted financial coaches during the most formative years of adulthood.
By investing in young adult financial education, financial institutions can:
- Build trust at a pivotal life stage
- Strengthen long-term customer loyalty
- Increase product readiness and confidence
- Reduce delinquency risk
- Drive meaningful community impact
This isn’t a short-term incentive strategy. It’s sustained, values-driven engagement delivered at the exact moment young adults are forming habits that last decades.
This infographic explores:
- Why the years immediately after high school represent a critical financial window
- The growing trust gap between young adults and traditional financial institutions
- Why education outperforms transactional incentives
- How just-in-time, digital-first learning turns financial decisions into long-term loyalty
For a deeper dive into research insights, engagement data, and strategies for activating adult financial education, explore the full white paper: The Critical Window: How Investing in Young Adult Financial Education Drives Lifelong Customer Loyalty.
Download the Infographic
Discover how financial education can strengthen trust, loyalty, and long-term growth. Download the infographic to see how your institution can get started.
On Demand Webinar
State of Youth Financial Education
Insights, Trends, & School Partnership Models
Youth financial education is entering a new era. Thirty states now mandate a standalone personal finance course as a graduation requirement, doubling the requirements of just three years ago. At the federal level, new policies around Section 503A “Trump Accounts” are accelerating momentum around youth financial capability.
With a growing need for standards-aligned, high quality personal finance education, school districts are actively seeking trusted financial institutions to enable student learning.
In this on-demand webinar moderated by Tim Pannell of the American Bankers Association, you’ll learn:
- Key trends in youth financial education and introductory timing insights
- Effective school partnership models and best practices
- Strategies to connect financial education with key business priorities like CRA, employee volunteerism, and brand reputation
- How to apply insights to local context, including state-level mandates
Speakers:
- Dan Zapp, PHD; Sr Director of Research, Everfi
- Diana Bravo, Head of K–12 Implementation & Partnerships, Everfi
- Milton Dellossier, SVP, Head of Community Relations & Events, City National Bank
- Kelsey Havemann, Director, Youth Financial Education, ABA
Access this on-demand webinar to discover how you bank can be a leader in the new financial education landscape.
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How Home Bank is Empowering
Communities Through Scalable Financial Education
For more than a century, Home Bank has invested in helping families build stability, confidence and economic mobility across Louisiana and the Gulf region. In 2019, Home Bank sought a way to expand its reach by meeting growing community financial education needs while strengthening performance under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). That search led to a strategic partnership with Everfi, transforming how financial education is delivered across its communities.
The Challenge: Strengthening and Expanding Reach
Home Bank’s team was deeply committed to classroom engagement, leveraging resources from the Louisiana Bankers Association, regulators, Junior Achievement, and internal materials. But demand quickly outpaced staff capacity. Schools wanted more support. Students needed accessible, high-quality financial education. And during the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person delivery was no longer possible.
Home Bank needed a solution that could:
- Scale financial education efficiently
- Prioritize and reach low- to moderate-income (LMI) students
- Deliver trusted, standards-aligned curriculum
- Provide measurable outcomes and simplified CRA reporting
- Maintain meaningful school relationships
By removing financial and administrative barriers for schools, Home Bank now ensures students have equitable access to financial education, while strengthening its CRA strategy with measurable, reportable impact.
Discover the Impact
Download the full case study to see how Home Bank built a scalable, measurable financial education strategy that strengthens communities and CRA performance without sacrificing its personal, human-centered approach.
Learn how your institution can empower individuals and communities with the financial knowledge and tools to improve their financial well-being today: everfi.com/sponsorship
Financial Education Sponsorship for Lasting Community Impact: CSR Strategy Checklist
Traditional marketing isn’t building trust with the next generation. Financial education is. Financial institutions today face increasing pressure to:
- Demonstrate meaningful community impact
- Meet Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) requirements
- Build early relationships with future customers
At the same time, schools across the U.S. are being asked to deliver financial education—but many lack the funding, curriculum, and support to do it effectively. That gap creates a powerful opportunity.
Why Financial Institutions Sponsor Financial Education
- Support CRA and compliance goals
- Reach students and families in trusted school environments
- Build early brand trust with future customers
- Deliver measurable community impact
- Track results with real-time reporting
Download the Guide
Go beyond traditional marketing with programs that create lasting value—for your community and your institution.