In light of recent developments, I am optimistic about the economic prospects for the Bronx and local small businesses. I also believe that community banks and community development organizations have an important role to play in paving the way forward. As always, my comments today reflect my own views and not necessarily those of the Federal Open Market Committee or the Federal Reserve System. 1 The economic outlook for the Bronx To appreciate where we are, we need to remember where we’ve been. Those of you who are long-time Bronxites know that starting in the 1950s, but especially during the 1970s, the Bronx endured a massive economic slump. In that one decade, the 1970s, the borough’s population fell by 20 percent – and by even more in many well-established neighborhoods. As people moved out in droves, buildings were abandoned, crime increased and jobs vanished – all in a vicious cycle, creating an atmosphere of despair. Yet, the borough persevered and conditions began to stabilize and then to even improve a bit in the 1980s. Today, while there is still much progress to be made, the Bronx is in dramatically better shape on many dimensions: its economy has been growing at a brisk pace, its population is on the rise, its housing stock is being rejuvenated and many businesses are thriving, creating strong job and income growth. This is particularly evident in neighborhoods like Hunts Point and the area around Yankee Stadium, down to the Bronx Terminal Market and beyond.
The studies further cited successful community banks as having a strong and localized customer service focus – that is, avoiding the temptation to expand into new, less familiar areas and markets – and high community visibility, with staff members heavily involved in community activities, which in turn, created customer relationships built on trust. 5 So what did we learn from the experience of community banks with the financial crisis? A foundation built on good risk management practices and intimate local knowledge helped the successful banks to thrive during one of this country’s most difficult financial periods. The banks that prosper in the future will likely have characteristics similar to those that outperformed during the financial crisis. It bears repeating that community banks are critical in keeping local economies vibrant and growing. Strong community banks are essential to the provision of credit to small businesses in their localities. 4  See United States Government Accountability Office, Financial Institutions: Causes and Consequences of Recent Community Bank Failures, Statement of Lawrance L. Evans, Jr., Director Financial Markets and Community Investment, June 13, 2013. Also see Gilbert et al. (2013). 5  St. Louis Federal Reserve Study Shows Community Bank Model Can Thrive in Good Times and in Bad. BIS central bankers’ speeches  3  Importance of small business lending It is often noted that small businesses contribute disproportionately to employment growth in their communities. When you dig a little deeper into this stylized fact, you discover that it is new small businesses that are responsible for this growth.