We recently signed up to get the "Wiz" and want to use every bit of it. We also started a CRA committee, too! Now we need training and guidance - what are some good sources of training in both large and small bank CRA, including being competetive with the new tool we have? Have any of you formed CRA associations, committees, cooperatives to meet with other area banks' CRA officers on a regular basis? In other words, how does one enter into the CRA royal family?

PCi offers excellent training and tech support for their products. The manual has lots of screen shots and explains step by step how to do things. There is also a lot of room for creativity to get what you want out of it. This is its power. But I really think you have to dedicate yourself to using it regularly to use all these features. Doing that will decrease your cost of ownership as you will find many uses for in it loan, deposit, marketing and branch analysis.

Anon, if you register with BOL, you've completed the first step in the twelve step program to enter the Royal CRA Family.

It sounds like training in all aspects of CRA is needed so let me recommend a couple of ideas for you.

CRA seminars are few and far between (ABA hits basic CRA in one class during their conference, but it's really basic and not worth attending the entire conference for if your focus is CRA specific). You just missed the CRA colloquium in Atlanta (two weeks ago), but there is a fabulous conference coming up next spring. It's held every two years and is a comprehensive CRA conference put on by the San Francisco Federal Reserve. (I'll be there )

http://www.frbsf.org/community/resources/hollywoodconfv2.pdf

PCI also has a users forum in the spring or early summer (normally over my birthday for some odd reason). Give your rep a call and make sure you get on the mailing list for it. This is a conference that is specifically for users and a great deal of the time is spent on how to do cool stuff with the program (how to get the most out of it).

I do belong to a local CRA officers group, but I'll be frank, I get more from BOL than I ever do from the local group. The local group is a nice forum for entities to present to all banks at once, but as far as learning about CRA, and the tools we all use, it's not of much value. We all use different programs, and we don't really like to go deep into CRA programs we're hatching because of competitive issues.

You could give another bank in your area a call and chat with their CRA officer and see if there is a local group to join. I've heard that some are quite fabulous, but still, you're going to have those competitive issues to deal with

Tell them the Queen sent you

If general training is required, check out some archived programs in Learning Connect. Jack H. just did one on CRA.

Here is some guidance for a CRA Committee:
1. CRA committee, chaired by a CRA officer (senior-level officer, appointed by the president) with meetings held at least semi-annually.
Committee members are chosen from various parts of the assessment area. They are to include one or more lending officers, advisors, and directors as well as management, the CRA officer, and the compliance officer. Advisors are those familiar with the needs of LMI segments of the community, such as a public official, business person, realtor in LMI area of the community, or individual representing a community development organization, or charitable organization.

2.Topics for committee review to determine whether adjustments to the program are needed, include:
-Lending-Test data: this includes HMDA, CRA and Community Development lending activity.If this review indicates that certain areas of the delineated community are not using the credit services of the Bank, the appropriate officer shall be assigned the responsibility of communicating with knowledgeable individuals in that area to determine the reason for the lack of loan penetration. The assigned officer will be required to report back to the committee on the findings.
-Investment-Test data: this is the bank’s record of helping to meet the credit needs of its assessment area though qualified investments, deposits, memberships or grants having a primary purpose of community development.
-Service-Test data: this is the availability and effectiveness of the bank’s system for delivering retail banking services to its assessment area(s) and the extent and innovativeness of its community development services.
-Changes made that impact the community, such as banking-hours, branch closing and branch-relocations.
-The extent to which community credit needs are being met, based on reports of CRA and other business development. This should include any suggestions on new or better products that are needed.
-Examination of written comments received from the public concerning the bank’s CRA efforts and any replies to those comments that are needed. The committee is to ensure that copies of the written comments and replies from the Bank are sent to the Compliance Officer for placement in the CRA Public File.
-Recommendations on bank deposit and loan products that will improve services to the community, particularly LMI neighborhoods.
-Recommendations about the placement of advertisements to ensure that no segment of the delineated community is excluded.
-Examination of the assessment area and whether changes are needed because of branch-openings, closings or other situations.
-Reports of contacts made and suggestions received about the credit needs of the entire community and any ways the Bank’s service to its community could be improved.
a. This list of people and organizations used for these contacts should continually be reviewed to ensure that it includes appropriate government agencies, organizations and individuals.
b. Those on the list should receive periodic calls from committee members, bank officers, directors, or any other appropriate employees.
c. Those assigned to contact listed individuals and organizations are to submit reports about what they learned from the call.