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Features:2. Nonprofit Executive Succession-Planning Toolkit Launched

3. Putting Capital to Work in Rural Communities

5. Roundtable Addresses Issues Posed by Vacant Houses

8. New Mexico’s Congressional Staff Discuss Impact of Foreclosures

Colorado CDFIs Collaborate to Increase Community Impact

Thirteen Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) in Colorado haveforgedaworkinggrouptoincreasetheircombinedabilitytostimulateeconomicopportunitiesforlow-andmoderate-incomehouseholdsandcommunities. Themovewill allowtheCDFIs to leverage theirnumbersandexpertise tomoreeasilyshareinformationandideasbenefittingtheentirestate. JoeRowan,executivedirectorofFundingPartnersinFortCollins,Colo.,andco-chairoftheColoradoCDFIWorkingGroup,saiditiscriticalforthestate’sCDFIs“toworkincloseconcertwithout compromising individual identities.”He said thenewgroupwill provide acollectiveresource“foraddressingsomeofthestrategicissuestowhichpreciouslittleenergycanbedevotedindividually.”

Theworkinggrouphasalreadybegunmeetingtodeterminegoalsandbestpracticesasitseekstobecomeanewandrecognizedresourceforeconomicdevelopmentinthestate.OnegoalistoestablishamechanismthatallowstheCDFIstoreferpotentialopportunitiesorclientstooneanother. Similarworkinggroupshaveprovedsuccessfulinotherstates.CDFIsinNewMexicoarealsoconsideringastatewideworkinggroup.

Continued on next page Continued on next page

By Ariel Cisneros, Senior Community Affairs Advisor

to work in close concert WITHOUT COMPROMISING individual identities.“ ”Joe Rowan, executive director of Funding Partners in Fort Collins, Colo.

CAO’s Noteby Tammy Edwards, Assistant Vice President and Community Affairs Officer

A New Season Springmarksthestartofwarmerweather,colorfulflowersand longerhoursofdaylight.Spring is alsoa reminder thatwhatoncewasdormantwillreturntofullluster.Inmostcases,nature handles the rebirth. In other cases,additionalhelpisneeded. Neighborhoodsandorganizationssome-timesneedhelptolaunchnewinitiativesortotakeexistingprogramstonewlevels. The Kansas City Fed has a variety ofresources to help banks, nonprofits, comm-unityorganizationsand smallbusinessesadd-ress economic and community development

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CAO’s Note (Continued)issues. In this issue of Community Connections,you’ll read about some of the programs andresearch we recently launched to help neigh-borhoods and organizations transition fromwheretheyaretowheretheystrivetobe. Carol Meyer, a member of the KansasCityFed’sCommunityDevelopmentAdvisoryCouncil also is featured in this issue. Caroloutlines her role in assisting rural Kansascommunitiesdriveeconomicdevelopment. Be sure to review the calendar for up-coming events. Please contact me at tammy.edwards@kc.frb.orgwith commentsor articlesuggestions.

Nonprofit Executive Succession-Planning Toolkit Launched By Erika Ramirez, Senior Community Affairs Advisor

CDFIs provide economic development resources for communities, organizations andpeoplewhomaynotqualifyformainstreamfinancialproducts.Amongotherservices,theysup-portsmallbusinesses,affordablehousing,commercialrealestate,homeownershipproductsandfinancialeducation. TheinstitutionsarecertifiedbytheCDFIFundintheU.S.DepartmentofTreasury. JeffSeifried,executivedirectorofMileHighCommunityLoanFundandco-chairoftheworkinggroup,saidthegroupwillseektoincreasethevisibilityofCDFIprojectsandtoattractmoreeconomicdevelopmentforstatecommunities. Colorado’sCDFIsrepresentmorethan$300millionincombinedassetsandrankamongsomeofthemostactiveinthenation.

Formoreinformation,visit:cdfifund.gov.

According to a CDFI Fund report in 2007, CDFIs in that year:

• Leveraged $621 million with private investments.

• Opened more than 800 accounts for the previously unbanked.

• Financed the construction or rehabilitation of more than 4,000 affordable housing units.

• Financed businesses that created or maintained nearly 30,000 full-time equivalent jobs.

The Kansas City Fed launched a freeexecutive succession-planning toolkit tailoredtononprofitorganizations.

Nonprofit organizations play a vitalrole in providing services and resources thatstrengthenthewellbeingandeconomicstabil-ityoflow-andmoderate-incomefamiliesandcommunitiesthroughouttheTenthDistrict. A2009assessmentofnonprofitslocatedwithin the Tenth Federal Reserve Districtrevealed that the majority lack an effectivesuccession plan to sustain them through aleadershiptransition. The toolkit includes an overview ofsuccession-planning and addresses threespecificplanningprocesses: • EmergencySuccessionPlanning–To prepareforanexecutivewhosuddenly departs,eitherpermanentlyorforan extendedperiodoftime.

• Departure-DefinedSuccessionPlanning –Toprepareforafutureplannedretire- mentorpermanentdepartureofthe executive. • StrategicLeaderDevelopment–To prepareforongoingleadershipdevelop- mentfortalentwithintheorganization. Thetoolkitisdesignedtohelpnonprofitsbebetterpreparedandpositioned forcontin-uedsuccess.Itcanbedownloadedat:http://www.kansascityfed.org/community/.AwebinartointroducethetoolkitwillbehostedonWednesday,April27at2p.m.(CT).Toreg-ister,contacterika.ramirez@kc.frb.org.

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Asmallamountofcapitalcanoftengoalongwayinruralcommunities.Justasksomeof the centralOklahomacommunities servedby theCrossTimbersResourceConservationandDevelopmentAssociation. Recognizingtheneedforbothcapitalandtraining,CrossTimbersstartedasmallbusinessdevelopmentprogram in2007 to assist exist-ingbusinessesandaspiringentrepreneursintheregionaccessbankfinancing. CrossTimbers isoneofanumberoffi-nancing organizations the Kansas City Fedseekstoconnectwithlendersandcommunitydevelopers. A loanofup to$25,000 from thepro-gram’srevolvingfundcanbethecriticalpiecethat helpsaprojectbecomereality.Thusfar,the loan fund has leveraged more than $1.3millioninoutsidefinancingusing$83,000ofitsowncapital. Thebusinessesassistedarethekindsthatmakesmallcommunitieswork. Consider Pro Health Pharmacy. ThisNativeAmericanandwoman-ownedbusinessrecentlyopenedtheonlypharmacyanddoc-tor’sofficeinMeeker,Okla.,atownofabout1,100people.Theloanfund’sfinancingpro-videdthereassurancetheCitizenPotawatomiCommunityDevelopmentCorp. andBanc-Firstneeded topitch inwith the remainingfundingfortheproject. Cross Timbers has received fundingfromtheFederalHomeLoanBankofTope-ka’sJOBSProgramandtheU.S.Departmentof Agriculture’s Rural Business Enterprise

GrantProgram.Localbankshavealsomadecommitmentstopartneronloans. Cross Timbers also matches fundingwith business training and mentoring ser-vices.Partnershipswithlocalcolleges,careertech centers, chambers of commerce andotherserviceprovidersgivebusinessownersextrasupport. Custom Foot Solutions, an orthoticsmanufacturerinWewoka,Okla.,benefittedfromtheseservices.Atfirst,localbankssawthestart-upastoorisky.SoCrossTimbersprovidedinitialfinancingaswellasarrangedbusinesscounselingwiththeRuralBusinessand Resources Center at Seminole StateCollege. CustomFootSolutionsmoved intoabusinessincubatorandnurturedarelation-shipwithSecurityStateBankofWewoka,which ultimately came in with additionalfinancingtobuildthislocalbusiness. CrossTimbers’goalsforassistingnewbusinesses include creating jobs—42 todate—andgreatereconomicandcommunityleadership. Theorganizationisledbyacouncilof34volunteerswhoworkwithlocalcommu-nitiesacross its10-countycoveragearea topreserve and build local resources throughmanydifferentprojects.Partnershipsarevital. CrossTimbershas shownthata littlecapitalcangoa longwaytowardsgrowinglocaljobs,communityleadershipandstronginstitutionsinruralcommunities.

RESOURCE CONSERVATION & DEVELOPMENT COUNCILS

Cross Timbers Resource Conservation and Development Area: www.oklahoma-rcd.org/index_files/ crosstimbers.htm

National Association of RC&D Councils www.rcdnet.org

State Oklahoma RC&D Council: www.oklahoma-rcd.org

STARTING AND MANAGING A REVOLVING LOAN FUND

National Association of Development Organizations Economic Development Finance Service: www.nado.org/edfs

Association for Enterprise Opportunity: www.microenterpriseworks.org

Opportunity Finance Network: www.opportunityfinance.net

Council of Development Finance Agencies: www.cdfa.net/cdfa/cdfaweb.nsf/pages/rlffactsheet.html

FUNDING SOURCES

Federal Home Loan Bank of Topeka’s JOBS Program: www.fhlbtopeka.com/s/index.cfm?AID=33

USDA: www.usda.gov Rural Business Enterprise Grant Program: www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/busp/rbeg.htm

Intermediary Relending Program:www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/busp/irp.htm

US EDA Revolving Loan Fund Program: www.eda.gov/AboutEDA/RLF.xml

Putting Capital to Work in Rural Communities By Steve Shepelwich, Senior Community Affairs Adivsor

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Q&A: Carol Meyer Carol Meyer has been a Representative of the Office of RuralOpportunityinKansassince2008.HerroleistoassistruralKansascommunitiesachievetheirgoalsbyincreasingawarenessofandaccesstoresourcesavailablefromtheDepartmentofCommerce,theSmallBusiness Development Center, Network Kansas, USDA and otherorganizations.TheOfficeofRuralOpportunityfocusesprimarilyoncommunities with fewer than 5,000 residents. Prior to her currentposition,Ms.Meyer servedwith theGardenCityAreaChamberofCommerce/Finney County Economic Development from 1980 to2008.Sheworkedwithbusinessesandindividualstoaidineconomicgrowthanddevelopment,andtorepresentthebusinesscommunityonlegislativeissues. She isaKansasGraduate inLeadershipandhasearnedprofes-sionaldesignationsfromtheInstituteforOrganizationManagementandtheInstituteofAdvancedManagement.ShecurrentlyservesontheTenthFederalReserveDistrict’sCommunityDevelopmentAdvisoryCouncil (CDAC), which meets with the Bank president and seniorBankmanagementtoofferinsightoneconomicandcommunitydevel-opmentissuesintheDistrict’ssevenstates.CommunityConnectionsperiodically features CDAC members and other leaders committedtocommunityandeconomicdevelopment.AneditedinterviewwithMs.Meyersfollows:

How would you describe the mission of the Office of Rural Opportunity in Kansas? Manyruraldevelopmentorganizationsfocusonluringbusinessesthroughfinancialincentives.TheOfficeofRuralOpportunitytakesamoreholisticapproach,focusingfirstoncommunitydevelopmentandstrategicplanningasanecessaryprecursortobusinessdevelopment.Westressregionalplansthatincorporatevolunteerismandcommunitypride,and serve as connectors for finding expertise, technical assistance andpotentialfunding.Icover28countiesinthesouthwestquadrantofthestate,whichincludes91townsthatfitthe5,000populationmaximum.

What in your mind is the biggest challenge facing western Kansans? Declining population, mostly due to outmigration, result in abroadspectrumofchallenges.ThereisasevereshortageofhousingofallkindsinwesternKansas.Thatstopsanygrowthfromtakingplace,

leads to workforce issues for existing businesses and any potentialbusinessstart-ups,andthreatenstheabilityofschoolsandhealthcarefacilitiestoremainopen.

What would you like to see happen in five years to improve prospects for development? Efforts and programs in which funding can be matched withlocalvolunteerismworkverywellinwesternKansas.Sustainingthoseprogramsorcreatinglikeprogramswouldprovidethegreatestoppor-tunityforcommunities.

What promising opportunities do you see developing in your area of focus? TheKansasLegislaturehasapprovedthecreationof“ruraloppor-tunityzones”allowingtaxcreditandstudent-loanrepaymentforpeoplewhomoveintoanyofthe50designatedruralcounties.TheprogramwilloperateoutoftheKansasDepartmentofCommerce.That’sahugesteptowardstoppingthepopulationdeclines.Inaddition,thestate ispromoting “Economic Gardening,” an entrepreneurial approachto economic prosperity that encourages home-grown companies tobecomemoreprofitableandpenetratenewmarkets.

What do you like best about your job? Ienjoymeetingandworkingwithpeoplewhoarepassionateabouttheircommunities,anddedicatedtoimprovingthem.Plus,there’snolimittothekindsofprojectscommunitieswant.Theyrangefromnewfiretrucksandstormsirens,libraries,communitycenters,farmersmar-kets,walkingtrails,healthcenters,parkimprovements,housingrehabili-tation, beautificationefforts,energyefficien-cy,andsomuchmore.

Office of Rural Opportunity Representative, Kansas Department of Commerce, cmeyer@kansascommerce.com

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Roundtable Addresses Issues Posed by Vacant HousesPaul Wenske, Senior Community Affairs Advisor

Forthethirdyear,theKansasCityFed’sForeclosure Resource Development Round-tableprovidedparticipantswithgreatinsightsand promising outcomes on the foreclosurerelated issues that continue to impact thecommunity. Nearly 90 people attended the half-dayeventonMarch11,thataddressedthechallengesofvacantandbank-ownedproperties.Attend-ees represented state and local governments,congressional delegations, community andnational lenders, nonprofits, neighborhoodgroups, investors,developers, contractors, realestateexperts,faith-basedgroupsandcolleges. Attendeesheardfromnationalservicers,local municipal leaders and neighborhoodadvocates.They shared innovative ideas anddiscussed a variety of perspectives on thedisposition of foreclosed and bank-ownedproperties. Breakout sessions focused on creativewaystoaddressvacantandabandonedproper-ties,identifyinvestmentcapital,createdemandforaffordablehomesandfindnewapproachestoreclaimandrevitalizeneighborhoods.

Capital loan pool In his introductory remarks, Acting

KansasCityManagerTroySchulte soughtacommunitycommitmenttoaddressthecity’s12,000vacanthouses. Hecalledforanadvisorytaskforceandapartnershipwithlenders,investorsandcivicleaders to create a capital loan pool to helpfinanceacquisitionandrehabefforts. LendingexpertsrepresentingWellsFargo,JPMorganChaseandBankofAmericaallsaidtheirportfolioof realestateowned(REO)orbank-owned properties was currently small.Buttheofficialssaidmanyhomesnowinfore-closurecouldbecomebank-owned. Theysuggestedthatmanyvacanthomesremain in the names of investors or home-ownerswhoabandonedthepropertiesbeforeforeclosureproceedingswerestartedorcom-pleted.OthervacanthousesareheldbysmallservicersorbyFannieMae. David Park, director of Kansas City’sNeighborhood and Community Services,said ownership issues remain a challenge tocity efforts. He said the city was looking atways to acquire vacant properties that aredestabilizingneighborhoods. One idea is to establish a land bank,which has proved successful in other cities.Land banks allow cities to buy up vacant

propertiesandholdtheminacity-runport-folio.Whilethatgivesacitycontrolovertheproperties, one potential downside is main-tainingthepropertiesuntiltheyaresold. Avideodocumentarydoneinpartnershipwith the University of Missouri-Kansas Citydramatized the impact of vacant propertiesonneighborhoods.ThevideofollowsUMKCplanninganddesignstudentswhoaresurvey-ing vacant properties to assist policymakersdeveloparesponsiveplan.

Next Steps Attendees identified an ambitious listof next steps to pursue in the coming year,including: • Formapublic-privatetaskforceto advisethecityonneighborhood revitalization • Createacapitalformationplanto financetherehabilitationandpurchase ofhomes • Developan“investoracademy”to attractandtrainqualifiedandethical investors • Authorizea“landbank”tostreamline theacquisitionandmaintenanceof vacanthouses • Continuethedialoguewithnational servicersonforeclosureandvacant housingissues • Holdaseriesofpublicforumson neighborhoodstabilizationissues • Explorenewandpromisingjoband financingprogramswithmajorlenders

Nearly 90 participants from congressional offices, community organizations, local and federal government agencies, banks and neighborhood associations met at the KC Fed on March 11 to

discuss innovative ways to revitalize foreclosure-stressed neighborhoods.

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bank on theHEARTLAND

District Bank On Programs Target Unbanked and Underbanked By Erika Ramirez, Senior Community Affairs Advisor

TheFederalReserveBankofKansasCityispromotingits“BankOn”initiativesthroughouttheTenthDistrictthisspring. Following the successful launch of Bank On Denver last Sep-tember, theBank’sOmahaBranch recently kickedoff itsBankOntheHeartlandprograminlateMarch,andtheKansasCityofficewilllaunchitsBankOnSaveUpeventonJune1.Planningalsoisunder-wayforaBankOnprograminNewMexicothissummer. The programs encourage residents to connect with affordable,“mainstream” financial products and services and also seek to nur-ture a culture of savings. More than 2.3 million households in theTenthDistrictarecurrentlyunbankedorunderbankedandareoftenvulnerabletogreaterriskstotheirsavings. Studies suggest that developing a relationship with a regulatedfinancial institution can save a family, on average, about $1,000annually on fees associated with “fringe” services, such as checkcashing,moneyordersandwiretransfers. Over 100 bank and credit union branches are participatinginBankOnDenver,where an estimated36,000households lack acheckingorsavingsaccount. During the Bank On initiatives, a network of nonprofit andfinancialpartnerswillprovideavarietyofprogramsaimedathelpingfamiliesbettermanagetheirfinancialassets.

TheupcomingKansasCityinitiativeisoneof35similarprogramsaroundthecountrythatseektoencouragesoundsavingshabitswhileprovidingfinancialeducation,withthegoalofhelpingfamiliesbuildsafeassets. TheKansasCityprogramwillincludeabilingualstrategy,utilizingthemedia,websites,brochures,billboardsandothercommunityoutlets.Itwillalsoincludeapublicevent,featuringmusic,interactivefamilyactivitiesandinformationbooths,onSaturday,June4,2011,attheIllusDavisParkinDowntownKansasCity. TolearnmoreaboutBankOninitiativesintheTenthDistrict,visitthewebsitesbelow.Bank On the Heartland (Omaha, Neb.)

www.bankontheheartland.com

Bank On Denver (Denver, Colo. Metro)

www.bankondenver.org

Bank On Save Up Kansas City (Kansas City Metro)

www.bankonsaveupkc.org

Omaha kicked off its Bank On the Heartland program in late March.

Kansas City will launch its Bank On Save Up event on June 1.

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Kansas Housing The steering committee for the 2011KansasHousingConferencemetinTopekaonFeb.10tolaunchplansforthesixthstatewidehousing conference, to be held in Wichita,Kan.,Aug.9-11.Morethan500attendeesareexpected.Formoreinformation,visit:http://kshousingconference.org.

New Community Development Advisor in Omaha Dell Gines is the new CommunityDevelopmentadvisorattheOmahaBranch.HebeganworkinFebruary.Dellpreviouslyheld leadership roles at several nonprofitorganizations in Omaha, where he focusedon small business, urban and economic de-velopment issues. He can be reached byemailatdell.gines@kc.frb.orgorbyphoneat(402) 221-5606.

CRA Roundtables Community Reinvestment Act (CRA)roundtablesthatfocusedonarangeoftopics,includingtheneedsoftheunderbankedandsmallbusinessfinancing,wereheld inKansasCity on March 2, in Denver on March 17and in Tulsa, Okla., on April 5. For more

informationonupcomingroundtables,con-tact:Ariel.Cisneros@kc.frb.org.

Money Smart Kansas City

The KC Fed’s Money Smart Day onApril 2 attracted 237 people. The event,which was part of Money Smart Month ofGreater Kansas City, offered more than 30sessionson awide-rangeoffinancial educa-tion topics, including saving and investing,financialmanagement,comparisonshoppingandfindingthebestdeals.Formoreinforma-tion,visit:http://moneysmartkc.org.

Resource Conservation and Development The Oklahoma Branch hosted a meet-ingoftheOklahomaAssociationofResourceConservation and Development Councilson Jan.18.Theassociation represents sevenregional councils that assist local communi-ties, businesses and nonprofit organizationswithidentifyingandaddressingconservationissuesalongwitheconomic,communityandsocialdevelopmentchallenges.

Housing Finance Training The Denver Branch and Habitat forHumanityInternationalco-hostedatwo-dayhousing-financetrainingseminaronJan.13-14thatdrewHabitatforHumanityaffiliatesfrom nine states, including from theTenthDistrict. For more information, visit: www.habitat.org.

Affordable Housing Outlook Attendees at the Nebraska InvestmentFinance Authority Housing Conference onJan. 26 in Omaha received an update fromtheKansasCityFedoncurrenthousingandanoutlookforthefutureofaffordablehous-inginNebraskaandtheMidwest.Formoreinformation,visit:http://nifa.org/.

Financial Education The Oklahoma Branch provided apresentation on “Strengthening FinancialEducation intheWorkplace”ataworkshopin Burns Flat, Okla., hosted by the South-westOklahomaWorkforceInvestmentBoardon Jan. 26. For more information, visit:www.swokwib.org.

RegionRoundup

The Tenth District

Gigi Wolf, Public Affairs, teaches a class on youth budgeting.

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for falling behind on their mortgages are: loss of a job, a drop inincome,health-relatedissuesandachangeinmaritalstatus.

The servicers and homeownership experts advised congressionalstaffmembersthatstrugglingconsumersshouldtakethefollowingsteps: • Callyourservicerfirst. • Allowyourservicertosuggestthebestapproach,ratherthan requestaspecificprogramforwhichyoumaynotqualify. • Provideproperdocumentationassoonaspossible. • Follow-upasneeded. • SeekonlyHUD-certifiedcounselingassistance.

New Mexico’s Congressional Staff Discuss Impact of Foreclosures By Ariel Cisneros, Senior Community Affairs Advisor

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street ReformandConsumerProtectionActrequiresFederalReserve Banks to establish an Office ofMinority and Women Inclusion (OMWI)to oversee diversity activities, such as thoserelatedtorecruitmentandvendorcontracts,andtoassessthediversitypracticesoffinan-cialinstitutionstheBankregulates. Though the legislation is new to theBank,manyoftherequiredactivitiesarenot. “We have been focused on diversityinitiativesfordecades,andmanyofthespe-

cificactivities requiredby the legislationarealreadypartoftheBank’sbusinesspractices,”saidDonnaWard,OMWIdirectorandseniorvice president of the Kansas City Fed’sAdministrativeDivision. For example, the Bank has partnershipswith more than a dozen community organi-zationsthatpromotetheadvancementofmi-norities and women, including the HispanicChamber of Commerce, the National BlackMBAAssociation,theBlackAchieversSocietyandtheUrbanLeagueofGreaterKansasCity.

Kansas City Fed Advances Diversity and Inclusion

Congressional staff members in New Mexico engaged in discussion with officials from major mortgage servicer companies about the impact of foreclosures on constituents.

CongressionalstaffmembersinNewMexicogotanopportunitytolearnmoreaboutforeclosuresataforuminAlbuquerqueonFeb.4,hostedbytheKansasCityFedandfeaturingmajorloanservicers. ParticipantsincludedofficialsfromWellsFargoHomeMortgage,Bank of America, CitiMortgage, and Chase-Home Lending, whichrepresentapproximately80percentofthehome-loanmarketinthestate. The forum also included officials from NeighborWorks AmericaandtheHOPENowHotline(888-995-HOPE),whodiscussedthena-tionalnetworkofcounselingservicesavailabletodistressedhomeowners. Participantsaddressedthedifferenttypesofhomemortgages,limi-tationsonmakingadjustmentstoloans,delinquencydataforthestateand,mostimportantly,whotocontactforhelpattheservicerlevel. Servicers said thatonaverage they contact consumers approxi-mately150times,fromthedateaconsumeris30dayslateuntiltheservicersendsaforeclosurenotice. TheseminarwassimilartootherstheKansasCityFedhostsinmultiplelocationsaroundtheTenthDistricttobriefcongressionalstaffmembersonvarioustopics. Representatives fromNeighborWorksencouragedcongressionalofficestohaveconstituentscontacttheHOPENowHotline,whichlast year received about 640 calls per month from struggling hom-eownersinNewMexico. NeighborWorks officials said the top reasons consumers give

“Focusingondiversityinourprogram-minghasalwaysbeenapriorityforCommu-nityDevelopment,asithasforotherareasatthe Bank,” said Tammy Edwards, assistantvicepresidentofCommunityDevelopment. To learnmoreabout theBank’sDiver-sityandInclusioneffors,visit:www.Kansas-CityFed.org/Diversity.

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U P C O M I N G E V E N T SA p r i l 2 0 1 1• April 25-30: Money Smart Week Wichita, Wichita, Kan. Contact: Erika.Ramirez@kc.frb.org

• April 26-27: Entrepreneurial Organization Support Conference, Kansas City, Mo. Contact: Paul.Wenske@kc.frb.org

• April 27: Nonprofit Executive Succession Planning Webinar, Districtwide. Contact: Erika.Ramirez@kc.frb.org

• April 29: Money Smart Colorado Wrap-Up Luncheon, Denver, Colo. Contact: Ariel.Cisneros@kc.frb.org

M a y 2 0 1 1• May 2: Foreclosure Resource Roundtable, Omaha, Neb. Contact: Dell.Gines@kc.frb.org

• May 5: Payroll and General Purpose Card Forum, Kansas City, Mo. Contact: Erika.Ramirez@kc.frb.org

• May 5: Business Development Opportunities, Denver, Colo. Contact: Ariel.Cisneros@kc.frb.org

• May 12: Investment Connection, Denver, Colo. Contact: Ariel.Cisneros@kc.frb.org

• May 19: Housing Programs Roundtable, Tulsa, Ok. Contact: Steven.Shepelwich@kc.frb.org

• May 24: Could Restrictions on Payday Lending Harm Consumers? A Research Seminar, Kansas City, Mo. Contact: Steven.Shepelwich@kc.frb.org

J u n e 2 0 1 1• June 13: Investment Connection, Kansas City, Mo. Contact: Erika.Ramirez@kc.frb.org

• June 23: Lenders Summit, Kansas City, Mo. Contact: Paul.Wenske@kc.frb.org

Workshops Target Loan ScamsBy Ariel Cisneros, Senior Community Affairs Advisor

Consumersstrugglingwithforeclosurescontinuetolosemoney,andinmanycases,theirhomes,toloanmodificationscams. Toaddresstheproblem,theKansasCityFedis hosting Loan Modification Scam Workshopsthroughout the District, bringing together non-profitorganizations,creditcounselors,communityleadersandgovernmentagenciestoshareresourcesandwaystoprotectconsumers. WorkshopswereheldinAlbuquerque,N.M.,onFeb.4,andinTulsa,Okla.,onApril8.EventsarealsoplannedforOmaha,Neb.,onMay2,andinDenver,Colo.,laterintheyear. Loan modification scams are designed tostripconsumersofmoneybyprovidingfalsehope.Toavoidthescams,consumersaretoldtocontacttheirmortgageservicersandreviewpossiblesolutionsatthefirstsignoftrouble. Theycanalso locateaHUD-certifiedcounselor throughthenationalHOPEHotline:1-888-995-HOPE.ConsumerswithcomplaintsaboutafinancialinstitutioncancallFederalReserveConsumerHelpat1-888-851-1920orgotowww.FederalReserveConsumerHelp.gov. Consumersshouldavoidanyonewho: • Asksforafeeinadvance • Guaranteestheycanstopaforeclosureormodifyaloan • Tellsthemtostoppayingtheirmortgagecompanyandtopaytheminstead Formoreinformation,visit:www.loanscamalert.org.

C o m m u n i t y C o n n e c t i o n s Spring 2011

Diane M. Raley, Senior Vice President

Krissy Young, Vice President, Public Affairs and Community Affairs

Tammy Edwards, Assistant Vice President and Community Affairs Officer

Editor: Paul Wenske

Copy Editor: Bill Medley

Contributors: Ariel Cisneros, Kelly Edmiston, Erika Ramirez, Steven Shepelwich, Paul Wenske

Designer: Casey McKinley

Photography: Gary Barber, Ariel Cisneros, Norman Johnson

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Norman Johnson Photography, Albuquerque, NM.

From left to right—Ariel Cisneros, Celine Thomasson, Bill Woldman, Diana Dorn-

Jones, Jay Czar and Stephanie Russo.