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Arlo Washington is the barber — and banker — of Little Rock

Washington's mission to bring economic justice to Arkansas is on display in the Oscar-nominated film "The Barber of Little Rock."
"If you can have a trade and a skill that's essential and needed, and you also have access to an opportunity, then you're able to create a sustainable, profitable and scalable business for yourself as an entrepreneur," Arlo Washington said.
Courtesy Story Syndicate

6 months out from SVB's failure, a bank president's optimism has waned

Sep 6, 2023
Pressure to keep more capital puts constraints on banks, says Laurie Stewart of Sound Community in Seattle.
Laurie Stewart, the head of Sound Community Bank in Seattle, says pressures to hold more capital will "impact our ability to serve clients and to be investable."
Courtesy Sound Community Bank

When community banking means easier access to loans

Dec 22, 2022
Institutions like the NYC-based Carver Federal Savings Bank emphasize community development as a core part of their missions.
ridvan_celik via Getty Images

Community banks signal caution about the economic recovery

Feb 24, 2021
A new report from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. finds bankers are increasing the money they set aside for bad loans.
Jacobs/Three Lions/Getty Images

Community banks are thriving. Bankers worry it won't last.

Dec 11, 2020
A recent FDIC report found that community bank profits rose last quarter, thanks to fee income from PPP loans and mortgage refinancing.
La Salle State Bank in Illinois outsourced management of its ATMs to save costs.
John Moore/Getty Images

Lifeguards, veterinary assistants and architects: a look at some of the jobs protected by PPP loans

Jul 13, 2020
About 75% of small businesses sought Paycheck Protection Program loans and about 72% of them got PPP loans, according to the Census Bureau.
Seattle Veterinary Associates is among the millions of businesses that have received loans through the federal Paycheck Protection Program.
Courtesy of Seattle Veterinary Associates

For public good, not for profit.

Bankers want businesses to know "there’s still money" for PPP loans

Jun 3, 2020
Laurie Stewart, CEO of Seattle-based Sound Community Bank, says the bank has made more than 700 loans through the program.
Laurie Stewart, CEO of Seattle-based Sound Community Bank, says her bank has funded PPP loans as small as $900.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Life on the front lines of the federal government’s small business loan program

Apr 20, 2020
“For every loan we made, I had another one in the pipeline,” said Laurie Stewart, CEO of Sound Community Bank in Seattle.
Laurie Stewart, the head of Sound Community Bank in Seattle, says pressures to hold more capital will "impact our ability to serve clients and to be investable."
Courtesy Sound Community Bank

Fallout from Dodd-Frank rollback

Mar 8, 2018
Fair housing advocates are concerned about a pending vote in the Senate that would relax banking rules on reporting loan data. Click the audio player above to hear the full story.