Oscar Perry Abello
@oscarthinks.bsky.social
Senior Economic Justice Correspondent, @nextcity.org. Author of The Banks We Deserve https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-banks-we-deserve-reclaiming-community-banking-for-a-just-economy-oscar-perry-abello/21374823 Based in NYC. He/him 🇵🇭 oscar@nextcity.org
Excellent reporting I find nowhere else on a pressing issue. Hats off to @oscarthinks.bsky.social
Next City@nextcity.org · 2d agoA proposed overhaul of the Community Reinvestment Act would pull hundreds of banks out of the affordable housing tax credit market, undercutting the same incentives that the Road to Housing Act is expanding. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...
Finanta has made $580 million in loans and investments since inception in 1992. Of that, 86% has been loaned or invested in borrowers or businesses located in low-income communities, and 64% has gone to borrowers of color.
Once upon a time, in the wake of financial institutions abandoning certain communities because of race or class, community organizers in those communities started their own institutions to replace them — instead of waiting for larger institutions to figure out how to serve their neighborhoods.
It's been a long time since any policy changes that actually centered community banks. The new housing act includes changes that practitioners and advocates say will empower local lenders to finance more housing that people can afford & more economic opportunities that actually pay living wages.
Hey #AAJA26 if you bought my book at the conference bookstore come find me later and I can sign it for you 🖊️ I’ll be at the Northeast chapters mixer tonight Or come to our solutions journalism session tomorrow at 9am
“when local news disappears…municipal borrowing costs rise. Without journalists monitoring local officials, the risk of wasteful spending and corruption increases. Lenders respond by charging higher interest rates…” www.rebuildlocalnews.org/new-report-r...
New Report Reveals Local News Shortage is Costing Communities $1.1 Billion a Year
Researchers link expanding news deserts to higher borrowing costs for local governments, based on analysis of bond‑market data.
rebuildlocalnews.org
Yesterday, the NCUA announced the involuntary liquidation of People Trust Community Federal Credit Union. Unfortunate news for what had been, and in some ways still remains, a bright beacon in a time of uncertainty and turmoil in the world of community development finance.
Some of our amazing @islandpress.bsky.social authors are coming to our booth (#308) at APA. Danielle Arigoni (pictured). Sun: 10:00 John Zeanah, 11:00 Oscar Perry Abello; Mon: 10:00 Don Elliott #NPC26 @daniellearigoni.bsky.social @oscarthinks.bsky.social
I hope that other national and local outlets are paying attention to what's happening to this credit union in Arkansas. @oscarthinks.bsky.social does an expert job of explaining for @nextcity.org.
Why Are Federal Regulators Trying To Take Away This Credit Union?
People Trust Community Federal Credit Union gave Little Rock's underbanked Black entrepreneurs a home. Now federal regulators have seized it — and industry leaders say they've seen this before.
nextcity.org
Tough news for supporters of public banking in San Francisco and to some extent elsewhere. Jackie Fielder has been a leader on this issue for the past decade or so.
Mission Local@missionlocal.org · 4mo agoJUST IN: San Francisco Supervisor Jackie Fielder says she is resigning. Fielder was in the hospital Friday. Her office said she was undergoing an "acute personal health crisis." missionlocal.org/2026/03/sf-j...
🎙️Behind strong communities are strong community banks, but there aren't enough of them. On today's show Dan Morgan of the Bank of North Dakota and @oscarthinks.bsky.social discuss the future of public banking. Listen here: www.wortfm.org/banking-is-t...
Banking Is Too Important to Leave to the Bankers - WORT-FM 89.9
Zoe Sullivan is in conversation with Don Morgan and Oscar Perry Abello about the benefits of public banking.
wortfm.org
So much fun joining host Zoe Sullivan for today's episode of @apublicaffair.bsky.social on WORT-FM radio in Madison, Wisconsin. A real honor to be in conversation w/ Don Morgan, CEO of the Bank of North Dakota, the oldest & for many decades last remaining state-owned bank in the country.
Let’s also hold ourselves responsible as the media. Organizers should never have to make a calculated move to keep violence a secret b/c speaking up will reduce their movement’s power b/c the media love heroes, strong men especially they can build a story around. medium.com/@dolores_hue...
A Statement from Dolores Huerta
March 18, 2026
medium.com
When it comes to the complexities of finance—especially the good kind—there's no one I trust more than @oscarthinks.bsky.social to explain what's really going on. The latest example:
CDFI Assets Fell For The First Time In Years. Here’s What That Really Means.
Credit unions serving low-income populations are increasingly letting their CDFI certification lapse. But they’re not retreating from their mission.
nextcity.org
Three years ago, Adelphi Bank in Columbus, OH opened its doors to become the first new African American-designated bank since 2003. It's since grown to $100 million in assets, including $23 million in construction loans & $35 million in commercial real estate loans. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...
Three Years In, America’s First New Black-Led Bank in 20 Years Is Picking Up Steam
Adelphi Bank in Columbus has grown to $100 million in total assets by leaning into what community banks do best.
nextcity.org
These organizers are working not on neighborhood "preservation," not on "revitalization," but "revival." Reported by @nextcity.org's @oscarthinks.bsky.social, here's what that means to them.
Black Commercial Corridors Are Still Banking On Culture
From West Oakland to Birmingham, historic commercial districts in Black neighborhoods are using cultural preservation to drive community investment.
nextcity.org
If Wallace stayed down the shore at his grandma’s 😭😭😭
Culture Crave 🍿@culturecrave.co · 5mo agoMichael B. Jordan with his In-N-Out after winning his Oscar 🏆
Are there *any* Republican Party leaders who have denounced this or Rep. Ogles' similarly straightforwardly anti-Muslim posts? Per Politico, nothing from Johnson or Thune yet. www.politico.com/live-updates...
Tuberville shares social media post suggesting Muslims are ‘the enemy’
GOP leadership has remained quiet as a growing number of party members post Islamophobic rhetoric on social media.
politico.com
Brad Lander@bradlander.bsky.social · 5mo agoI can't even find the words to express how repugnant and despicable this post is. People who spew such Islamophobic bile don't belong in the United States Congress. The job of elected officials is to combat hate, not fan its flames. (1/2)
Private credit bubble got you worried? Some basic facts to keep in mind. Private credit and private equity share some similiarities, including the fact that many of the same big Wall Street asset management firms do both, or have ties across both sides like pension funds invested in both.
Such a complex issue with so many layers and complicating factors. While this very well done story touches on the plight of Casa Adela, it leaves out the fact that its building is a low-income limited equity housing co-op w/ 16 units above two storefronts. So Casa Adela's landlords live upstairs.
How NYC's Housing Crisis is Squeezing its Small Businesses - City Limits
As New York City housing costs continue to outpace incomes, the pressure ricochets through commercial corridors, pushing out some of the very businesses that define them.
citylimits.org
a man in a suit is laughing while playing a keyboard in a dark room .
ALT: a man in a suit is laughing while playing a keyboard in a dark room .
media.tenor.com
ETPC@etpc.bsky.social · 5mo agoaccidentally broke my "never read a substack" rule and found myself reading an article that argues games need to accommodate people who watch NBA games, gamble on them, and scroll tiktok while watching onlyfans videos all at the same time. don't make my mistake.
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Andre M. Perry@andreperryedu.bsky.social · 5mo agoNew Report!!!: In 2023, the number of Black-owned employer businesses (those with at least one employee) operating in the United States surpassed 200,000 for the first time—marking at least six years of consecutive growth based on the latest available data. www.brookings.edu/articles/bla...
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Austin Free Press@atxfreepress.bsky.social · 5mo agoThe Austin City Council is expected to take a final vote on March 12 on a rezoning request that has reignited long-running tensions in the Blackland neighborhood over land use, neighborhood plans... You can read the full story at austinfreepress.org/historical-l...
