Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco Expands Support to Community Development Financial Institutions and State Housing Finance Agencies

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco (FHLBank San Francisco) released enhancements to its credit and collateral risk policy that will enable greater lending by non-depository Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and state-charted Housing Finance Agencies (HFAs) to better support the low-income communities they serve. The enhancements align with the Bank’s mission to support affordable housing and economic development and are designed to provide increased liquidity to support community development for communities in need.

“We have spent significant time listening to our CDFI members and analyzing ways we can expand our relationships with CDFIs and HFAs, working together toward a shared mission of advancing economic opportunity and affordable housing. Our new underwriting enhancements are a first step toward increasing access and liquidity,” said Alanna McCargo, president and chief executive officer of FHLBank San Francisco. “By improving our terms and funding access for our non-depository CDFI members and increasing financing availability for housing associates like HFAs, we will be able to increase the availability of funds to benefit the communities that we collectively serve. Furthermore, we will continue to partner with our CDFI members and housing associates to innovate new programs that support their efforts, as there is a lot of untapped opportunity to expand in this space.”

The main borrowing enhancements include:

• Increased credit terms from 5 years to up to 20 years on collateral, including Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) properties, for non-depository CDFIs that can offer financing for the life of large affordable housing projects
• Increased borrowing availability on posted collateral to support affordable housing and community development projects
• Housing associate program limits increased from $250 to $500 million to continue to support state housing finance agency programs

FHLBank San Francisco will discuss the impact of these enhancements with CDFIs this week at the annual Opportunity Finance Network Conference in Los Angeles, the largest annual gathering of CDFIs. The Bank looks forward to engaging, collaborating and celebrating the work CDFIs and HFAs do to expand economic opportunity in the communities they serve.

CDFIs and HFAs are on the front lines of providing capital to low-income communities. The FHLBank San Francisco supports the missions of our non-depository CDFIs members and housing associates by providing access to low-cost capital and grants for affordable housing and economic development. With non-depository CDFIs traditionally finding it challenging to obtain long-term, affordable financing, FHLBank San Francisco has worked to partner with them to enhance their ability to serve their customers and communities. This important partnership increases the supply of affordable housing and facilitates homeownership and economic development initiatives in underserved communities.

To further their own community impact goals, CDFI members also benefit from FHLBank San Francisco’s discounted Advances for Community Enterprise (ACE) and Community Investment Program (CIP) credit products, the Affordable Housing Program (AHP) and the Access to Housing and Economic Assistance for Development (AHEAD) Program that provides micro grants for economic development.

For over a decade, FHLBank San Francisco has partnered with its non-depository CDFIs to generate positive community impact, including:

• Funding $686 million in competitively priced advances since 2011, and an additional $36 million in discounted advances for community development.
• Awarding $79.9 million in AHP grants to construct or preserve 6,885 affordable housing units.
• Awarding $1.6 million in AHEAD grants to our non-depository CDFI members for 45 economic development and recovery initiatives.
• Supporting programs aimed at supporting Latina entrepreneurs, providing vital housing and other services to Native American communities, facilitating career development for people of color, and other programs and projects that benefit underserved communities.

About the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco

The Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco is a member-owned cooperative supporting local lenders in Arizona, California, and Nevada to build strong communities, create opportunity, and change lives for the better. The tools and resources we provide to our member financial institutions — commercial banks, credit unions, industrial loan companies, savings institutions, insurance companies, and community development financial institutions — propel homeownership, finance quality affordable housing, drive economic vitality, and revitalize neighborhoods. Together with our members and other partners, we are making the communities we serve more vibrant, equitable, and resilient.

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