PBS Interviews Mark Levine
Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 2009-05-07 20:32
Be sure to check out PBS’ article "For Those With Low Incomes, Help Creating a Credit History," which features an interview with 1995 Echoing Green Fellow and Founder of Credit Where Credit Is Due Mark Levine. Mark discusses the origin of his organization and his goals for low-income communities. As a schoolteacher living in Washington Heights, New York, he became close with his students and their families and "was just struck by how few had bank accounts and how many used check-cashing stores in lieu of banks, how many, when they needed credit, went to pawnshops and loan sharks." This led him to start his organization, as well as The Neighborhood Trust Federal Credit Union, which serves as a bank for low-income people. According to the article, "the program has been so successful, it is now mostly self-funded from its 4,000 members' deposits. It has expanded to other parts of the city, partnering with nonprofit groups, to provide financial education classes."
