Gruenberg: Efforts to expand banking access making an impact

FDIC research suggests that efforts to connect unbanked consumers to the banking system are having an effect, FDIC Chairman Martin Gruenberg said.

Unbanked Data: Speaking in Washington, Gruenberg said FDIC data show that the proportion of U.S. households that are unbanked has fallen by about one-third since 2015, with changing economic conditions estimated to account for half of the improvement.

Background: The FDIC last year expanded its #GetBanked public awareness campaign—which encourages unbanked consumers to consider opening a checking account—into the Los Angeles, Dallas, and Detroit metro areas after launching it in Atlanta and Houston.

ICBA National Campaign: Community bankers can use resources available in the ICBA National Campaign Toolkit to help spread the word about community banking and drive consumers to banklocally.org, which offers a directory of community banks.