CDFIs: What are they? Why are they important to the economy?

Community Development Financial Institutions, or CDFIs, are specialized entities that provide lending, investments and other financial services in economically distressed communities. A provision of the massive $787 billion stimulus law recently passed by Congress doubles federal funding for CDFIs. We’ll spend an hour discussing this little know economic opportunity with Mark Pinsky, CEO of the Opportunity Finance Network, a consortium of CDFIs around the country.