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Equitable Access to Small Business Credit
October 14, 2021 @ 10:00 am – 1:00 pm America/Los Angeles
How can we shore up our financial system to be more inclusive? What role can the Federal Reserve play in facilitating access to credit? Please join the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco on Thursday, October 14, 2021 for a virtual event, Equitable Access to Small Business Credit.
In the wake of COVID-19, the strength of our economy will largely depend on the economic recovery of our small businesses. But the uneven distribution of pandemic relief has highlighted the limitations of our current financial system to equitably deploy resources at scale.
In an effort to increase access to small business credit for underserved communities, including low-income communities and communities of color, the San Francisco Fed is initiating an ongoing effort to dive deeper into the problem, identify possible solutions, and explore the potential options for action.
Agenda
10:00 am–10:10 am PT
Welcome and Introduction
Mary C. Daly, President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
10:10 am–11:00 am PT
Learning from Small Business Borrowers
Cecil Plummer, President, Western Regional Minority Supplier Development Council
Silvia Castro, Executive Director, Suazo Business Center
Chris James, President/CEO, National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development
Bubul Gupta, CEO, Pacific Community Ventures
Kai Rysdall, Host, NPR’s Marketplace Moderator
11:00 am–11:20 am PT
Keynote Presentation
Sheila Bair, Former Chair, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
11:20 am–11:30 am PT
Break
11:30 am–12:05 pm PT
Understanding the Research on Equitable Access to Small Business Credit
Robert Fairlie, Professor of Economics, University of California, Santa Cruz
Joseph Parilla, Fellow, Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program
Ammanuel Zegeye, Partner, McKinsey & Co
Laura Tyson, Distinguished Professor, University of California, Berkeley Moderator
12:05 pm–12:55 pm PT
Perspectives from Small Business Lenders
Sonja Wells, Chief Lending Officer, City First Bank
Pearl Wicks, EVP and COO, HOPE Enterprise Corp
Doug Bland, Head of Global Credit, PayPal
Kitty Chen, Head of Retail and Branch Banking, East West Bank
Sean Creehan, Fintech Policy Advisor, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Moderator
12:55 pm–1:00 pm PT
Closing Reflection
Mary C. Daly, President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
