Credit unions and public banks

On September 18, 2023 an organizing group called Friends of the Public Bank of the East Bay (PBEB) announced the hiring of its start-up CEO Scott Waite. This is a brief announcement by Waite on YouTube.

Waite is a credit union veteran having served over 20 years as Patelco Credit Union’s CEO. More recently he had turned around Central State Credit Union which had been operating for four years under regulatory constraints.

PBEB has raised $1 million and is undertaking further fund raising. Four local jurisdictions—Alameda County and the cities of Richmond, Oakland and Berkeley—are supporting the effort contributing financially to the bank’s groundwork and business plan.

The intent is to seek a bank charter with FDIC insurance to open by 2024 or early 2025. The goal is to facilitate local governments’ reinvestments back into their communities. As a wholesale bank, PBEB will partner with community banks, credit unions and CDFIs to finance affordable housing development, small businesses, the renovation and electrification of existing buildings, and the ability of cities and counties to refinance their municipal debt locally.

 

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