The parent company of Silicon Valley Bank has hired a law firm to assess its "Access to Innovation" effort. That program aims to provide support, including more funding, to startups and venture firms that were started by women and members of certain minority groups.
The country's largest banks should deepen partnerships with minority depository institutions and community development financial institutions, and regulators should facilitate that process.
Adrienne Harris, superintendent of the New York State Department of Financial Services, previewed the agency's upcoming climate guidance in an interview with American Banker. Banks "cannot sacrifice" their fair lending and equity obligations "in order to mitigate climate risk," she said.
The megabank rolled out new and expanded employee diversity targets that it aims to meet by 2025. The goals include placing more Hispanics in leadership roles and boosting the number of LGBTQ+ members the company hires from colleges and universities.