The Rural Blog

A digest of events, trends, issues, ideas and journalism from and about rural America, by the Institute for Rural Journalism, based at the University of Kentucky. Links may expire, require subscription or go behind pay walls. Please send news and knowledge you think would be useful to benjy.hamm@uky.edu.

The Rural Blog

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The growth of smaller banks and credit unions is outpacing the rest of the industry

What's a community development financial institution? Knowing the answer could be key to a community's progress

Interest-rate risks could sneak up on some community banks; regulators may need a stricter approach

Ex-FDIC chair worries bank 'bailouts' could drive deposits out of community banks; they'd have less money to lend

Rebuild Local News Coalition asks regulators to reward banks' support of local news with Reinvestment Act scores

Inflation rates omit rural Americans, whom it may hurt more

Higher interest rates complicate life for many farmers

Rural Mainstreet Index falls for fifth month in a row; 3 of 4 small-town bankers in Ill.-Wyo. region see recession in 2023

N.M. group pushes for a state public bank, citing N.D. example and touting benefits for small communities, farmers

Inflation keeps small-town economic index in Ill.-Wyo. region below growth-neutral, but farmland prices continue to rise

Consumer finances in rural Appalachia have fallen even farther behind the rest of the nation in the last 20 years

Quick hits: Why libraries are a boon to rural areas; rural opportunity in CHIPS bill; rural LGBTQ+ Americans face greater health care barriers; latest on flooding in Kentucky

Rural Midwestern bankers say local economies thrive, but predict economic downturn with little impact from E15 sales

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says rural areas face unique difficulties accessing banking services

Black farmers facing an under-researched mental-health crisis driven by debt, racism, and fear of displacement

New federal effort targets financial issues facing rural areas; agency seeks advice from rural stakeholders

Rural bankers report strong local economies and record farmland prices, grow more confident about next 6 months

Non-profit helps Black entrepreneurs in Mississippi Delta

Rural banker survey finds record-high farmland price index, 12 straight months of sunny local economic outlook

Feds create portal to forgive PPP loans after banks drag feet; top banks opt out, leaving businesses at their mercy