Where you bank MATTERS
Banking Data Updated!
New banking data from the NCUA and FDIC has been added to the search engine.
What makes a Better Bank
Building Community Wealth
Quality Lending
This score represents a bank's commitment to provide its communities with access to wealth building loans: home mortgages and small business loans. This kind of lending enables families and neighborhoods to bring more capital into their local economies.
Serving the Underserved
Qualified Tract Presence
Qualified Tract Presence indicates a bank's commitment to low- and moderate-income individuals and communities, based on where the bank has chosen to locate its branches. Essentially, this means we look for banks and credit unions which have branches in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods, as those communities are often neglected by traditional banking options.
Locally Focused
Branch Density
Branch Density indicates a bank or credit union's focus on local community needs. Additionally, higher branch density means your deposits are more likely to be used in your city or neighborhood. This score helps bring local banks to your attention.
Small Enough to Serve
Asset Size
No Bank should be Too Big to Fail. The 10 largest banking institutions in the United States hold roughly 50% of all banking assets in the US and have names you would recognize. We use this score to bring smaller, less well known banks to your attention.
About Better Banking Options
Banks and credit unions shouldn’t just serve your needs -- they should also serve the needs of your community. Better Banking Options are those banking institutions that do more "quality lending"; lending that helps people establish better lives and that builds community wealth. Even just one business or housing loan can transform a family’s future. Your money can be used to empower individuals and neighborhoods commonly underserved by typical banks by simply moving your bank account!
Traditional banks, especially mega banks, utilize very little of their lending for wealth-building loans. Even less of that goes to low- and moderate-income communities which need quality loans the most. Our mission is to get as many people to move their money as possible to better banks. Every dollar moved from a mega bank to a Better Banking Option makes a difference.
Learn more about us and our mission!Our Blog
Recent Posts
The liberal ideal of Southern California is far from reality. It’s an extremely expensive place to live, with the housing costs in the area being 140% more than the national average. Large corporations often influence social and economic policy in the area, leading many liberal policies to have backdoor exceptions. Additionally, like many urban areas in this country, diverse populations are deeply affected by segregation, enforced by redlining in the 20th century...
Better Banking Options has always operated in a political realm, as banks are essential to modern economic function and our economy is inextricably tied to politics. Although we strive for our resources to be useful to people of all backgrounds and opinions, we are also a mission-driven entity with values many would consider to be “left-leaning.”...