Dallas Fed Home Page
Volume 2, Issue 1, 2002   Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas

Banking on Safety
Banks Accept Alternative ID to Fight Crime and Reach New Markets

Forty-seven percent of Austin's reported robbery victims are Hispanic, according to the Austin Police Department. This alarming statistic led Austin police last year to look for a new crime-fighting tool: bank accounts. And Wells Fargo Bank was there to help.

In May 2001, Wells Fargo branches in Austin began taking the matricula consular card as an acceptable form of photo identification for opening a depository account, which requires two items of ID. Mexican consulates issue the matricula to all Mexican nationals in the United States as proof of Mexican citizenship. Read more »

Matricula Consular Document | Mexican Voter Registration Card

U.S. Treasury's ETASM Brings Banking to the Unbanked

Six of the nation's largest banks are part of the growing list of financial institutions offering Electronic Transfer Accounts to traditionally "unbanked" consumers receiving federal benefit checks. ETAs are offered at more than 17,000 locations nationwide. The number of consumers taking advantage of the ETA's convenience has more than doubled in the past 10 months and is increasing daily. Read more »

News & Events

  • New amendments to the disclosure requirements of Regulation C, which implements the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA), require lenders to disclose pricing data on higher cost loans, expand the number of nondepository institutions subject to HMDA's reporting requirements and revise certain regulatory definitions. Read more Off-site page
  • Chairman Alan Greenspan speaks about "Economic Development and Financial Literacy" at the Ninth Annual Economic Development Summit sponsored by the Greenlining Institute in California. Read more Off-site page
  • Federal Reserve Governor Edward M. Gramlich speaks about "Predatory Lending" at the Housing Bureau for Seniors conference in Michigan. Read more Off-site page
  • Janie Barrera, president and CEO of ACCION Texas, and Larry Hawkins Jr., president and CEO of Unity National Bank in Houston, have been appointed to the Federal Reserve Board's Consumer Advisory Council. The council advises the Board on matters in the area of consumer financial services. Read more Off-site page
  • Keep up to date on emerging topics in community development and affordable housing at the new interactive web site powered by the Fannie Mae Foundation. Read more Off-site page
  • Call for papers! The 2003 Community Affairs Research Conference, "Sustainable Community Development," will be held at the Capitol Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., March 27–28, 2003. Individuals interested in presenting research should submit a completed paper, abstract or proposal by April 22, 2002. Read more Off-site page

Back to Top
e-Perspectives Home | e-Perspectives Archives | Dallas Fed Home | Dallas Fed Community Development | Disclaimer/Privacy Policy