Where you bank matters. Your bank account can support the real economy, including affordable housing, small business, and economic opportunity in urban and rural communities that are often underserved by conventional big banks. Switching from a megabank (such as Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo, or Bank of America) also ensures your deposits are not being used to finance the global climate crisis.  

You can put your money to good use simply by banking with a community development bank or credit union. These institutions operate just like conventional banks (think national banks with ATMs in every city), but focus on funding economic development in low- and moderate-income areas and/or supporting local economies, instead of simply investing to make their executives wealthier. 

Benefits include: 

• Banks and credit unions dedicated to community development help create good local jobs. 

• They may support clean energy, fair labor, and food security in food deserts. 

• They provide financial services to low-income individuals and/or supply capital for small businesses, affordable housing, and education facilities. 

• They invest in their local economy – things like mortgage loans and small business. 

• They have more accountability to individual customer members. 

Green America’s Get a Better Bank Map 

To help you find a community development bank or credit union in your area, Green America has created a Get a Better Bank map. The banks and credit unions included meet at least one of the following criteria: 

• Federal certification by the CDFI (Community Development Financial Institution) Fund 

• Certification by Green America’s Green Business Network 

• Membership in Inclusiv 

• Membership in the Global Alliance for Banking on Values (US members) 

• FDIC-identified Minority Depository Institutions (This designation indicates minority ownership and/or having most board directors minority and a customer base that is predominantly minority.) 

Other Better Banking Resources

Other organizations have also created resources to identify better banks and credit unions. Each resource is different, so using more than one can be helpful. These resources include: 

• Mighty Deposits, which analyzes public data for what over 10,000 banks or credit unions in the United States invest in. 

• Bank for Good, which lists over 50 banks and credit unions that have signed a fossil-free commitment. 

• Bank.Green, which rates banks and credit unions based on its ratio of clean energy vs fossil fuel financing. 

• Better Banking Options, which scores over 10,000 banks and credit unions by how well they support their local communities. 

Consider Online Banking 

In addition to seeking out better banking options above, consider online financial institutions: 

• For any bank or credit union that interests you, ask if they offer paperless and online services. 

• Clean Energy Credit Union offers membership to Green America members, their family members, and those in the same household. All are eligible to join! (online only) 

Ready to move to a better bank or credit union? Learn how to make the switch! 

Back to Better Banking Main Page