New, Safe and Affordable Credit Options for America's Underbanked

On behalf of the Pew Charitable Trusts, New America Foundation, and the Center for Financial Services Innovation, it is our pleasure to invite you to attend a jointly sponsored symposium on new avenues to credit for consumers and small businesses. This event, set for October 23, 2009 at the Capitol, will focus on expanding access to small dollar loans for the underserved and on innovative models for building credit and financing domestic micro-enterprise. Leaders in Congress, the administration, and industry will participate in this half-day gathering to identify public policies and recommendations for this critical financial area. Chairman Barney Frank will kick off the symposium with opening remarks.

As our economy emerges from this recession, it is increasingly important that we make it possible for all working Americans to participate in the recovery. We need to articulate polices to support new and innovative lending mechanisms that will allow ordinary Americans to get credit, to access our financial system, and to move up the financial ladder. This symposium will gather together policy makers, experts, academics and stakeholders to forge sound and achievable policy goals to increase access to credit for the underserved. 

Space is limited: Please RSVP to Christine McCormick at Pew: cmccormick@pewtrusts.org.

Agenda

8:00 am           Introduction

Jennifer Tescher
Director
Center for Financial Services Innovation

8:10 am           Opening Address

Congressman Barney Frank
Chairman, House Committee on Financial Services

Introduction
Eleni Constantine
Director, Financial Security Portfolio
The Pew Charitable Trusts

8:25 am           Q&A Session with Chairman Frank

Dean Karlan
Professor of Economics
Yale University

Jonathan Zinman
Associate Professor, Department of Economics
Dartmouth College

Moderator
Eleni Constantine
The Pew Charitable Trusts

8:45 am           Panel One: The Problem -- Lack of Credit for the Underserved

Arjan Schütte
Associate Director
Center for Financial Services Innovation

Charles Chung
Senior Vice President
Experian

Janis Bowdler
Deputy Director
National Council of La Raza

Moderator
Eleni Constantine
The Pew Charitable Trusts

9:30 am           Panel Two: Lessons Learned from Efforts to Serve this Sector to Date -- Problems of Scale and Access

Jonathan Zinman
Dartmouth College

Andrew Morrison
Executive Vice President
Brundage Management Sun Loan Company
(former Chairman, American Financial Services Association)

Rae-Ann Miller
Special Advisor to the Director, Division of Insurance and Research
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

Janie Barrera
Chief Executive Officer
ACCION TX

Beth Kuhn
Project Director
United Way of Chittenden County, VT

Moderator
Melissa Koide
New America Foundation

10:35 am         Panel Three: Innovations for the Future -- New Technology, New Structures

Introduction

Ginger Lew
Senior Advisor
National Economic Council 
Executive Office of the President

Panelists
Dean Karlan
Yale University

Chris Larsen
Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder
Prosper

James Gutierrez
CEO
Progreso Financiero

Gina Harman
President and Chief Executive Officer
ACCION USA

Julie Kalkowski
Director, Financial Stability Partnership
United Way of the Midlands

Moderator
Arjan Schütte
Center for Financial Services Innovation

11:50 am         Keynote Remarks

Martin J. Gruenberg
Vice Chairman, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

Introduction
Melissa Koide
New America Foundation

Bag lunch will be served immediately prior to Panel Four 

12:30pm          Policy Panel

Introduction
Gene Sperling
Counselor
U.S. Department of the Treasury

Panelists
Ellen Seidman
Senior Fellow, New America Foundation
Chairman of the Board, Center for Financial Services Innovation
(former Director, Office of Thrift Supervision)

James Gutierrez
CEO
Progreso Financiero

Roel Campos
Partner in Charge
Cooley, Godard and Kronish, LLP
(former Commissioner, Securities and Exchange Commission )

Moderator
Eleni Constantine
The Pew Charitable Trusts

1:30 pm           Conclusion

Melissa Koide
Deputy Director, Asset Building Program
New America Foundation