Amid DEI Backlash, Developer Group Blazes Path Forward
Emerging real estate developers and potential financial backers gathered in Boston this week to make connections, do deals and share strategies to overcome the challenging investment climate.
Berkshire’s Maiden $100M Sustainability Bond Funds Affordable Housing
Berkshire Bank is spending the proceeds from its first $100 million “sustainability bond” to affordable and workforce housing, green buildings and funding access for small businesses.
Massachusetts Gets First B Corporation Bank
When you ask Martha’s Vineyard Bank CEO James Anthony what becoming a certified B corporation – a designation for firms that work to make the community and the planet better – changed about the bank, the answer may surprise you.
ESG Investors at a Crossroads as Recession Draws Near
Investors do not necessarily make ESG investments for greater long-term returns, but often for altruistic reasons or due to personal preferences to hold greener assets. Will these “luxuries” still be attractive in a downturn?
Fidelity Bank Provides $30M in Financing for Solar Projects
Sudbury-based Gridwealth, which develops and operates commercial-scale solar projects nationwide, has received $30 million in financing from Leominster-based Fidelity Bank.
Q&A: The ESG Industry Is Becoming a Political Target
After breaking into the mainstream of the investment world, ESG investing has become big enough to be a political target too. In an interview, the head of US SIF, an industry group advocating sustainable investing, reflects on this evolution.
Citizens Launches Corporate Accounts for Carbon Offsets
Citizens Bank has launched a deposit account to help its corporate clients acquire carbon offsets to help companies transition to a lower carbon economy and meet environmental, social and governance goals.
J.D. Power: Retail Bank Customers Want Advice on Inflation
More U.S. consumers are now considered financially vulnerable, while one-third of retail bank customers want – but have not received – information from their bank on how to handle inflation, according to a new report from J.D. Power.
Report: More Retail Banks Focus on Sustainability
More retail banks have responded to concerns about climate change by building sustainability into their digital transformation programs, according to a new report from Boston Consulting Group.
Berkshire Bank Launches ESG Investment Product
Berkshire Bank’s wealth management division has launched new socially responsible investment portfolios that the bank said would strengthen its commitment to environmental, social and governance factors.
Lenders Find Opportunities in Sustainable Products
Climate change is likely to pose a significant threat to financial institutions over the next 30 years, researchers say, but some banks and credit unions also see it as a business opportunity.
Berkshire Makes Business Lending Core Part of ESG Push
Berkshire Bank’s plan to plow $1.5 billion into small business lending, part of new $5 billion three-year environmental, social and governance commitment, is coming at a critical time.
Berkshire Bank in $5B, Three-Year ESG Commitment
Boston-based Berkshire Bank has committed $5 billion toward community and environmental financing and investments as part of a three-year initiative that the bank said would help strengthen local communities.
Citizens Launches Program to Facilitate ESG Investing
A new program from Citizens will allow corporate clients to direct their cash reserves toward companies and projects that are expected to create a positive environmental impact, the bank said in a recent statement.
Diversity is Not a Cost Center
Since George Floyd’s death, many banks have leapt forward with billions in pledges to communities of color. Those actions should be praised, but lenders must look beyond addressing racial diversity and economic inequality with charity if they want to thrive in a changing America.
Partnership with MIT Looks to Improve ESG Data
A new collaboration between MIT’s Sloan School of Management and a Massachusetts pension fund looks to improve the measurement of environmental, social and governance data in the investment and financial sector.
