BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Nov. 16, 2018 – Regions Bank and Operation HOPE on Friday announced the opening of two additional HOPE Inside financial empowerment offices that will provide free financial advice, guidance and education to people across the Birmingham area.
The new HOPE Inside locations are based in Regions Bank branches at 9178 Parkway East in Roebuck and 5701 Valley Road in Fairfield. Financial counseling is available to anyone through HOPE Inside, regardless of whether the recipient is a Regions customer.
“Financial education leads to financial empowerment,” said Leroy Abrahams, head of Community Affairs for Regions Bank. “We started working with Operation HOPE in 2014, and we immediately saw the impact on people across Birmingham and beyond. There are people living in their own homes today because HOPE Inside showed them how to take charge of their finances and achieve their goals. There are people whose credit scores are over 700 today because HOPE Inside helped them reduce their debts, build their savings and manage their money in a more productive way. The result of Regions and Operation HOPE building on our partnership is that more people will have access to the tools they need for financial growth and success.”
Operation HOPE, a global financial dignity nonprofit organization, created the “HOPE Inside” partnership model to share financial education literally “inside” retail locations, such as banks or grocery stores. Regions’ role is to provide financial support and workspace facilities within the company’s branch network. As a result, Operation HOPE has fewer expenses and less overhead, allowing HOPE to reach more people in more places through financial education and training.
“Our vision is to create a stronger, more inclusive economy through financial empowerment – and financial dignity,” said Operation HOPE Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John Hope Bryant. “Imagine the difference we can make for people who improve their credit scores by 100 points or more. Think about the impact on families and communities as more people succeed financially. And consider the new investments and jobs that come to communities where people are financially secure. We are proud to build on our work with Regions, and we look forward to making a meaningful difference in more Birmingham-area communities.”
The first HOPE Inside office at a Regions branch opened in 2014, when HOPE Financial Wellbeing Coach Shante Ross began meeting with people at the bank’s Five Points South location. She started helping them develop their own roadmaps toward achieving financial success. Since then, she has counseled hundreds of clients and has seen firsthand the powerful difference HOPE Inside can make.
“This is about access and opportunities – and compassion,” Ross said. “Through HOPE Inside at Regions Bank, we’re leveling the playing field. We’re connecting people with the insights they need to reach their financial goals. And we’re doing this in a way that’s welcoming, understanding and custom-built around individual needs. It’s incredibly rewarding when we see people achieve financial security. For each person, the journey is different. But we’re committed to serving and supporting our HOPE Inside clients in every way possible.”
Counseling appointments are now available at the Roebuck and Fairfield HOPE Inside offices. To schedule an appointment in Roebuck, contact counselor Penny Southward at 205-683-5204 or [email protected]. Counselor Charmaine Chatman can be reached at 205-766-8136 or [email protected] to schedule an appointment in Fairfield. Additionally, Ross can be reached at Five Points South at 205-478-0557 or [email protected].
Due to the positive results of HOPE Inside at Regions branches in Birmingham, Montgomery, Selma and elsewhere, the bank is in the process of opening more HOPE Inside locations throughout the Southeast, Midwest and Texas. Regions is committed to supporting a total of 100 HOPE Inside offices by 2021.
“The success of HOPE Inside is truly inspiring, and that success continues to grow each day,” said Regions Bank Birmingham Market Executive Alan Register. “Beyond helping people raise their credit scores and achieve financial security, HOPE Inside has a deeply personal impact on people and families across our community. We recognize that money isn’t everything. But we also know that for us to achieve more inclusive growth, more people need access to the insights and experience that can help them successfully manage and grow their finances. HOPE Inside is a key component of helping us achieve more inclusive growth across Birmingham.”
The HOPE Inside model received the 2016 Innovator of the Year recognition by American Banker magazine. Nationwide, HOPE Inside has more than 100 locations and commitments for another 600 offices in the coming years. According to Operation HOPE, each office holds consumer credit counseling certification, CFPB, FDIC, U.S. SBA, EITC, HUD, and FEMA applications and partnerships, and through HOPE Inside, Operation HOPE is the only organization certified by the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council to operate within a bank.
About Regions Financial Corporation
Regions Financial Corporation (NYSE:RF), with $125 billion in assets, is a member of the S&P 500 Index and is one of the nation’s largest full-service providers of consumer and commercial banking, wealth management, and mortgage products and services. Regions serves customers across the South, Midwest and Texas, and through its subsidiary, Regions Bank, operates approximately 1,500 banking offices and 2,000 ATMs. Additional information about Regions and its full line of products and services can be found at www.regions.com.
About Operation HOPE
Since 1992, Operation HOPE has been moving America from civil rights to “silver rights” with the mission of making free enterprise and capitalism work for the underserved – disrupting poverty for millions of low and moderate-income families across the nation. Through our community uplift model, HOPE Inside, which received the 2016 Innovator of the Year recognition by American Banker magazine, Operation HOPE has served more than 2.8 million individuals and directed more than $2.7 billion in economic activity into disenfranchised communities – turning check-cashing customers into banking customers, renters into homeowners, small business dreamers into small business owners, minimum wage workers into living wage consumers, and uncertain disaster victims into financially empowered disaster survivors. Project 5117 is our multi-year four-pronged approach to combating economic inequality that aims to improve financial literacy, increase business role models and business internships for youth in underserved communities, and stabilize the American dream by boosting FICO scores. Operation HOPE recently received its fourth consecutive 4-star charity rating for fiscal management and commitment to transparency and accountability by the prestigious nonprofit evaluator, Charity Navigator. For more information, visit www.OperationHOPE.org. You can also follow Operation HOPE on Twitter and Facebook @operationhope.