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Home Insurance Increases Threaten Housing Stability in Deep South

This blog specifically looks at homeowners insurance across this Deep South, considering both premium increases as well as policy availability, compared to the rest of the country. The data show that despite having lower incomes and lower property values, the Deep South has some of the highest homeowners’ insurance rates and some of the largest increases in premiums over the last several years.

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Through data-driven member focused research, advocacy, and policy change, HOPE works to dismantle barriers to financial inclusion and create opportunities for families and communities to thrive.

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Publications

From research briefs to blogs, our publications highlight the work, stories, and policy insights that drive economic opportunity in underserved communities.

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Newsletters

Explore press releases, news reports, and quarterly updates highlighting our work with communities across the South.

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Data & Visualization

Dive into interactive tools and visualizations to see the trends and opportunities shaping economic inclusion in the Deep South.

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HEROES Act Brings Relief for Disadvantaged Businesses, Financially-Strapped Households

HEROES Act Brings Relief for Disadvantaged Businesses, Financially-Strapped Households

February 24, 2026 | Kiyadh Burt

JACKSON, MS – Yesterday, Congress introduced, HR… JACKSON, MS – Yesterday, Congress introduced, HR 6800, the HEROES Act, proposing a range of relief mechanisms for the health and financial consequences of COVID 19. Among the bill’s proposals, critical to the Deep South’s economic recovery, are provisions to… Read More >
Hope Policy Institute Statement on OCC changes to Community Reinvestment Act

Hope Policy Institute Statement on OCC changes to Community Reinvestment Act

February 23, 2026 | Kiyadh Burt

JACKSON, MS – Yesterday, the Office of the… JACKSON, MS – Yesterday, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency announced sweeping changes to the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), a law passed in 1977 to ensure banks adequately serve the communities in which they do business.  As part… Read More >
Bipartisan Effort Makes Small Business Protection Program More Accessible

Bipartisan Effort Makes Small Business Protection Program More Accessible

February 23, 2026 | Kiyadh Burt

Media Contact: Shelia Byrd Hope Policy Institute shelia.byrd@hope-ec.org 601-832-7627 Bipartisan Effort Makes Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program More Accessible Continued Improvements Will Position Program to Better Serve Vulnerable Communities JACKSON, MS – Yesterday, the Small Business Administration announced a… Read More >
FDIC Final Rule Favoring High-Cost Lenders Puts Deep South Families at Risk

FDIC Final Rule Favoring High-Cost Lenders Puts Deep South Families at Risk

February 23, 2026 | Kiyadh Burt

Today, the FDIC announced a final rule that will… Today, the FDIC announced a final rule that will encourage high-cost lenders to partner with banks to enable high-cost lending and undermine state law protections. The FDIC rule, which follows a similar one issued by the OCC last month, will… Read More >
HOPE Statement on CFPB Repeal of Payday Lending Protections

HOPE Statement on CFPB Repeal of Payday Lending Protections

February 23, 2026 | Kiyadh Burt

Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau… Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) repealed critical protections for people harmed by payday and car title loans. On August 2017, the CFPB finalized new rules to stop the debt trap of payday and car title loans. At the… Read More >
Fair Housing Rollbacks Threaten Economic Opportunity in the Deep South

Fair Housing Rollbacks Threaten Economic Opportunity in the Deep South

February 23, 2026 | Kiyadh Burt

JACKSON, MS – On the Friday evening of Labor Day weekend, the U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) finalized changes stripping away critical elements of the law protecting people from facing discrimination in the housing market. Key to enforcement of… Read More >
HOPE Statement on Proposed Changes to the Community Reinvestment Act

HOPE Statement on Proposed Changes to the Community Reinvestment Act

February 23, 2026 | Kiyadh Burt

JACKSON, MS – The Federal Reserve on Monday, Sept.… JACKSON, MS – The Federal Reserve on Monday, Sept. 21, announced proposed changes to the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), a law passed in 1977 to ensure banks adequately serve the communities in which they do business.  Public comment on the… Read More >
HOPENotes – Winter 2026

HOPENotes – Winter 2026

February 20, 2026 | Tracy Meng

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HOPE Opposes Federal Action to Expand Predatory Lending

HOPE Opposes Federal Action to Expand Predatory Lending

November 4, 2025 | admin

JACKSON, MS – Yesterday, the Office of Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) finalized new rules that will encourage high-cost lenders to partner with banks to enable high-cost lending and undermine state law protections facilitating high-cost lenders’ partnerships with banks in… Read More >
HOPE Statement on Congress’ Passage of the COVID-19 Relief Package

HOPE Statement on Congress’ Passage of the COVID-19 Relief Package

November 4, 2025 | admin

JACKSON, MS – Late Monday, Congress approved a… JACKSON, MS – Late Monday, Congress approved a $900 billion coronavirus relief package that included $12 billion for community development financial institutions (CDFIs). Hope Enterprise Corporation/Hope Credit Union (HOPE) CEO Bill Bynum released the following statement about the legislation: “Prior… Read More >
Debt Burden for Formerly Incarcerated Tops $4 Billion

Debt Burden for Formerly Incarcerated Tops $4 Billion

November 4, 2025 | admin

Hope Policy Institute calls for changes in public,… Hope Policy Institute calls for changes in public, private sectors to facilitate successful re-entry January 13, 2021 JACKSON, MS – Debts associated with the criminal justice system in the Deep South topped $4 billion dollars in 2019 – twice the… Read More >
CRL, Credit Unions, CDFIs, on Supreme Court Decision in  Seila Law LLC v. CFPB

CRL, Credit Unions, CDFIs, on Supreme Court Decision in  Seila Law LLC v. CFPB

November 4, 2025 | admin

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Supreme Court released their decision in  Seila Law LLC v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, where it found that the CFPB’s leadership structure, which features a single head removable only for inefficiency, neglect, or malfeasance, is unconstitutional.    In January, the… Read More >
2025 Fourth Quarter Report

2025 Fourth Quarter Report

February 22, 2025 | Tracy Meng

Dear Friends, With 2026 now well underway, HOPE’s… Dear Friends, With 2026 now well underway, HOPE’s fourth quarter report offers a moment to reflect on a year that tested the resilience of the people and places we serve. As the economy softened, household budgets tightened, and federal funding… Read More >
2025 Third Quarter Report

2025 Third Quarter Report

February 22, 2025 | Tracy Meng

Dear Friends, Throughout HOPE’s history, our most… Dear Friends, Throughout HOPE’s history, our most meaningful impact has been achieved by collaborating with others who share our commitment to a Deep South where everyone can prosper. The value of partnership was on full display in August at the… Read More >
2025 Second Quarter Report

2025 Second Quarter Report

February 22, 2025 | Tracy Meng

Dear Friends, In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated families, businesses, organizations and entire communities on the Gulf Coast. Months after opening our first New Orleans office, HOPE found ourselves using our Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard facility as a staging ground… Read More >
2025 First Quarter Report

2025 First Quarter Report

February 22, 2025 | Tracy Meng

Dear Friends, Enterprise Corporation of the Delta… Dear Friends, Enterprise Corporation of the Delta (now Hope Enterprise Corporation) opened its doors in June 1994, followed 15 months later by the launch of Hope Community Credit Union in September 1995. Building on three decades of impact, we reflect… Read More >
HOPENotes – Winter 2025

HOPENotes – Winter 2025

February 20, 2025 | Tracy Meng

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HOPENotes – Spring 2025

HOPENotes – Spring 2025

February 20, 2025 | Tracy Meng

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HOPENotes – Summer 2025

HOPENotes – Summer 2025

February 20, 2025 | Tracy Meng

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HOPENotes – Fall 2025

HOPENotes – Fall 2025

February 20, 2025 | Tracy Meng

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2024 Fourth Quarter Report

2024 Fourth Quarter Report

February 22, 2024 | Tracy Meng

Dear Friends, A lifelong renter in the Arkansas Delta becomes a homeowner at the age of 48 to care for her brother. An entrepreneur in Memphis builds a family legacy by transforming a former slave plantation into a place of… Read More >
2024 Third Quarter Report

2024 Third Quarter Report

February 22, 2024 | Tracy Meng

Friends, Throughout the course of America’s… Friends, Throughout the course of America’s history, economic, political and social conditions have seldom favored the communities served by HOPE. Inadequate investment in education, healthcare, businesses, housing, water systems, technology, and other vital infrastructure necessary for people to realize their… Read More >
2024 Second Quarter Report

2024 Second Quarter Report

February 22, 2024 | Tracy Meng

Dear Friends, While all people are created equal,… Dear Friends, While all people are created equal, wide resource disparities create winners and losers when it comes to one’s ability to reach their potential. At HOPE, we work to close this divide by ensuring that historically under resourced people… Read More >
2024 First Quarter Report

2024 First Quarter Report

February 22, 2024 | Tracy Meng

Dear Friends, In the course of our ongoing work to improve the financial health and wealth of people in under resourced communities across the Deep South, opportunities abound to facilitate connections between those whose interests align with these objectives. Several… Read More >
HOPENotes – Winter 2024

HOPENotes – Winter 2024

February 20, 2024 | Tracy Meng

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HOPENotes – Spring 2024

HOPENotes – Spring 2024

February 20, 2024 | Tracy Meng

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HOPENotes – Summer 2024

HOPENotes – Summer 2024

February 20, 2024 | Tracy Meng

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HOPENotes – Fall 2024

HOPENotes – Fall 2024

February 20, 2024 | Tracy Meng

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2023 Fourth Quarter Report

2023 Fourth Quarter Report

February 23, 2023 | Kiyadh Burt

Black History is American’s History. And it’s… Black History is American’s History. And it’s HOPE’s History. As we reflect on HOPE’s 30 years, particularly so during the month set aside for lifting up the myriad contributions of Black people to the American story, it is hard not… Read More >
2023 Third Quarter Report

2023 Third Quarter Report

February 23, 2023 | Kiyadh Burt

Dear Friends, Earlier this month, we hosted our latest HOPE Economic Mobility Forum, Defending Financial Democracy, in the Evers-Winter Conference Room at our Jackson, Mississippi headquarters. The room is named after racial justice warriors, and central figures in HOPE’s evolution,… Read More >
2023 Second Quarter Report

2023 Second Quarter Report

February 23, 2023 | Kiyadh Burt

Dear Friends, At HOPE, we frequently draw on the… Dear Friends, At HOPE, we frequently draw on the transformative power of ownership in our work. For example, we know that each additional year of homeownership increases a household’s net worth by more than $13,000. We also know that the… Read More >
2023 First Quarter Report

2023 First Quarter Report

February 23, 2023 | Kiyadh Burt

Dear Friends, “We all have an interest in… Dear Friends, “We all have an interest in promoting a vibrant economy as well as resilient families and communities. In such an economy, people would have access to credit on fair and equal terms to build a secure financial foundation.… Read More >
2022 Fourth Quarter Report

2022 Fourth Quarter Report

February 23, 2022 | Kiyadh Burt

Dear Friends, In 2019, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell came to Mississippi Valley State University, a Historically Black University to speak at HOPE’s Rural Places, Rural Spaces policy forum. During his visit, the first by a sitting Fed Chairman to… Read More >
2022 Third Quarter Report

2022 Third Quarter Report

February 23, 2022 | Kiyadh Burt

Dear Friends, This fall, Hope Credit Union pledged… Dear Friends, This fall, Hope Credit Union pledged to make $1 billion in financing available to support underbanked families, homebuyers, small businesses, community facilities and otherwise create opportunity across the Deep South. This pledge was made possible with a $92.6… Read More >
2022 Second Quarter Report

2022 Second Quarter Report

February 23, 2022 | Kiyadh Burt

Dear Friends, In the late nineties, HOPE worked… Dear Friends, In the late nineties, HOPE worked with federal officials, bank regulators, community development advocates, potential investors and others to ensure that the promise of the nascent New Markets Tax Credits Program (NMTC) would be realized in places like… Read More >
2022 First Quarter Report

2022 First Quarter Report

February 23, 2022 | Kiyadh Burt

Dear Friends, In April 1967, Senator Robert Kennedy traveled to Mississippi to see first-hand the effect of poverty on Black families in the Delta. Fifty-five years later, memories of that trip were evoked when Vice President Kamala Harris visited Greenville… Read More >
2021 Fourth Quarter Report

2021 Fourth Quarter Report

February 23, 2021 | Kiyadh Burt

Dear Friends, Since the onset of the pandemic,… Dear Friends, Since the onset of the pandemic, HOPE played a leading role in efforts to secure resources to assist financially fragile and historically underserved communities that were hit hardest by the ensuing economic crisis. These efforts resulted in $27… Read More >
2021 Third Quarter Report

2021 Third Quarter Report

February 23, 2021 | Kiyadh Burt

Dear Friends, On any given day, more than… Dear Friends, On any given day, more than two-thirds of HOPE’s members have less than $1,000 in their credit union accounts. The low balances underscore the steep hill Deep South families must climb in order to survive from paycheck to… Read More >
2021 Second Quarter Report

2021 Second Quarter Report

February 23, 2021 | Kiyadh Burt

Dear Friends, As the pandemic rages on, states in the Deep South languish near the bottom of the nation with the highest rates of COVID cases per capita. As with so many indicators of distress in this region, these statistics… Read More >
2021 First Quarter Report

2021 First Quarter Report

February 23, 2021 | Kiyadh Burt

Dear Friends, With the first quarter of 2021… Dear Friends, With the first quarter of 2021 behind us, we look forward with cautious optimism toward better conditions and greater opportunity for Deep South families and communities. Over the past year, HOPE has provided more than 4,000 SBA Paycheck… Read More >
HOPE Matters: November 2020

HOPE Matters: November 2020

November 30, 2020 | Tracy Meng

HOPE, Southport Development Complete Innovative… HOPE, Southport Development Complete Innovative Opportunity Zone Fund Transaction to Increase Affordable Housing in Distressed Mississippi Community In one of the first transactions utilizing separate investors to bring Opportunity Zone Fund equity alongside Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, HOPE has closed… Read More >
HOPE Matters: September 2020

HOPE Matters: September 2020

September 20, 2020 | Tracy Meng

Innovative Partnership Gives Alabama Black Belt Counties Immediate Access to Capital for COVID Response Needs The Black Belt Community Foundation (BBCF), Hope Credit Union (HOPE) and several partners have created a program that will give numerous rural Alabama towns and counties… Read More >
HOPE Matters: June 2020

HOPE Matters: June 2020

June 30, 2020 | Tracy Meng

A Paycheck Protection Loan Saves Graduation Day… A Paycheck Protection Loan Saves Graduation Day for New Orleans School Rielle and her fellow classmates took part in graduation ceremonies after a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan from HOPE covered salaries and other expenses to keep McMillian’s First Steps in… Read More >
HOPE Matters: March 2020

HOPE Matters: March 2020

March 31, 2020 | Tracy Meng

Crece con HOPE Featured in Emerson Collective’s… Crece con HOPE Featured in Emerson Collective’s Justice & Unity Series The Emerson Collective invited partners to imagine what more they could do within their communities to promote justice & unity. HOPE was one of those partners in the Justice… Read More >
HOPE Matters: December 2019

HOPE Matters: December 2019

December 31, 2019 | Tracy Meng

New Program Launched to Attract Healthy Food Retailer to Food Desert in Louisiana A new program launched in Baton Rouge, La., will expand access to healthy food in an area currently designated a food desert. HOPE recently joined Mayor-President Sharon… Read More >
HOPE Matters: September 2019

HOPE Matters: September 2019

September 30, 2019 | Tracy Meng

NMTC Project to Expand STEM Education and… NMTC Project to Expand STEM Education and Revitalizes Memphis Neighborhood Work is underway in Tennessee on a project to convert former retail space into an updated STEM facility that will increase educational opportunities in the North Memphis/Frayser community. The $15… Read More >
HOPE Matters: July 2019

HOPE Matters: July 2019

July 31, 2019 | Tracy Meng

NeighborhoodLIFT Places More than 100 Families in… NeighborhoodLIFT Places More than 100 Families in New Homes in Mississippi Patridia Hartzog, a law enforcement officer and single mother in Jackson, Miss., is in her first home thanks to a down payment assistance program funded by Wells Fargo and… Read More >
HOPE Matters: April 2019

HOPE Matters: April 2019

April 30, 2019 | Tracy Meng

New School Closes Opportunity Gap for Low-Income Children in Louisiana Hundreds of Louisiana youth from economically disadvantaged neighborhoods now receive their IDEA Innovation education in a new school facility, and HOPE provided financing for the project. IDEA schools prepare students for college,… Read More >
HOPE Matters: January 2019

HOPE Matters: January 2019

February 1, 2019 | Tracy Meng

HOPE Awarded National Juntos Avanzamos Designation… HOPE Awarded National Juntos Avanzamos Designation by Inclusiv for Work to Expand Financial Access to Hispanic Communities HOPE is the first Mississippi-based credit union – and the first operating in Arkansas and Tennessee – to be awarded the prestigious national… Read More >
HOPE Matters: December 2018

HOPE Matters: December 2018

December 20, 2018 | Tracy Meng

Innovative Use of New Market Tax Credits, Bond… Innovative Use of New Market Tax Credits, Bond Issue Spur School Renovation in Historic Vicksburg Renovation work is underway at Vicksburg High School, one of the first public schools in the nation to receive financing through New Market Tax Credits.… Read More >
HOPE Matters: January-February 2018

HOPE Matters: January-February 2018

February 20, 2018 | Tracy Meng

US Partnership on Mobility from Poverty Releases “Restoring the American Dream”  What would it take to dramatically increase mobility from poverty? The US Partnership on Mobility from Poverty, a group of 24 experts (including HOPE CEO Bill Bynum) recently began… Read More >
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