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Credit unions designated as minority depository institutions provide safe, affordable financial services to members and communities who are often unserved or underserved by financial institutions. In this way, MDIs help individuals and families build greater financial security and make investments in local economies.
The NCUA’s Office of Credit Union Resources and Expansion offers various forms of support for these credit unions through its Minority Depository Institutions Preservation Program. This can include technical assistance; training; chartering assistance; and, if the credit union also has a low-income designation, access to grants, loans, and the agency’s MDI mentoring program.
The MDI Preservation Program is designed to preserve and promote eligible minority credit unions as prescribed by Section 367 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. To learn more about the program, please review the final Minority Depository Institution Preservation Program Interpretive Ruling and Policy Statement 13-1 (opens new window) (You will be leaving NCUA.gov and accessing a non-NCUA website. We encourage you to read the NCUA's exit link policies. (opens new page).) .
Qualifying As A Minority Depository Institution
The NCUA defines a minority depository institution as a federally insured credit union in which a majority of its current members, its board of directors, and the community it services, as designated in its charter, fall within any of the eligible minority groups as described in Section 308 of the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act of 1989 (opens new window) (You will be leaving NCUA.gov and accessing a non-NCUA website. We encourage you to read the NCUA's exit link policies. (opens new page).) : any Black American, Asian American, Hispanic American, or Native American.
Credit unions self-designate as MDIs by answering the minority questions on the CUOnline Profile. The NCUA encourages credit unions to determine whether they qualify for MDI certification.
Credit unions with questions about the MDI designation or the NCUA’s preservation program can review the information on this page or contact the Office of Credit Union Resources and Expansion at curemdi@ncua.gov.
MDI Resources
- Minority Depository Institution Preservation Program Interpretive Ruling and Policy Statement 13-1 (opens new window) (You will be leaving NCUA.gov and accessing a non-NCUA website. We encourage you to read the NCUA's exit link policies. (opens new page).)
- List of MDIs
- MDI Fact Sheet (opens new window)
- MDI Mentoring Cohort: Guidance on Selecting a Mentor (opens new window)
Annual Reports to Congress
Section 367 of the Dodd-Frank Act requires NCUA to establish a program to preserve credit unions designated as minority depository institutions and to submit the following reports to Congress on our efforts to comply with this mandate.
Non-NCUA Resources
- U.S Census (opens new window) (You will be leaving NCUA.gov and accessing a non-NCUA website. We encourage you to read the NCUA's exit link policies. (opens new page).)
- FFIEC – Online Census Data (opens new window) (You will be leaving NCUA.gov and accessing a non-NCUA website. We encourage you to read the NCUA's exit link policies. (opens new page).)
- Other FFIEC (opens new window) (You will be leaving NCUA.gov and accessing a non-NCUA website. We encourage you to read the NCUA's exit link policies. (opens new page).)