Press Releases
November 20th, 2015
Wells Fargo Invests $2 million in Hope Enterprise Corporation JACKSON, MISS., November 2, 2015 – Hope Enterprise Corporation (HOPE) was one of three Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs) nationwide selected to launch the Wells Fargo Works for Small Businesses: Diverse Community Capital Program. Through the Program, HOPE will receive a $2 million grant to support the organization’s commercial lending, outreach and technical assistance programs for minority- and women-owned and led small businesses. Wells Fargo chose HOPE for the organization’s long track record of successful lending to minority- and women-owned and led small businesses. Over the next three years, Wells Fargo will invest $75 million directly into CDFIs that serve businesses led by diverse leaders. “Unfortunately, access to capital to support underserved people and places has historically been limited in the Mid South,” said Bill Bynum, CEO of HOPE. “The support from Wells fills an important void and positions HOPE to create even more opportunities for promising entrepreneurs who may otherwise be overlooked.” HOPE provides financing to small businesses, nonprofits, affordable housing providers, healthcare providers, charter schools and healthy food retailers, often when no one else is willing to provide capital. Since 1994, HOPE has provided $356 million in financing to more than 900 businesses. These businesses have supported more than 17,000 jobs.
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October 23rd, 2015
Foundation Recognizing Bynum with Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement Madison, Wis. – In recognition of his efforts to provide vital financial services to underprivileged and underserved populations, his advocacy for the credit union movement and his unwavering commitment to the credit union principle of people helping people, the National Credit Union Foundation (the Foundation) is pleased to announce William J. Bynum, Chief Executive Officer of Hope Credit Union, as the recipient of a 2016 Herb Wegner Memorial Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement.
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October 22nd, 2015
Madison, Wis. – In recognition of his efforts to provide vital financial services to underprivileged and underserved populations, his advocacy for the credit union movement and his unwavering commitment to the credit union principle of people helping people, the National Credit Union Foundation (the Foundation) is pleased to announce William J. Bynum, Chief Executive Officer of Hope Credit Union, as the recipient of a 2016 Herb Wegner Memorial Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement. Bynum’s award will be one of four Herb Wegner Memorial Awards presented at a special dinner hosted by the Foundation at the Marriott Marquis Washington on February 22, 2016, in conjunction with the Credit Union National Association’s 2016 Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC). Registration for dinner tickets and sponsorships will be available within the next month on the Foundation website (ncuf.coop).
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September 22nd, 2015
HOPE celebrated the grand opening of Field Health System in Centreville, Mississippi on Tuesday, September 22 with a ribbon cutting and open house. HOPE provided $6 million in New Markets Tax Credit investment and $2.5 million in conventional financing to the $21 million new state of the art facility. Field Health System is a critical access hospital serving a medically underserved, rural community in Southwest Mississippi. In a community where four out of ten people live in poverty, Field Health Systems provides vital preventive, emergency, surgical, rehab, and clinical health services to over 13,000 patients each year. It is the only hospital for 35 to 50 miles in any direction.
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September 22nd, 2015
Jackson, Mississippi (September 22) – Hope Enterprise Corporation (HOPE) will celebrate the grand opening of Field Health System in Centreville, Mississippi on Tuesday, September 22 with a ribbon cutting and open house from 1- 6 p.m. HOPE provided $6 million in New Markets Tax Credit investment and $2.5 million in conventional financing to the $21 million, new state-of-the-art facility. Field Health System is a critical access hospital serving a medically underserved, rural community in Southwest Mississippi. In a community where four out of ten people live in poverty, Field Health Systems provides vital preventive, emergency, surgical, rehab, and clinical health services to over 13,000 patients each year. It is the only hospital for 35 to 50 miles in any direction.
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August 27th, 2015
Jackson, MS (Thursday, August 27) – Hope Enterprise Corporation (HOPE) released a report today that profiles the stories of residents and small businesses from the Gulf Coast and New Orleans who worked with HOPE in the weeks, months and years following the storm. On the Gulf Coast, HOPE recounts its work through its Home Again Program. Home Again rebuilt 64 homes on properties that were catastrophically damaged by the storm for low-income residents of the region. Rose Brown was one of the people. “It was like a miracle because I didn’t think I was going to get another (house).” Brown remains in the home today and regularly hosts Sunday dinner for her family. In New Orleans, several entities worked together with HOPE to assist small businesses after the storm. Kevin Davis, the owner of Parkside Barber and Beauty, received a loan from HOPE through the Louisiana Small Business Loan and Grant Program. “A friend of mine told me about HOPE,” said Davis. “I’m real diligent, so I wasn’t going to stop.” As a result of HOPE’s financing, Park Place Barber School was the first barber school to open east of the river after the storm. The report also acknowledges all of the contributions made by HOPE’s partners and the resulting collective impact. “HOPE’s work on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and in New Orleans would not have been possible without the support of generous donors and partners from across the Mid South and nation, said Bill Bynum, CEO of HOPE. “Through their support, HOPE was able to make a tremendous difference in the lives of local people in the months and years that followed the storm. View the full report.
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August 19th, 2015
New Orleans, LA (August 19, 2015) – Hope Enterprise Corporation (HOPE) celebrated the re-opening of McDonogh 42, a charter school located in New Orleans’ 7th Ward following significant damage incurred from Hurricane Katrina. Through the New Markets Tax Credit Program, HOPE provided $6 million in financing for the school’s $23 million rehabilitation. The school will provide a high-quality learning environment for 550 K-8th grade students, including state-of-the-art classrooms, science labs and a library / media center. Ninety-nine percent of the students attending McDonogh 42 are racial minorities and all of the students are eligible for free and reduced lunch. The McDonogh 42 project represents the first investment of the HOPE Charter School Facilities Fund (CSFF). Over the next five years, HOPE’s CSFF will invest $70 million in the acquisition, renovation and new construction of charter school facilities that will serve low-income families and distressed communities in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.In addition to providing financing for the project, HOPE is actively working with the school to launch a children’s savings account program and to connect parents, faculty and residents of the surrounding community to HOPE’s products and services. “Supporting opportunities for students to succeed through the transformation of McDonogh 42 is at the heart of our mission,” said Bill Bynum, CEO of HOPE. “We look forward to an ongoing partnership with the leadership of the school to provide financial education, child savings accounts and other services for the children, families, and staff of McDonogh 42 as well as in the surrounding community.”
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August 18th, 2015
HOPE Mortgage Originator Glynniece Smith, a graduate of NOLA’s McDonogh 42, holds a painting the school’s student presented to HOPE. Note that the owl, the school’s mascot, is carrying an olive branch just like the HOPE dove! New Orleans, LA (August 19, 2015) – Hope Enterprise Corporation (HOPE) celebrated the re-opening of McDonogh 42, a charter school located in New Orleans’ 7th Ward following significant damage incurred from Hurricane Katrina. Through the New Markets Tax Credit Program, HOPE provided $6 million in financing for the school’s $23 million rehabilitation.
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June 25th, 2015
New Locations Opening Soon in Itta Bena and Moorhead GREENWOOD, MS (June 25, 2015) – Hope Federal Credit Union (HOPE) announced plans to open two new Mississippi Delta locations in the fall of 2015. The full service branches, in Itta Bena and Moorhead, will offer a full range of development finance services, including checking and savings accounts, and personal, home and business loans. The facilities were donated by Regions Bank to the credit union’s sponsor, Hope Enterprise Corporation.
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June 1st, 2015
HOPE has been making a difference in people’s lives for more than 20 years with affordable checking and savings accounts, personal loans, and home loans for families across the Delta. As part of our grand opening, we’re inviting you to our community fair on Saturday, June 6, from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Stop by our branch at 546 MLK Boulevard North for lots of fun activities and great financial advice. We’ll have free hotdogs, hamburgers, popcorn, cotton candy, and cold drinks. There will be plenty of giveaways and fun activities for the kids, including space jumps and face painting. We’ll be sharing free financial information, and you can even open an account or apply for a loan while you’re there. WBAD will also be on site with great music and prizes. The event is a part of HOPE’s recognition of the 2015 NeighborWorks Week – Celebrating Community. Check our event flyer or invitation postcard to learn more. Feel free to share them with friends!
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