Testimony of Cesiah Mullane, Reinvestment Committee of CypressHills and City Line 

Federal Reserve Bank of New York 

June 25, 1998 

Good Afternoon, members of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve 

Bank of New York. My name is Cesiah Mullane and I am a member of the 

Reinvestment Committee of Cypress Hills and City Line. 

I have lived in Cypress Hills since 1957 and have spent a large part of those 4 1 

years contributing to my community in every way I can, working on issues such as 

education, affordable housing, the prosperity of our business community and quality of 

life issues, all of which impact the stability of my neighborhood. I volunteer at the 

Cypress Hills LDC, our local Twelve Towns YMCA and my church. I am involved 

with our very young New Visions School, our Child Care Corporation, and the 

Cypress Hills Community Coalition, which succeeded in securing a zoning amendment 

to protect our residential blocks. I advocated for a new intermediate school, I.S. 171, 

for twe& -rears - a row school is being built right now, P.S. 7, to relieve the 

decades-tong overcrowding on the “Northside” of East New York’s School District 19 

(Community Board #5). And once a year, on our “We Love Cypress Hills” Day, we 

hold a parade and street festival to celebrate our wealth of cultural and ethnic diversity 

and our successes, big and small. I am passionate about my neighborhood - that is 

where I live. Improving it is my life-long work. 

The Reinvestment Committee of Cypress Hills and City Line was organized in 

May, 1992 after the Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation and the City Line 

Coalition published a joint housing plan for our communities that showed a deplorable 

lack of lending by our banks. For the past seven years, we have collected and 

analyzed HMDA data for the seven local lending institutions in our area (the northeast 

comer of Brooklyn, the “Northside” of Community Board #5) and met with 

representatives of these banks, including Citibank, to share our analyses and work 

cooperatively to increase lending. Cypress Hills and City Line are sister communities; 

their housing stock, populations, and economic status are quite similar. 

1. 
Testimony of Cesiah Mullane, Reinvestment Committee of Cypress Hills and City Line 

Federal Reserve Bank of New York, June 25, 1998 

ApEding to the 1990 Census, Cypress H&(63%) and City Line (53%) are 

predom’ tly Hispanic communities. The residents of these two communities earn low 

x 

to moderate mcomes. In 1990, households in Cypress Hills and City Line earned 

median incomes of $23,138 and $25,3 18 respectively compared to $29,832 for New 

York City as a whole. Hence, Cypress Hills and City Line households have incomes 

that are 78% and 85% of the City’s median. 

The Reinvestment Committee’s membership consists of resident activists of 

Cypress Hills and City Line and staff and board members of the Cypress Hills LDC. 

For the past seven years we have analyzed HMDA data for our census tracts, brought 

together the seven local lending institutions that serve Cypress Hills and City Line to 

discuss their performance and ways they should increase lending, and worked 

cooperatively with our banks to meet the credit needs of area residents and businesses. 

We have convened five community forums on bank lending activity in their 

communities where Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data was reviewed and 

the Committee’s concerns were discussed. Our concerns included a lack of affordable 

mortgage products offered by the local banks, a laissez-faire attitude towards 

marketing and outreach, and a lack of educationalihomebuyer counseling services to 

support first time homebuyers. We requested that the smaller banks reinvest 1% of 

their deposits and that larger multinational lending institutions (e.g. Chemical - pre 

1997, Chase, and Citibank) reinvest 5% of the local deposit base in mortgage, 

refinancing and home improvement loans. We also demanded expanded 

homeownership counseling services, marketing of and participation in affordable 

housing programs, increased outreach in our area of support of the Cypress Hills Local 

Development Corporation’s mortgage foreclosure prevention efforts. The 

Reinvestment Committee has slowly turned around the redlining of our communities 

which took place in the 1980s. Our efforts have resulted in an increased lending, the 

start-up of a First Time Home Buyer Club with EAB, lending commitments totaling 

$1.9 million from M & T Bank and Dime which have been fulfilled, financing of a 

housing rehab project, and an expansion of f&t time home buyer education seminars in 

Cypress Hills and City Line. 

2 
Testtinony of Cesiah Mullane, Reinvestment Committee of Cypress Hills and City Line 

Federal Reserve Bank of New York, June 25 1998 

A troubling sign for Cypress Hills and City Line is the lack of investment by 

local lending institutions in home mortgages and home improvement loans. Since 

1995, Citibank’s lending activity has fallen far short of the 5% reinvestment goal set up 

by the Committee. Citibank originated only 7 loans in 1995 for a total of $717,000 - 

down from 3 1 loans in 1994 equaling $3.4.million. In 1996, Citibank approved no 

home purchase loans in our 22 census tracts and had a 72% denial rate for home 

improvement and refinancing applications submitted! 1997 saw the least yet, 8 loans 

for a total of $23 5,000 (.8 1% of local deposit base). I believe these numbers speak for 

themselves! 

To put these figures in context, and in relation to the goals set out by the 

Reinvestment Committee, I would like to mention the deposits this branch of Citibank 

has. The City Line branch has seen growth in its deposit base over these same years: 

in 1994 just over $28 million in deposits were held; 1995 saw an increase to 

$28,665,000; and 1996 (the latest year for this statistical information) saw another 

increase to $29,129,000. A branch with increasing deposits and dramatically 

decreasing lending - Citibank is taking the money of my neighbors and using it to make 

other communities strong. 

Citibank’s lending record is dismal, although they have “pledged” to work on 

this through their lending commitment - by their own admission this translates into an 

8-10% increase in lending for the New York City area. In my community, this is less 

than one home mortgage loan! Thank you. 

3. 
s3,ooo.ooo 

S2.500,OOO 

s2,000,000 

%1~500,000 

s1.000,000 

s500,000 

SCitibank Home Lending Activity in Cypress Hills and CityLine 

1994 1995 1996 1997 

~rOfal Number of Local Deposit Base 

Year Total Dollars Lent (brmcl~ located al Lending as a % of 

Loans 

Commttee I~WMIII~~ 

1200 Liberty Ave ) Local Deposal Ease Tnrget 

1994 31 s 3.3632.000 $ 20 188,000 11 %I’!$ Sl 409 400 

1995 7 $ 717.000 $ 2&G55.000 2 50% $1,432 i50 

iwfi 5 $ 557.000 $ 29,129,OOIl I 90% $1,456 4!;n 

1997 8 B 235,000 7 $1 45lj 450 
Testimony of Michelle Neugebauer, Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation 

Federal Reserve Bank of New York 

June 25, 1998 

Good afternoon staff and members of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve Bank of 

New York. My name is Michelle Neugebauer and I am the executive director of the Cypress 

Hills Local Development Corporation. The LDC was founded in May 1983 to revitalize the 

Cypress Hills community in northeast Brooklyn. Cypress Hills is a low and moderate income. 

predominately Latino. small homes neighborhood that is often referred to as the “Northside” of 

East New York. My organization is governed and staffed by people who live in the community 

and are dedicated to its health and stability. The LDC runs twenty programs focused on housing 

preservation, economic development and youth services - - the three greatest needs of our 

community. We have developed over 125 units of affordable housing in our area with $11.6 

million in public and private financing, renovated 129 store fronts on our commercial strip, 

secured over $1 million in home improvement loans for Cypress Hills’ homeowners, started a 

New Visions public elementary school and launched a child care initiative which has already 

created sixty jobs and provides care for 245 children in Cypress Hills and East New York. 

Seven years ago, we joined with a neighboring community organization in East New York. The 

City Line Coalition, to form the Reinvestment Committee of Cypress Hills and City Line. Ml 

colleague and friend Cesiah Muilane has just finished describing the purpose and activities of 

this committee. In addition to the concerns illustrated by Cesi‘s remark’s I would like to sham a 

synopsis of the LDC’s relationship with Citibank. 

Citibank has actively participated in The Reinvestment Committee and the work of Cypress Hills 

LDC by sending representatives to our annual Banking Forums. trying to find solutions to a 

rising mortgage foreclosure problem in Cypress Hills. giving Financial support to establish the 

Cypress Hills - CityLine Mortgage Foreclosure Action Program. and training staff in mortgage 
Testimony of Michelle Neugebauer, Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation 

Federal Reserve Bank of New York 

June 25, 1998 

underwriting and financial packaging of economic development projects. Cypress Hills LDC has 

collaborated vet closely with Citibank over the last two years through their “Partners in 

Progress” program. Citibank has provided us with technical assistance and a $50,000 grant that 

will be used as equity in constructing a mini-mall on our commercial strip. The mini-mall will 

bring desperately needed goods and service to a~ desolate section of our shopping strip and create 

forty permanent jobs in Cypress Hills. We believe the community relations and community 

de\elopmenr staff of Citibank have genuinely listened to our concerns and the needs of our 

nei$borhood and that the “Partnrrs in Progress” program is a model to be replicated and built 

upon for this dialogue and the support required to make complex community development 

projects a r&t\. 

We just wish that this concern could be translated into a change in lending performance. 

practices and policies by Citibank in our neighborhood and a specific commitment to meeting 

lending targets in our area. We want Citibank to maintain their full service branch in CityLine. 

This branch provides banking semices to Liberty Avenue, an active commercial strip serving all 

of East New York. and the over 48.000 residents of Cypress Hills and CityLine. Our 

communities have large immigrant and elderly populations and we earn low and moderate 

incomes. We do not readily have access to technology nor are we comfortable with it to do our 

banking. As one of our residents said recently: “People in our neighborhood work so hard for 

their money. they want to actually touch it. They want to talk to a human being when they go to 

the bank. They want personat attention.” In 1995 Citibank automated a branch close to our wca 

in Starrett City and the change was fought unsuccessfully by our Community Board. In 

anticipation of Citibank possibly automating the CityLine branch we collected over 300 

signatures on a petition to the CEO of Citibank demanding the branch remain a full service one. 

\\‘c are happy to report that Citibank respected the wishes of our community and we hope that 

they will continue to keep our branch open and staffed with people! 

The Rcinvestmenr Commir!?e briie\,es that Citibank needs to better serve Cypress Hills and 

Cit\Line by lowering their fees. Citibank has the highest minimum balance of any ofthe banks 

\vlrh branches in and close to Cypress fHills. The minimum balance required to avoid monthI!, 
Testimony of Michelle Neugebauer, Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation 

Federal Reserve Bank of New York 

June 25,1998 

fees is twice as high as any other bank - with a requirement of $6,000. Cypress Hills and 

CityLine are low to moderate income communities with 1990 median household incomes of 

$23,13 8 and $25,3 18 respectively that can ill afford these high fees and minimum balances 

To assist homeowners who are experiencing difficulty making their monthly mortgage payment. 

Citibank offers a local “On the Ground” team in New York City. Each borough has one Citicorp 

employee who staffs this team. The “On the Ground” team is supposed to work with the 

foreclosure and loss mitigation department of Citicorp - which is centrally located in St. Louis. 

Missouri. The Cypress Hills and CityLine experiences with this service to homeowners has been 

somewhat limited, yet frustrating. The St. Louis Office is rigid and has full authority to authorize 

or reject workout agreements, modifications, and refinancing applications. The “On the Ground” 

team adds one more step in the process of resolving possible mortgage foreclosures. The 

Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation which provides staff support to the Reinvestment 

Committee of Cypress Hills and CityLine offers a mortgage foreclosure prevention program. 

Anecdotal information from this program shows that it took over 5 months to evaluate an 

application for refinancing only to eventually reject it. The The “On the Ground” team needs to 

have the authority to negotiate new terms with borrowers and refinancing so that homeowners 

can receive a quicker, more flexible and sensitive response as opposed to approvals having to go 

through Citibank’s St. Louis division. Thank you for your attention to our concerns. 
Testimony of Michelle Neugebauer, Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation 

Federal Reserve Bank of New York 

June 25, 1998 
$7,000 

S6.000 

S5.000 

54.000 

$3.000 

s2.000 

s1.000 

SMinimum Balance Requirements of Banks in/near Cypress Hills and CityLine 

S6.000 

Sl.SW $1,500 

~.fO._-_.__ .I _ .._ __ iL I 

Chase Manhallan Cittbank Columbia Dime Savings EAB GreenPoint Bank M 8 T Bank 

Federal Savings 

Bank 

Chase Manhattan 

Citibank 

Columbia Federal Savings 

Dime Savings 

EAB 

GreenPoint Bank 

M&TBank 

Minimum Balance to Monlhly 

Avoid feet+ Fees 

$ JO0 $ 9,50 

$ 6,000 $ 12.00 

$ 0 $ 

$ 1,500 $ 8.00 

$ 1,000 $ 12.00 

$ 1,500 $ 9,oo 

$ 1.500 $ 6.00 
Testimony of Jennifer Lee, Reinvestment Committee of Cypress Hills and CityLine 

Federal Reserve Bank of New York 

June 25, 1998 

Good Afternoon staBand members of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve 

Bank of New York. My name is Jennifer Lee. I work for the Cypress Hills Local 

Development Corporation, in my role there I work with the Reinvestment Committee of 

Cypress Hills and CityLine. I have worked with this committee for over three years. The 

Reinvestment Committee has joined with other individuals and groups throughout the city 

to form the Citibank Travelers Watch. 

The Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation and the CityLine Coalition joined 

forces in 1992 to form The Reinvestment Committee of Cypress Hills and CityLine to 

promote reinvestment in the East New York, Brooklyn communities of Cypress Hills and 

CityLine. For the past seven years we have collected and analyzed HMDA data for the 

seven local lending institutions in our area and met with representatives of these banks, 

including Citibank, to share our analyses and work cooperatively to increase lending. 

I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate many of the concerns my esteemed 

colleagues Cesiah Mullane and Michelle Neugebauer have covered as well as bring some 

additional concerns. 

My professional training is in social work administration, I am not a lawyer. However, 

from the understanding I have of the Glass-Steagall and Bank Holding Company Acts I do 

not understand how this application is legal. Glass-Steagall forbids a Federal Reserve 

member bank from affiliating with another company that deals in securities. Travelers 

deals heavily in securities - through Salomon Smith Barney and has announced plans to 

expand this activity by purchasing overseas investment companies. The Bank Holding 

Company Act explicitly forbids a bank holding company - which is what Travelers is 

applying to become - of dealing in insurance activities. Travelers is an insurance company 

primarily. If the law allows for two years to divest of these activities, where is the 

divestiture plan? They seem to be in expansion rather than contraction mode. If there is 
Testimony of Jennifer Lee, Reinvestment Committee of Cypress Hills and CityLine 

Federal Reserve Bank of New York 

June 25, 1998 

no plan, I cannot understand how they plan to divest of such a large amount of their 

business activities in such a short period of time. It seems they are “banking” on the law 

changing within the next two years. I call on you as regulators to uphold the existing laws 

you are given jurisdiction over! 

In the event that my understanding of the law is flawed and you find this new entity legal, I 

request that you consider the impact this may have. I speak about Cypress Hills and 

CityLine where I have worked for the past four years. Between 1995 and 1997 Citibank 

only originated 20 loans in Cypress Hills and CityLine for a total of $1,509,000. This is 

less than one third the amount lent in 1994. In 1996 NO home purchase loans were 

approved for the 22 census tracts of Cypress Hills and CityLine and 72% of applicants for 

home improvement and refinancing loans were rejected! The Reinvestment Committee of 

Cypress Hills and CityLine have asked for the last several years that all major commercial 

banks in our communities reinvest SS of their local deposits in affordable housing credit 

products. For Citibank this is equivalent to 5% of approximately $30 million annually. 

Citibank has fallen short of this goal in every year since 1995! 

Remarkably, the beginning of the decline in lending corresponds with Citibank’s rash of 

downgrading to ATM centers and branch closings. Given Citibank’s penchant for closing 

branches and converting full service. branches to technology centers, the Reinvestment 

Committee of Cypress Hills and CityLine is wary of Citibank’s assurances of maintaining 

services that will adequately meet the credit needs of the communities. Many seniors, new 

immigrants, and merchants use the branch located in CityLie. These consumers are not 

familiar with nor are they comfortable using technology with no human contact. 

Neighborhoods are unique and have different credit needs which cannot be addressed by a 

machine or by someone in another state half way across the country As Michelle stated, 

fidl service banking in desperately needed in low income communities such as ours. 
Testimony of Jennifer Lee, Reinvestment Committee of Cypress Hills and CityLine 

Federal Reserve Bank of New York 

June 25, 1998 

Citibank has the highest minimum balance of any of the banks with branches in and close 

to Cypress Hills. The minimum balance to avoid paying a monthly fee is twice as high as 

any other bank - with a requirement of $6,000. Cypress Hills and CityLine are low to 

moderate income communities with 1990 median household incomes of $23,138 and 

$25,3 18 respectively. 

To assist homeowners who are experiencing difficulty making their monthly mortgage 

payment, Citibank offers a local “On the Ground” team in New York City. Each borough 

has one Citicorp employee who staffs this team. If Citibank is committed to increase its 

lending then it has to strengthen its own infrastructure in preserving the integrity of its 

lending by creatively working with homeowners who are facing financial crisis. The local 

“On the Ground” team must have authority to do this work. 

Thank you for listening to my concerns 
Testimony of Jennifer Lee, Reinvestment Committee of Cypress Hiils and CityLine 

Federal Reserve Bank of New York 

June 25, 1998 

located at 1200