These programs typically provide financial education and counseling as well as loans. Nevertheless, CDFIs operate on too small a scale and offer too limited a range of services to fill by themselves the gap left by mainstream institutions. For example, the inability of many CDFIs to provide checking accounts remains a particular problem.
Participants also receive financial education and counseling.
Financial-education seminars were an important program component for those who were saving for home ownership or microenterprise development but not for those who were saving for education or job training.