Bank failures are complex and can occur for a variety of reasons, including a decline in resources and capital or challenges in the operating environment. Black-owned banks have historically faced unique headwinds that have made it much more difficult for them to profitably hold deposits and lend money. For example, Black-owned banks have historically served a customer base whose own financial resources and prospects have been repeatedly limited by centuries of racist policies and practices, including decades of overt housing discrimination and deliberate exclusion from financial and social resources. In addition, many Black-owned banks have seen their own wealth-building opportunities undercut by social, environmental, and structural challenges, including local and federal policies that have uniquely disadvantaged minority-owned financial institutions.