This issue, Issue 7, provides a number of Bank On updates, including the launch of the Bank On National Account Standards, the announcement of the Bank On Capacity Grant Fund, and updates on critical support from Bank On partners, both regulators and financial institution. The issue also includes a new report, jointly authored by the CFE Fund and the National Consumer Law Center, on the effect of account screening consumer reporting agencies on banking access; a series of briefs from the Summer Jobs Connect initiative; an update on the work of the Next Generation Municipal Financial Empowerment awards; and evaluation findings and resources related to SaveUSA, a tax-time matched savings program. Finally, the issue includes a guest column from Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Chairman Martin Gruenberg on Bank On and the importance of access to banking efforts.
Project Category: SaveUSA
SaveUSA Video
Piloted at select free tax preparation sites in four cities, SaveUSA is a simple tax time matched savings program — tax filers who deposited part of their refund into a designated account, and maintained the deposit for a year, received a 50% savings match up to $500.
This video explains the SaveUSA program model, highlights best practices for replication, and includes key program results from a rigorous randomized control trial.
Tax Time: The Right Moment for Savings
Piloted at select free tax preparation sites in four cities, SaveUSA is a simple tax time matched savings program — tax filers who deposited part of their refund into a designated account, and maintained the deposit for a year, received a 50% savings match up to $500.
This infographic illustrates key findings from a rigorous randomized control trial of SaveUSA—and shows that SaveUSA works.
The SaveUSA Playbook: A Tax Time Approach to Short-Term Savings
Piloted at select free tax preparation sites in four cities, SaveUSA is a simple tax time matched savings program — tax filers who deposited part of their refund into a designated account, and maintained the deposit for a year, received a 50% savings match up to $500.
SaveUSA was designed to test if the tax time moment, when tax filers with low incomes often receive a significant refund, could be used to encourage filers to save for the short-term as a realistic first step towards longer-term financial stability. New evaluation results, from a rigorous randomized control trial, provide strong evidence that low-income families can save for the short-term, and the tax time moment can be leveraged to help them do so.
This Playbook was designed for communities interested in replicating SaveUSA, and includes information on designing the program, including key program elements, as well as talking points to develop SaveUSA champions. The SaveUSA program was supported by the New York City Center for Economic Opportunity and the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, and created in partnership with the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs Office of Financial Empowerment.