The Skyline: How Two Transit Agencies Leveraged Payment System Changes As Banking Access Opportunities

By connecting financial empowerment to rental assistance programs, two cities supercharged social service success and brought together a range of partners to build a cohesive ecosystem around longer-term financial stability.

This issue of the Skyline spotlights efforts in Illinois and Maryland to expand banking access by promoting and incentivizing direct deposits into safe bank and credit union accounts for unemployment payments.

Regulatory requirements to verify a customer’s identity have posed notable barriers to banking for those who may not have traditional government-issued IDs. But local government leaders and community organizations around the country are partnering with financial institutions to flexibly connect consumers to safe banking.