Filene Research Institute
| Company type | Cooperative |
|---|---|
| Industry | Finance |
| Founded | 1989 |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Key people | Mark Meyer, president and CEO Patsy Stewart, chief finance officer and COO Christie Kimbell, chief experience officer |
| Products | Basic and applied research, product testing and incubation, advisory services, training and education, events and communities |
| Website | filene.org |
The Filene Research Institute is a U.S.-based credit union and consumer finance research organization situated in Madison, Wisconsin.
History and mission
Established in 1989, the institute honors Edward Filene, a Boston entrepreneur and philanthropist who played a crucial role in the advancement of credit unions across the United States.
In 1993, Filene’s analysis on credit union membership boundaries contributed to shaping H.R. 1151, known as the Credit Union Membership Access Act.
The 2003 REAL Solutions initiative concentrated on financial services for economically disadvantaged families, particularly addressing issues related to predatory lending; this program was transferred to the National Credit Union Foundation in 2007.
In 2004, the organization introduced i3 ("Ideas, Innovation, Implementation"), a program designed to train credit union leaders in creating innovative financial service frameworks.
The Cooperative Trust program, launched in 2010 to empower young professionals within credit unions, earned the Herb Wegner Memorial Outstanding Program Award in 2017.
Filene works closely with prominent academic experts such as:
- Sekou Bermiss
- Dennis Campbell
- Robert Hoel
- William E. Jackson
- Jinkook Lee
- Robert D. Manning
- Bill Maurer
- Hayagreeva "Huggy" Rao
- Quinetta Roberson
- Barbara J. Robles
- J. Edward Russo
- Hope Schau
- Lisa J. Servon
- Peter Tufano
- James A. Wilcox
Collaborations
In early 2012, Filene formed a partnership with Saveup, a company that incentivizes responsible financial behavior.
The institute receives funding from the Center for Financial Services Innovation and has been supported by organizations such as the Ford Foundation and Visa to conduct research focused on financial services tailored to communities of color, including Latino/a and immigrant populations. This effort seeks to enhance minority households’ access to financial products and includes projects like nationwide immigrant lending program rollouts.
See also
External links
- filene.org, official website of the institute