ACB Expands Habitat Partnership

America's Community Bankers has expanded its partnership with Habitat for Humanity International, aiming to have ACB members collectively invest up to $500,000 annually in affordable housing for low- to moderate-income borrowers, ACB announced Monday at its annual convention in Las Vegas.ACB chairman D. Russell Taylor challenged member banks to "participate and give generously" and play their part in the "Congress Builds America" program. The new partnership is an expansion of a $230,000 contribution the association has given to the affordable housing investment market over the past three years through ACB Housing Partners Foundation Inc. Since 2001, ACB members and their families have also participated in Habitat's new housing construction, in addition to ACB's newest commitment of $100,000 for the CBA program. "Basically, this is the next step in expanding our relationship with Habitat to the next level, moving from a national-based cooperation to a more local-based cooperation wherever both our organizations have representation across the country," said association spokesman Jim Eberle. ACB can be found online at http://www.acbankers.org.