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Big banks must clean up their mess June 17th, 2014
“Hannah Senft, Candy Savannah and Ron Taylor have been neighbors for more than 20 years in Georgetown South, a community of 800 town homes in Manassas, Virginia. It’s a diverse, working-class suburban neighborhood about 30 miles from the White House.”
“And it’s being decimated.”
Thus begins a powerful Op Ed calling for requiring banks to rebuild communities they destroyed through predatory loans and resulting foreclosures published today in the The Hill, a daily newspaper/On-Line news site read extensively by Congress, their staff, and other Federal officials. The Oblate JPIC Office has been working with VOICE to try to get JP Morgan to agree to participate in the rebuilding of the devastated Northern Virginia communities.
The Op Ed details the suffering still experienced by communities hit by numerous foreclosures, but says: “… there is a sliver of hope: In November 2013, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) secured a $13 billion settlement from J.P. Morgan Chase over its issuance of toxic mortgage-backed securities, including $4 billion for consumer relief. VOICE worked with Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), federal officials and other allies to include an option in the settlement for the bank to fulfill this obligation through grants to capitalize community equity restoration funds.”
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Investor Coalition Successfully Urges Natural Gas Companies to Address Fracking Impacts June 17th, 2014
Under pressure from a coalition of investors for the fifth year in a row, major oil and gas companies including ExxonMobil, EQT, and Occidental Petroleum agreed to report on steps being taken to mitigate the adverse environmental and community impacts of their hydraulic fracturing operations.
The coalition of investors, which includes faith-based and socially responsible investors, as well as major public pension funds, filed shareholder proposals at Chevron, ExxonMobil, EQT, EOG, Pioneer Natural Resources, and Occidental Petroleum earlier this year, raising concerns about the risks associated with the impacts of company hydraulic fracturing operations. In response to corporate commitments, shareholders withdrew the proposals at ExxonMobil, EQT, Occidental Petroleum, and Pioneer Natural. Nearly a third of shareholders voted in favor of the proposals presented at EOG and Chevron’s annual meetings of shareholders.
The Missionary Oblates co-filed on the fracking proposal with Chevron, and has engaged a number of oil and gas companies on emissions reductions
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“Investing for the Poor: How Impact Investing Can Serve the Common Good in the Light of Evangelii Gaudium” June 16th, 2014
The Vatican is convening a two-day conference on of impact investing – investments that directly benefit the poor. Fr. Seamus Finn, OMI is one of the conference speakers.
Read the Impact Investment Conference Program
See who is speaking at the conference…
Supreme Court Refuses Argentina Hedge Fund Debt Case June 16th, 2014
Lower Court Ruling Stands and Validates Hedge Fund Predatory Behavior
Washington DC – The US Supreme Court denied hearing Argentina’s appeal today and a lower court ruling stands that validates predatory behavior targeted towards countries in financial distress. The high court also denied a related appeal on behalf of the more than 92% of bond holders who had accepted Argentina’s restructuring deal after the default.
Eric LeCompte, Executive Director of the religious anti-poverty organization Jubilee USA, releases the following statement:
“I am blown away by the decision. For heavily indebted countries trying to support extremely poor people, this is a devastating blow. These hedge funds are equipped with an instrument that forces struggling economies into submission.
“For 15 years, Republicans and Democrats have agreed that the world’s poorest countries need to have their debt burdens reduced. Today, that bipartisan policy is threatened by the court’s decision.
“The religious community is saddened that these extreme actors will now broaden their efforts to collect assets that belong to the poor.
“One loser today is New York State. Given today’s ruling, countries wishing to borrow money are going to find other places to sign their contracts. That’s why legitimate Wall Street investors have joined the IMF, World Bank, United Nations and the United States Government in opposing this behavior.
“Given the ruling, we need to see what legislative remedies we can implement to stop these hedge funds.”
Read a history and timeline of the case.
Read Jubilee’s USA’s filing urging the Supreme Court to take case.
From Stewardship to Power: Religious Organizations & Their Investment Potentials June 11th, 2014
A new report from 3iG (International Interfaith Investment Group) makes the case that if negative screening is all that faith-based investment portfolios do, they are missing a major opportunity. Read the full report on ISSU.
