About Us – Bank On San Diego

Our Mission

Our members offer services and educational resources that help empower people and families to improve their financial capability, health, and independence.

It is important that residents have access to resources that help lay a solid foundation for banking and financial empowerment. Our coalition is particularly focused on assisting youth, first-time job seekers, and families with disabilities to access financial services.

Our History

Started in 2021, Bank On San Diego helps connect consumers to safe and affordable banking products certified as meeting the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund’s Bank On National Account Standards. With assistance from the CFE Fund, local funders, and partners from the private, public, and nonprofit sectors formed a Bank On working group to identify strategies to increase collaborative efforts that could connect consumers to mainstream financial services and products.

Members represent community-based organizations, financial institutions, and local government agencies that provide services and resources such as financial education, credit counseling, savings programs, banking series, credit repair, employment assistance, youth engagement, and other financial empowerment programming.

Coalition members meet regularly to identify points of collaboration, community engagement opportunities, share best practices and develop innovative ideas

“Many of the individuals and families in MAAC’s network have incredible potential but have limited access to the tools and information that will help them achieve economic mobility. Through this collaboration with BankOn San Diego, MAAC will be able to offer equitable access to individualized financial coaching and services that will allow working individuals and families achieve economic advancement and build generational wealth.”

Arnulfo Manriquez, MAAC President and CEO

Our nonprofit consumer credit counseling and HUD-approved housing counseling agency recently had 5 different clients secure Bank On accounts and in the words of their caseworker, it had been “life-changing” as all had previously been “denied, denied, denied” a traditional bank account. One of those clients said, “I feel so grown up now.” Her Bank On deposit account has made a huge difference in her life, she no longer must lose her hard-earned money to pay expensive check-cashing fees or deal with the safety issues of carrying large sums of cash.

Melinda Opperman, Chief External Affairs Officer of Credit.org

The National Bank On Movement

Bank On San Diego is proud to be part of the national Bank On movement, made up of dozens of similar local coalitions across the country.

The nonprofit Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund (CFE Fund) is the national partner for local Bank On coalitions, supporting local efforts through resources like the Bank On National Account Standards and accompanying certification, grant support to build local coalition capacity, and a robust learning community. The CFE Fund also works to give voice to local coalition experiences by informing both federal regulatory policy and financial institution practices.