Why Banks Play a Central Role Financial abuse is uniquely intertwined with banking systems. Survivors cannot rebuild independence or long-term stability without access to financial services. Yet nationally, approximately 75% of survivors report not feeling safe or welcome in traditional banking environments. For Colorado banks, this means survivors are already present within the customer base. From a Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) perspective, activities that strengthen financial stability for underserved populations, such as staff education, survivor-centered financial mentoring and partnerships with community organizations, can qualify as community development services. A Leadership Opportunity for Colorado Banks In Colorado, domestic violence fatalities are rising even as overall homicide rates decline. Financial abuse is a common thread in nearly all of these cases. Colorado banks have the capacity to recognize survivors, support employees and help individuals rebuild financial lives with safety and dignity. In doing so, institutions strengthen CRA performance, enhance ESG outcomes, differentiate competitively and reaffirm a foundational promise of banking: to provide a safe place where people can build secure financial futures. Survivors across Colorado are rebuilding every day. Banks can be part of that story through thoughtful awareness, education and empowerment. Partnership Approaches That Support Survivors and Institutions At FinAbility, we have spent five years building relationships with financial institutions that want to move from awareness to action through a variety of ways: • Staff Education and Awareness: Training for frontline staff, managers and executives focusing on recognizing financial abuse and responding with safety-centered, trauma-informed practices that complement existing compliance frameworks. • Volunteer Mentorship and Engagement: Using bank employees’ financial expertise to support survivors in rebuilding savings, repairing credit and developing financial empowerment through structured mentoring programs. • Survivor-Centered Referral Pathways: Establishing referral networks connecting customers to financial mentoring and community resources while participating in co-designed education initiatives. • Sector Collaboration and Leadership: Engaging in cross-sector dialogue, case studies and shared learning efforts that advance survivor-aware banking practices across the industry. • Systems Change and Certification: Developing certification programs that recognize survivor-safe banking practices and build competitive differentiation for institutions ready to embed trauma-informed practices institutionally. Whether you are beginning to explore survivor-safe practices or ready to lead in your market, FinAbility is here to work with you to design approaches that fit your capacity and values. Dr. Christa Kuberry is director of partnerships at FinAbility, a survivor-led nonprofit dedicated to financial empowerment for survivors of domestic violence. She works with financial institutions nationwide on survivor-aware banking practices, workforce education and community partnerships. Learn more at www.finability.org. Sources Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS): 2010 Summary Report. https://www. cdc.gov/nisvs National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV), About Financial Abuse (2025). https://nnedv.org/content/about-financial-abuse/ Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Intimate Partner Violence Statistics (2024). https://cdphe.colorado.gov/colorado-gun-violenceprevention-resource-bank/injury-and-death-involving-firearms/intimate-partner Colorado Attorney General's Office, Domestic Violence Report 2024. https://coag.gov/app/uploads/2024/10/DomesticViolenceReport2024-FINAL.pdf Colorado Public Radio, "Colorado domestic violence deaths rise even as statewide homicides decline" (October 2025). https://www.cpr.org/2025/10/21/ colorado-domestic-violence-deaths-rise/ Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence (PCADV), Financial Abuse Resources (2025). https://www.pcadv.org/financial-abuse/ Peace At Home Family Shelter, Domestic Violence in the Workplace Fact Sheet. https://peaceathomeshelter.org/site/images/user-files/domestic-violence-in-theworkplace-fact-sheet.pdf Northwestern District Attorney's Office, "The Cost of Domestic Violence in the Workplace" Fact Sheet. https://northwesternda.org/DocumentCenter/View/447/ The-Cost-of-Domestic-Violence-in-the-Workplace-Fact-Sheet-PDF Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), CRA Illustrative List of Qualifying Activities (2020). https://www.occ.gov/topics/consumers-and-communities/cra/ cra-illustrative-list-of-qualifying-activities.pdf Chartered Banker Institute, "Championing the 'S' in 'ESG'" (February 2024). https://www.charteredbanker.com/resource_listing/cpdresources/championingthe-s-in-esg.html ASSETS Pennsylvania, "Building Community Through Banking: Joseph Martinez on Volunteering, Partnership, and Local Impact" (April 2025). https://assetspa.org/building-community-through-banking-joseph-martinez-onvolunteering-partnership-and-local-impact/ Webster Bank & ABA Foundation, "The Power of Collaboration: A Guide to Nonprofit Partnerships" (2025). https://www.websterbank.com/wp-content/ uploads/2025/09/aba-foundation-nonprofit-guide.pdf NNEDV Financial Abuse Fact Sheet (May 2025). http://nnedv.org/wp-content/ uploads/2025/05/Financial%20Abuse%20Fact%20Sheet%20-%20May%20 2025%20EN.pdf 9 Colorado Banker
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