Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

Last fall, the Atlanta Fed introduced the Inclusive and Resilient Recovery webinar series. In the initial session, city officials from Birmingham and New Orleans discussed local programs created in response to the COVID-19 recession. View the video or read the transcript and presentation. https://bit.ly/3oDA90h #EveryonesEconomy

The Atlanta Fed has been investigating changes in consumers’ payments habits during the pandemic. Our Retail Payments Risk Forum decided to see if they could discern some of the same changes among their own habits. Read Take On Payments to learn more. https://bit.ly/2YzygXN

As policymakers and service providers continue to enact programs to help small businesses weather the COVID-19 financial crisis, the 12 Federal Reserve Banks issued the Small Business Credit Survey: 2021 Report on Employer Firms, which provides data about small firms’ performance, financing and credit positions, and expectations for the next 12 months. Nearly every firm (95%) reported that the pandemic affected their operations in 2020. Even the healthiest of firms faced toug...h decisions amid a sustained loss in revenue. The report offers a critical look into the financial and operational challenges shared by small businesses during the pandemic. By shedding light on the channels through which firms may seek financial recourse and the types of small business vulnerabilities, the data can inform the design of new loan and grant programs and offer insights on how to reach businesses in need. Catch up on the full report here: https://bit.ly/2MFbACx

The American Voices Project examines the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on people across the country. The Atlanta and Boston Feds and the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality are series cosponsors. Read the first report, which focuses on youth and young adults. https://stanford.io/2YFhsPe #EveryonesEconomy

One of the Federal Reserve’s roles is ensuring a smoothly functioning payments system, and you can help us keep it running that way! The Atlanta Fed is seeking a senior customer support coordinator who will work with financial institutions concerning requests and inquiries relating to processing image and data files through various payment-processing platforms. We are interested in a problem solver with high attention to customer service. If you’re comfortable using Salesforce and have knowledge of payments systems, such as ACH and check processing, we want to speak with you! Apply: https://bit.ly/354ZPdE. Refer to job number 266257.

Online commerce continues its impressive growth rates, but does its growth diminish the value of traditional retail locations? A Macroblog post analyzes the effect of ecommerce warehouses on retail real estate values. https://bit.ly/36O7K1x

Any retrospective of 2020 must include the pandemic. Beyond its devastating health and economic consequences, it has changed our payments behavior. Read Take On Payments to learn about our next Talk About Payments webinar, which will review some of these changes. https://bit.ly/3lYtX1h

The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, and Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis are hosting the second installment of the Racism and the Economy virtual series: Focus on Employment. The second event will discuss issues related to occupational segregation, discriminatory practices, and employment law. Hear community, business, and academic leaders discuss the economic impact of racism in the workforce. Learn more about the speakers and register to attend the second event on November 17, 2020, at 1 p.m. ET / Noon CT: https://bit.ly/2U3rwPK #RacismandtheEconomy

Although aspects of the region’s economy show signs of improvement, progress in the face of COVID-19 remains fitful. This Economy Matters article provides a snapshot of the Federal Reserve’s latest Beige Book discussions of the southeastern economy. https://bit.ly/3qAeRm9

The Atlanta Fed is looking for a front-end developer to join our team. The right person for this position will design and implement solutions and architectural design patterns requiring complex technologies across multiple platforms. You’ll work in an agile environment, and you’ll collaborate with a team, so strong interpersonal skills are a must! If you have experience in user interface design and development using JavaScript libraries and frameworks, let’s talk! Apply at https://bit.ly/354ZPdE. Refer to job number 266052.

How many times have you wired money? Once? Twice? Never? Businesses send wires frequently, consumers rarely. Read Take On Payments to learn what the Federal Reserve Payments Study data say about wires. https://bit.ly/3luv9te

The impact of COVID-19 ranged widely across the globe, in ways that were sometimes unexpected. Why were some regions pummeled while others emerged relatively unscathed? This Policy Hub article examines some theories for the disparate outcomes. https://bit.ly/3gaaWYq

Are you looking for updated information about financial assistance programs related to COVID-19? Check out our Financial Tips to learn what programs are currently available. https://bit.ly/3egA13c

Will the pandemic change B2B check usage? Read Take On Payments for a discussion of efforts to address issues and barriers that may slow the adoption of digital accounts payable systems by businesses. https://bit.ly/35zRIqj

The regional economy is improving, but COVID and hurricane damage are restraining progress, according to the new Beige Book. Economy Matters looks at a recovery that wasn’t helped by hurricanes hitting the Southeast. https://bit.ly/3kqoxMO

Let’s talk all things biometrics! Read Take On Payments to learn about an upcoming Atlanta Fed webinar with a special guest who used to be on the FBI Biometric Steering Committee. https://bit.ly/3m3ZcIS

When the pandemic struck the United States, flows of remittances sent to Mexico and El Salvador went in sharply different directions: flows to Mexico rose, and flows to El Salvador dropped. This Policy Hub article looks at reasons behind the divergent remittance levels, including the role possibly played by the uncertain immigration status of migrants in the U.S. labor force. https://bit.ly/3jlQ1Sm

Today the State of Alabama and the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta launched an innovative, first-of-its-kind partnership to help Alabamians connect to a rewardi...ng career! The DAVID tool helps people navigate the potential loss of public assistance as they move along a rewarding career pathway. DAVID will help individuals understand how much money they will gain through paid employment and will help them cope with the loss of public assistance as they progress forward in their careers. More information on the DAVID tool, complete with a demo, can be found on the AlabamaWorks! website at: https://alabamaworks.com/david/

What can be done to make sure cash-based consumers aren’t further excluded from the economy? Take On Payments discusses a new Atlanta Fed white paper addressing this issue. https://bit.ly/34Vd5lR

Is the pandemic having a disproportionate hardship on renter households of color? Read Real Estate Research, which continues a data exploration of households likely to be vulnerable to COVID-19-related housing insecurity. https://bit.ly/377uXfQ

Is it true that gender and racial bias is built into facial recognition algorithms? An objective organization has regularly tested this technology’s accuracy for 20 years. Read Take On Payments for a discussion of their latest findings. https://bit.ly/33HKyk4

Save the date: 11/18 at 7 p.m. Federal Reserve Education virtual event featuring Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Bostic discussing How Diverse Perspectives Improve Economics. https://web.cvent.com//745a2b2c-7b3a-4b46-8e55-d39/summary

Heirs’ property disproportionately affects lower-wealth African Americans. Partners Update examines some recent legislation on heirs’ property in the Southeast. #EveryonesEconomy https://bit.ly/3noeQQK