American Express grant funds economic development in rural New Mexico, Utah communities

West Sacramento, Calif. — A $50,000 American Express grant will support economic development through Rural Community Assistance Corporation’s (RCAC) Building Rural Economies (BRE) training in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico and Grant County, Utah.  

White House task force monitoring California Central Valley COVID outbreak

After hitting urban areas particularly hard in the spring, COVID-19 seems to be making its long-feared arrival into rural America. Outbreaks in California’s Central Valley are being closely monitored by government officials as high up as the White House Coronavirus task force.

Oregon schools prepare for back to school

As schools across the nation grapple with the prospect of resuming classes amid the COVID-19 pandemic, some school districts in rural Oregon hope to leverage their modest size to conduct largely in-person classes.

New Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule rolls back borrower protections

Under a new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFBP) rule, payday lenders can make loans to borrowers without determining whether they can afford to pay them back. Payday loans can carry interest rates up to 400 percent.

Paycheck Protection Program deadline is extended

The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) deadline has been extended to August 8. Since March, RCAC’s staff has worked hard to process more than 85 PPP loans for small businesses that have been impacted by COVID-19, and with this extension, we have the opportunity to do more.