The 2012 National Interagency Community Reinvestment Conference — the premier training and networking event for community development professionals, including CRA officers, community development lenders and investors, as well as representatives of CDFIs, foundations, and nonprofits — will be held March 25-28, 2012 in Seattle, Washington. Sponsored by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, the conference will feature sessions on CRA compliance and innovative community development strategies, and will again host the National Community Development Lending School.

The conference will also feature an awards program, this year themed around small business support. We welcome you to submit your nomination for the 2012 Community Reinvestment Awards: Strengthening Small Businesses for Economic Recovery.

The 2012 Community Reinvestment Awards will honor financial institutions covered by the CRA that are working to strengthen small businesses. Recipients of the award will be recognized at a special awards luncheon at the 2012 National Interagency Community Reinvestment Conference. Winning financial institutions will receive three free conference registrations which they can use for their staff or to sponsor representatives from partnering nonprofits. All nominations must be submitted by 5 P.M. January 13, 2012.

To download the call for nominations and submit nominations online, please visit www.frbsf.org/community/seattle2012.