the nuts and bolts of building a public bank
Business Plans & Viability Studies
the light is in the details
Comprehensive business plans and viability studies are emerging for public banks around the country
Viability studies can be required by legislation to demonstrate how a public bank would fulfill its mission. Business plans are the concrete actionable documents that can put into motion the vision and operations. Below are the publicly available business plans and viability studies that have emerged from current public banking initiatives.
business plans & viability studies
Cities
Cities
Cities – Business Plans & Viability Studies
| City | Year | Title |
| Los Angeles | 2023 | Municipal Public Banking Report Series – JFI and Berggruen Institute for the City of Los Angeles – May 2023. Report series outlines viable approaches for establishing and administering a Los Angeles public bank. Series examines affordable housing, governance, underserved communities, and clean energy. |
| San Francisco | 2023 | San Francisco Public Bank Business and Governance Plan and Viability Study – HR&A Team, a consultant to the City and County of San Francisco – May 2023. San Francisco Reinvestment Working Group (RWG) voted to advance the plan to Board of Supervisors, to be presented July 2023. |
| San Francisco | 2023 | San Francisco Municipal Finance Corporation Business and Governance Plan and Viability Study – HR&A Team, a consultant to the City and County of San Francisco – May 2023. San Francisco Reinvestment Working Group (RWG) voted to advance the plan to Board of Supervisors, to be presented July 2023. |
| San Francisco | 2023 | San Francisco Public Bank (PROPOSED) Business Plan DRAFT – HR&A Team for the City and County of San Francisco – February 2023. (Not an application for a bank charter.) |
| San Francisco | 2023 | Municipal Finance Corporation (PROPOSED) Business Plan DRAFT – HR&A Team for the City and County of San Francisco – February 2023 |
| East Bay, CA | 2022 | Public Bank East Bay Viability Study – March 2022; Per AB857, a viability study is a legal requirement to apply for the bank charter and must be submitted to CA licensing and regulations when submitting the application. As of April 2023, Berkeley, Richmond, and Oakland have approved the viability study. |