Banks and credit unions are a huge part of our everyday lives, but we don't even think about it. Every dollar we earn and spend will end up in a banking instituion at one point or another. But what do banks do with these assets while they have them?

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Because they are federally insured, banks and credit unions can leverage their assets, essentially meaning that for every dollar in deposits, your bank can make ten dollars in loans. 

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However, many banks and credit unions don't use their deposits effectively- especially mega-banks, or those "too big to fail" banks that are currently dominating the banking industry. They use their deposits to invest in fossil fuels and speculative trading, only investing a small percentage of their assets through quality loans.

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Good banks and credit unions should be putting your deposits to work in your community through wealth-building loans- housing loans that allow families to pass down generational wealth and small business loans that create jobs and bring capital into communties.