The Public Banking Institute (PBI) was formed in January 2011 as an educational non-profit organization. Its mission is to further the understanding, explore the possibilities, and facilitate the implementation of public banking at all levels — local, regional, state, and national. PBI’s vision is to establish a distributed network of state and local publicly-owned banks that create affordable credit, while providing a sustainable alternative to the current high-risk centralized private banking system.

Banking locally is a simple yet powerful way to support your community. When you deposit money or buy a CD at a community bank or credit union typically a much larger percent of your dollars is reinvested back into the local economy in the form of small business loans, bank employee wages, and bank vendor purchases with other locally owned businesses. Community banks and credit unions are often locally controlled and operated, and they tend to focus on the needs of the businesses and families where the bank operates branches and offices. Lending decisions are made by people who understand the local needs of families, businesses and farmers, and management often resides within the community it serves.