Dollar By Dollar tells the story of the neighborhood activists who struggled to establish community development credit unions, sometimes known as "people’s banks." From the South Bronx to rural Alabama, they were founded in living rooms, corner stores and church basements, providing low-income individuals and families with loans at affordable rates, as well as a place to save, pay bills and cash checks. Some were established as early as the 1040’s; others during the civil rights movement of the 1960’s when banks routinely denied loans to African-Americans; and some over the last two decades as banks moved out of low-income communities.
This film captures the dedication and passion of the movement’s leaders who enabled community development credit unions to flourish and expanded across the U.S. Today, in many areas, they are often the only alternative to predatory lenders such as "loan sharks," payday lenders, and "rent-to-own" stores that victimize poor individuals and families. This documentary celebrates a model for community development which rebuilds communities one loan at a time.