Along with its support for Acción San Diego, Comerica Bank has a number of other programs designed to help small businesses grow, many of them targeted at assisting businesses in low- to moderate-income areas and those owned by women and minorities.

The Detroit-based bank has an SBA loan program, as well as loan programs for small businesses that don’t require a government guarantee, says Bill Becker, assistant vice president for the bank’s Western division, and California Community Reinvestment Act manager. While its small business loans can run from $250,000 to $2.5 million, it also has a micro-loan department that makes loans from $5,000 to $250,000.

The bank has given grants to micro-lenders such as Acción – including this year’s grant of $250,000 – and also participates in a loan pool operated by Bankers Small Business Community Development Corp., a non-traditional lender that targets businesses that would not be able to receive financing from a traditional bank, says Becker. The CDC allows banks to reach customers they might not be able to reach on their own, and spreads the risk around to a number of investors.

Comerica has a grant and donation program that supports a number of nonprofits, such as the Local Initiative Support Corp., an affordable housing developer, and has provided startup capital in the form of deposits to Faith-Based Federal Credit Union in Vista, Becker says. Comerica’s most recent CRA rating for its California operations, which was “satisfactory.”

“When it comes to the bank and its CRA program, we look at it as a chance to help those who need a little bit of help,” Becker says. “From a philosophical standpoint, it’s the right thing to do.”