Community Capital Management Adds Gender Lens Criterion To Its Customized Mortgage Pools For Low- To Moderate-Income Borrowers

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., June 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Community Capital Management, Inc. (CCM), a leading fixed income impact investing manager, today announced that it has added another positive gender lens component to its fixed income impact investing strategy through customized mortgage pools that are providing capital exclusively to low- and moderate-income female borrowers.

Since CCM's inception in 1999, the firm has purchased dozens of bonds with a gender lens component.  In fact, one of its early investments helped finance a business incubator for women-owned businesses.  At the time, the term "gender lens" was not yet mainstream.  Fast forward ten years, and gender lens investing – the practice of investing for financial return while also considering benefits to women – has become increasingly popular among all types of investors.  Because of this demand, "gender lens" was added to CCM's list of targeted impact themes. 

"While gender lens investing is becoming increasingly popular among investors, many still think it is limited to avoiding exposure to companies with poor gender diversity records or seeking companies with women representation at the executive and board levels," said Alyssa Greenspan, president and chief operating officer of CCM.  "Access to capital, specifically the financial markets, is a vital catalyst toward promoting positive change. Our gender lens approach invests from a proactive standpoint whereby the bonds are positively benefiting women such as empowerment programs for girls and providing capital to low- and moderate-income women."

"Investors are continuously seeking opportunities to effectively incorporate gender diversity criteria within their portfolios," said Patricia Farrar-Rivas, CEO at Veris Wealth Partners. "It is great to see managers, like CCM, implementing new ways to integrate gender lens investing into their strategy and product offerings." 

CCM was initially started for banks that have been mandated to provide capital for low-income housing, healthcare, and economic development.  The firm has evolved since that time by offering its fixed income impact investing strategy to all types of investors and by incorporating new environmental and social impact themes based on client-driven demand such as gender lens, environmental sustainability, rural community development, and healthy communities.

Jamie Horwitz, CCM's chief marketing officer, added: "Just as we have grown, so too has the number of participants and products entering the impact investing space.  At CCM, we are committed to showing our clients the numerous positive-based outcomes of their investments that go beyond checking a box for impact investing.  As pioneers and innovators in fixed income impact investments, we continuously look at new ways for our clients' investments to have a meaningful impact and are thrilled to add to our existing gender lens theme the ability to provide capital to women for affordable homeownership." 

Community Capital Management, Inc.
Community Capital Management, Inc. is an investment adviser registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with offices in Charlotte, North Carolina and Boston, Massachusetts, the firm was founded in 1998 and currently manages $2.4 billion in assets as of 3/31/17.  CCM's flagship intermediate fixed impact investing strategy is available as a separate account or via a mutual fund.  Other products managed by CCM include a liquid alternative income fund and customized separate account strategies. For more information, please visit www.ccminvests.com. 

Veris Wealth Partners
Veris Wealth Partners is a pioneering wealth management firm and a recognized leader in sustainable and impact investing.  The firm is an independent, owner-managed, SEC-registered investment advisory firm with offices in New York, San Francisco and Portsmouth.  Veris Wealth Partners serves individuals, nonprofits and foundations that care as much about performance as about using their wealth to beneficially impact society.  The firm believes superior investment performance and a positive impact are complementary parts of a holistic investment strategy.  By combining traditional and sustainable investment strategies, Veris Wealth Partners achieves each investor's financial goals, while providing exceptional risk management and client service.  For more information, please visit http://www.veriswp.com/.

Community Capital Management, Inc. is an investment adviser registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.  Past performance does not guarantee future results.  Market conditions can vary widely over time and can result in a loss of portfolio value.

SOURCE Community Capital Management, Inc.

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http://www.ccminvests.com