Why listen
A Little Rock barber turned informal neighborhood lender into Arkansas's newest chartered credit union.
0:00––:––
Enjoy the episode?
Subscribe to Next City
Listen & subscribe on
In this episode
- Why a barbershop became a financial lifeline for its community
- How one person navigates the process of chartering a credit union
- What the steady decline in credit unions means for underserved areas
- How a payday lending ban created a gap that neighbors had to fill themselves
About this episode
When neighbors started coming to his Little Rock barbershop to borrow money, Arlo Washington went a step further and chartered Arkansas’ newest credit union.In this episode of Next City, host Lucas Grindley discusses the importance of community support during times of financial distress. The story focuses on Arlo Washington, a barber who opened a credit union to service those in need of financial assistance in Arkansas. The episode also explores the drop in the number of credit unions in the last decade and how a ban on payday lending created an even bigger need.
About Next City
Join Lucas Grindley, executive director at Next City, where we believe journalists have the power to amplify solutions and spread workable ideas. Each week Lucas will sit down with trailblazers to discuss urban issues that get overlooked.
See all episodes →
