Black-owned banks are federally insured depository institutions in the United States where African Americans hold majority ownership or control of the board of directors, and whose primary mission focuses on serving minority and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. Operating as essential community anchors, these institutions practice relationship-based lending that looks beyond rigid credit scoring models to provide capital access, homeownership opportunities, and small business financing to populations disproportionately impacted by traditional banking disparities and historical wealth gaps.