The conversation around financial liberation in Black communities is shifting. Not quietly. Not in a whisper. But through intentional partnerships that put culture, dignity, and data at the center. That’s what this moment represents—where the pursuit of generational wealth isn’t theoretical. It’s tactical. It’s technological. And it’s tethered to real solutions, like turning rent payments into a stepping stone toward homeownership.
OneUnited Bank, the country’s largest Black-owned bank and a nationally recognized Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), is pushing forward a new financial frontier by collaborating with Esusu, a tech-forward credit-building platform. This move comes during Financial Literacy Month, and it’s not performative. It’s transformative.
Both institutions understand the structural barriers that have historically blocked Black families from owning homes. Financial literacy, or lack thereof, has long been weaponized against Black progress. But OneUnited and Esusu are cutting through that. They’re meeting the moment—and the movement—with a model rooted in access and empowerment.
“This alliance is all about empowering renters with the financial tools they need to turn their homeownership dreams into reality,” said Teri Williams, President & COO of OneUnited Bank. Her words don’t just punctuate a press release. They reflect decades of work inside a bank built by and for the community.
By enabling renters to report their on-time rental payments to all three major credit bureaus, the partnership removes one of the most persistent and under-discussed credit obstacles for everyday people—especially Black renters. So many have paid rent on time for years, sometimes decades, without it ever counting toward creditworthiness. That changes now.
Esusu, co-led by co-CEOs Wemimo Abbey and Samir Goel, has already shifted the financial outcomes of over 200,000 renters. The platform uses data to build credit profiles and open access to quality financial products. The average renter using Esusu sees their credit score rise by 45 points. That number isn’t just a metric—it can be the difference between loan approval and denial, between renting indefinitely or qualifying for a mortgage.
“Financial literacy is the key to achieving stability,” said Abbey and Goel. “This collaboration is all about equipping renters with the knowledge they need to navigate their journey to homeownership.”
This isn’t an idea floating in theory. It’s application. Real renters are already benefiting from Esusu’s system. As credit scores improve, so does access to lower interest rates and better loan products. It directly impacts borrowing power, wealth-building potential, and the ability to make long-term financial plans. That kind of shift can move a community.
OneUnited is leaning fully into this power. The bank will now offer rent reporting access to all of its customers, and Esusu will connect renters directly to OneUnited’s AI-backed financial solutions through its mobile app.
For decades, Black homeownership has lagged behind due to policy decisions that disqualified our communities from opportunities—whether redlining, predatory lending, or the undervaluing of our neighborhoods. Now, through this partnership, rent—an expense that once existed in the background of credit narratives—is finally being reimagined as a tool for upward mobility.
Teri Williams made the vision plain: “For decades, our mission has been to promote financial empowerment for everyone, and this collaboration with Esusu is an important step in that direction.”
That mission has always been embedded in the DNA of OneUnited Bank. As a CDFI, the bank is federally certified to serve economically disadvantaged communities. That’s not a side hustle. That’s the blueprint.
And the blueprint is expanding. What makes this collaboration historic is that it marks Esusu’s first official partnership with a banking institution. The alignment between the two organizations sends a clear signal: the financial industry’s future must include innovation that doesn’t erase culture but centers it.
That’s not common. Too often, financial institutions chase buzzwords like “equity” and “inclusion” without shifting the infrastructure. But Esusu and OneUnited are doing the opposite. They are anchoring their work in AI-powered tools that educate and provide measurable gains for real people, not just shareholders.
This is especially critical as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts across the nation face rollbacks. Public commitments are waning. Corporate pledges are expiring. But inside this moment of retrenchment, Black-owned businesses are finding each other, building together, and deciding to move differently.
The collaboration between OneUnited and Esusu is more than partnership—it’s strategy. A strategy rooted in mutual respect, shared purpose, and a relentless focus on community outcomes.
Williams added: “Recognizing rent payments as a valid form of credit building can truly change lives.” And she’s right.
When rent payments begin to matter for credit scores, the game changes. More renters will qualify for mortgages. Families will be able to transition from renting to owning. Home equity—one of the key avenues for intergenerational wealth—will become more accessible to people who have long been locked out.
The partnership is also pushing AI technology to do more than automate. It’s being used to amplify. The AI-powered solutions from OneUnited help people understand financial patterns, identify savings opportunities, and make informed decisions. It turns complicated data into digestible insight—and when people are informed, they’re empowered.
The Esusu app’s ability to link users directly to these tools creates a seamless bridge between credit building and financial planning. No gimmicks. No jargon. Just real steps toward ownership and legacy.
This isn’t charity work. It’s infrastructure work. It’s movement-building with receipts.
And let’s be clear—this isn’t just about those renting today. This is about future homeowners who will pass down keys, not just rental histories. This is about kids growing up in stable homes owned by their families. This is about grandparents being able to retire in the homes they paid into for decades. It’s about dignity. It’s about agency.
At a time when Black wealth is still trailing due to centuries of systemic exclusion, partnerships like this one provide oxygen. They give communities space to dream, to plan, and to execute with tools built specifically for them.
Esusu’s track record alone tells the story: over $50 billion in credit activity unlocked. That means better access, stronger profiles, and an expanding circle of financial possibility. Pair that with OneUnited’s history of banking Black and investing in underserved communities, and what you get is a redefinition of what banking and credit can look like—when rooted in equity and innovation.
This collaboration is a call to action for other institutions. It’s proof that mission-aligned partnerships can create ripple effects that go far beyond press announcements. The future of financial empowerment doesn’t belong to those with the most money—it belongs to those with the most vision.
That vision is clear here. It’s about rewriting the rules. It’s about owning our impact. And it’s about ensuring that when we talk about building wealth in Black communities, it’s not a hypothetical. It’s a living, breathing reality backed by strategy, data, and community-centered commitment.
What Esusu and OneUnited are building isn’t temporary. It’s foundational. And foundations, when built with intention, hold the weight of generations.
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