Friday, May 5th, was proclaimed "FDIC-Money Smart Day" in Honolulu, Hawaii, by Mayor Mufi Hannemann at a ceremony held today in Honolulu. The ceremony was attended by FDIC San Francisco Regional Director John F. Carter, along with a number of key Hawaii Money Smart partners.

Money Smart is the FDIC's award-winning financial education curriculum designed to help consumers understand basic financial services, develop money-management skills and learn how to use banking services effectively.

"The FDIC is deeply honored by the Mayor's recognition of our Money Smart program and our asset-building efforts in Hawaii," said Regional Director Carter. "Our success is only possible because of the commitment and vision of our Money Smart Alliance partners in Hawaii – from the federal, state and county levels, to private sector banks, to non-profit community-based groups."

"The FDIC's Money Smart program teaches money-management skills that empower people to gain access to asset-building opportunities and to enter the financial mainstream," said Mayor Hannemann. "The City and County of Honolulu is proud to be one of the FDIC's first Money Smart partners in Hawaii through our Family Self-Sufficiency Program. We join with the other partners to make the program more easily accessible to our residents in underserved communities across the State."

The Hawaii Money Smart partnership is an example of a successful public-private sector collaboration of banks, community-based organizations and government agencies throughout Hawaii, facilitated by the FDIC's San Francisco regional community affairs program.

Money Smart was developed under former FDIC Chairman Donna Tanoue (of Hawaii) and was released in English in 2001, in Spanish in 2002, in Chinese and Korean in 2003, in Vietnamese in 2004, and in Russian in April 2006.

Key Money Smart partners recognized in today's ceremony include U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka; the Department of Housing and Urban Development; the Internal Revenue Service; Central Pacific Bank; First Hawaiian Bank; the Hawaii Division of Financial Institutions; the Hawaii National Guard; the University of Hawaii Cooperative Extension Program; the HCDCH FSS program and the City and County of Honolulu Family Self Sufficiency Program.

The FDIC works with national and local organizations to promote Money Smart to their constituents. To learn more about the FDIC's Money Smart program and to obtain copies of the curriculum, visit the Money Smart page on the FDIC's Web site at www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/moneysmart/index.html. Money Smart is available free of charge.

# # #

Congress created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in 1933 to restore public confidence in the nation's banking system. The FDIC insures deposits at the nation's 8,833 banks and savings associations and it promotes the safety and soundness of these institutions by identifying, monitoring and addressing risks to which they are exposed. The FDIC receives no federal tax dollars – insured financial institutions fund its operations.

FDIC press releases and other information are available on the Internet at www.fdic.gov, by subscription electronically (go to www.fdic.gov/about/subscriptions/index.html) and may also be obtained through the FDIC's Public Information Center (877-275-3342 or 703-562-2200). MS-2-2006