News Release
Texas Access to Justice Foundation
November 5, 2012
Texas Access to Justice Foundation Observes Prime Partner Bank
Recognition Month
Foundation Launches “I
Bank on Justice” Campaign
The AUSTIN, Texas — The
Texas Access to Justice Foundation is recognizing banks and financial
institutions that help invest in justice through the Texas IOLTA
(Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts) program during
Prime Partner Bank
month in November. More than 70 banks and credit unions are committed to
being Prime Partners and directly benefit the funding of civil legal
services in Texas communities.
Prime Partner banks voluntarily pay higher interest rates on IOLTA
accounts, helping close the gap in legal services funding. These banks
have contributed millions of dollars in IOLTA revenue throughout Texas.
The Foundation recognizes the 13 banks that have participated in this
program since its inception more than five years ago with the Prime
Partners in Justice Award. They include:
Huntington State Bank - Huntington, Lufkin, Nacogdoches
LegacyTexas Bank - Plano, Dallas, Fort Worth and others
Lindale State Bank - Lindale
Lone Star National Bank - Pharr, Brownsville, Edinburg, McAllen and
others
NewFirst National Bank - El Campo, Houston, Victoria and others
North Dallas Bank & Trust Co. - Dallas, Addison, Frisco, Plano and
others
Northstar Bank of Texas - Denton, Grapevine, Lewisville and others
PlainsCapital Bank - Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio and others
Preston State Bank - Dallas
Security State Bank - Littlefield, Lubbock, Olton
Texas Brand Bank - Garland
Town North Bank - Dallas, Carrollton, Farmers Branch
The Foundation is also launching the “I
Bank on Justice” campaign highlighting lawyers, firms and bar
associations investing in justice by banking at a Prime Partner Bank.
Lawyers and organizations are encouraged to bank at Prime Partner Banks
whose higher interest rates help provide assistance to Texas families
seeking justice for an abused child, receiving health benefits for an
elderly person, or getting a family back in their home when faced with a
foreclosure or eviction.
More than 5.7 million Texans qualify for legal aid and many are turned
away due to a lack of resources. The decline in IOLTA revenue has
resulted in a crisis in access to the justice system for low-income and
poor Texans.
The Supreme Court of Texas created the IOLTA program in 1984 as a means
of providing funds for legal aid. For many years, the system worked as
it was intended, and played a major role in the funding of the state’s
legal aid system. Due to the plunge in interest rates in 2008, the
revenue generated from the program has plummeted. As a result,
low-income Texans are forced to face serious, complicated and sometimes
life-threatening civil legal issues on their own.
In 2007, IOLTA generated revenue in excess of $20 million; in 2012, it
is projected to total only $4.4 million—a decline of more than 75
percent.
Special website and social media spotlights will be featured throughout
the month at www.teajf.org and on
Facebook.
# # #
The Texas Access to Justice Foundation (www.teajf.org),
created by the Supreme Court of Texas in 1984, is the primary state-based
funding source for the provision of civil legal aid in
Texas. The organization is committed to the vision that
all Texans will have equal access to justice, regardless of their income. The
Foundation administers a variety of funding sources, which are earmarked to
assist nonprofit organizations in providing legal aid to approximately 100,000
Texans each year.
Contact: Kimberly Schmitt 512-320-0099, ext. 104
kschmitt@teajf.org
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