One of the most exciting new partnerships that the Delta Project has developed is with Southern Bancorp, the country’s largest rural community development bank.

Southern is a pioneer in rural development, and the Delta Project is working in several different ways to support their work.

Most recently, several students on the financial services team have been asked by Southern to research how municipalities could use state Historic Preservation statutes, zoning laws, or the tax foreclosure processes in Mississippi and Arkansas to encourage owners to maintain their properties.

This puts students at the forefront of development efforts in the Delta and, nationally, in analyzing the effects of the foreclosure crisis.