At the time, The Runnymede Trust was developing its Financial Inclusion and Ethnicity research programme. A component of the research was an investigation into people's ability to access financial advice and services.

It is highlighted in this report that Black and minority ethnic people (BME) are at risk of exclusion due to an overlap of different disadvantages. Against the backdrop of the recession, many BME people have serious money issues and a pressing need to access support. For instance, people from BME backgrounds are more likely to be unemployed or living in income poverty than the wider population; on top of this, many are socially marginalized because of language and cultural differences.

Hence, the report makes recommendations to ensure that BME people are able to make full use of services like the Government's Money Guidance service, a scheme which aims to provide free and impartial advice on a range of money issues.

Using research gathered from within ethnic minority communities, the report also gives an insight into BME people's experience of advice in banks and charities.

The report was funded by the Nationwide Foundation.