CEDRIC's principal mission is to foster research related to consumer and economic development issues such as consumer and small business financial behavior, access to credit, affordable housing, and community development and reinvestment.

Financial access — knowing what one's financial options are and having products and services to choose from — is closely linked to economic prosperity. The success of today's immigrants, who come to the United States largely seeking to improve their own prospects for prosperity, depends on their access to mainstream financial institutions that can help them save money, buy homes, access credit, start businesses and otherwise build wealth.