Mortgage Lending

Home ownership has been the primary means for most American families to build and pass on inter-generational wealth. However, government-sanctioned racial discrimination in housing and mortgage finance markets robbed many families of this opportunity, and today’s racial homeownership gap is barely changed from the levels of more than 50 years ago. Closing the homeownership gap is essential to closing the racial wealth gap.  Additionally, predatory mortgage lending practices drained trillions in wealth from families, especially Black, Latino, low wealth and low-income Americans. CRL successfully advocated for the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which has made the mortgage market far safer for consumers. CRL is building on this progress by working to ensure that all credit-worthy borrowers have access to fair, affordable, and sustainable mortgages. And that policy makers and market participants develop solutions that are appropriate to respond to the scale of this housing crisis. 

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Government-Mandated Down Payment Standards Would Harm the Economy, Deny Homeownership to Credit-Worthy Families

As various proposals call for mortgage lending reform, CRL speaks to the importance of preserving broad access to credit. This fact sheet also explains how government-mandated down payments would deny many consumers the chance to become first-time homebuyers.

CRL to Regulators: Align Qualified Mortgage (QM) and Qualified Residential Mortgage (QRM) Rules

Dodd-Frank Financial Reform charged the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to set basic mortgage definitions that would be easily understood by lenders and borrowers alike. In January 2013, CFPB issued the Qualified Mortgage (QM) rule that requires full documentation, the elimination of risky mortgage terms and limits up-front fees to no more than three points on 30 year mortgages. Now...

Dodd-Frank Act Balances Access to Credit and Key Protections

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) mortgage rules strike the right balance between protecting consumers while also enabling lenders to comply with these new reforms. Throughout the rulemaking process and in the final result, the CFPB has taken a measured and reasonable approach. As a result, these mortgage rules will provide important legal protections for borrowers and for lenders. The...

Comparing Dual Track Foreclosure Restrictions

Dual tracking is the servicer practice of simultaneously pursuing loan modifications and foreclosure proceedings. This chart offers a side-by-side comparison and analysis of how the National Mortgage Settlement, the California Homeowner Bill of Rights, and related rules from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have each taken steps towards eliminating this practice. The comparison includes variances in rule applications, borrower outreach...

Comparing Dual Track Foreclosure Restrictions

Dual tracking is the servicer practice of simultaneously pursuing loan modifications and foreclosure proceedings. This chart offers a side-by-side comparison and analysis of how the National Mortgage Settlement, the California Homeowner Bill of Rights, and related rules from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have each taken steps towards eliminating this practice. The comparison includes variances in rule applications, borrower outreach...

Minority Homeownership Study Has Flawed Methodology and Conclusions

The Center for Responsible Lending responds to a recent National Bureau of Economic Research working paper "The Vulnerability of Minority Homeowners in the Housing Boom and Bust," outlining flaws in the paper's analysis and methodology. Most importantly, CRL disputes the authors' conclusions that disparate default rates should call into question the value of homeownership in addressing the racial wealth gap.
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