Christelle Bamona ‌

Chris Bamona

Senior Researcher

Debt Collection & Settlement Mortgage Lending Student Loans

Christelle Bamona is a senior researcher at the Center for Responsible Lending focusing on student lending, mortgage lending, and predatory debt practices. Prior to CRL, Christelle was an associate at Vega Economics where she specialized in data analysis for financial security litigation involving investment banks. Previously, she conducted economic research on risk management in agriculture for the International Food Policy Research Institute. Her background also includes volunteering for nonprofit organizations serving underrepresented communities such as Be a Mentor, Commit2Change, and Women’s Initiative.

She received her master’s degree in economics from the University of San Francisco, and bachelor degree in economics from the Catholic University of Congo.

In her spare time, she enjoys reading, cooking and spending time with her loved ones.

Research & Policy

Maximizing Impact: How a Simple Administrative Policy Shift Could Expand Access to Homeownership for Potential Buyers Repaying Student Loans Under the SAVE Program

Maximizing Impact: How a Simple Administrative Policy Shift Could Expand Access to Homeownership for Potential Buyers Repaying Student Loans Under the SAVE Program

The Department of Education’s newly launched income-driven repayment (IDR) program, “Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE),” represents a significant step forward in improving the affordability of federal student loan repayments for millions of borrowers. SAVE accomplishes that goal by basing repayment on a realistic estimate of a borrower’s discretionary income considering the borrower’s family size and reducing the amount of...
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Research
Mortgage Lending Student Loans

“Paying from the Grave”: Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Alumni and the Burden of Student Loan Debt

“Paying from the Grave”: Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Alumni and the Burden of Student Loan Debt

More than 44 million people in the United States—roughly one in six adults—collectively hold more than $1.6 trillion in federal student loan debt. Although many Americans are burdened by their student loan debt, borrowers who attended Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have been especially hard hit, due to the impacts of systemic racism on wealth accumulation for families and...
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Research
Student Loans

Resilient But Deeper in Student Debt: Women of Color Faced Greater Hardships Through COVID-19

Resilient But Deeper in Student Debt: Women of Color Faced Greater Hardships Through COVID-19

Women carry about two-thirds of the $1.7 trillion of federal student debt, with Black women more than twice as likely as white men to owe more than $50,000 in undergraduate student loan debt. Women carry about two-thirds of the $1.7 trillion of federal student debt, with Black women more than twice as likely as white men to owe more than...
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Research
Student Loans

Necessary Relief: Substantial Cancellation Will Ease the Burden of Unaffordable Student Debt (and Boost the Economy)

Necessary Relief: Substantial Cancellation Will Ease the Burden of Unaffordable Student Debt (and Boost the Economy)

The student debt crisis has been building for decades, and millions of families have seen their dreams derailed by unaffordable debt repayment burdens that block their path to financial stability. As college costs rose, students had to take on increasing amounts of debt to pay for higher education. At the same time, state student financial aid offerings were drastically reduced...
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Research
Student Loans

Almost Two in Three Navient Borrowers Making Payments During COVID-19 Federal Student Loan Payment Pause Are Underwater

Almost Two in Three Navient Borrowers Making Payments During COVID-19 Federal Student Loan Payment Pause Are Underwater

Even before COVID-19, student loan borrowers struggled under the weight of more than $1.6 trillion in debt. One in four borrowers was in default or serious delinquency, and many worried about their ability to make student loan payments while covering other basic needs. Because of decades of structural inequities and discrimination, student loans have burdened Black and Latino borrowers more...
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Policy & Legislation
Student Loans

Hardship for Renters: Too Many Years to Save for Mortgage Down Payment and Closing Costs

Hardship for Renters: Too Many Years to Save for Mortgage Down Payment and Closing Costs

Saving for a mortgage down payment is a significant barrier to homeownership that particularly hits communities of color. We calculate how long it would take for a typical renter household to save for a mortgage down payment and closing costs for a median-priced house (“Years to Save”) and further disaggregate these calculations by race/ethnicity, household type, location, and occupation. We...
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Research
Mortgage Lending