Diversity and equality

More than 180 community development financial institutions and minority depository institutions will receive the federal funds under a pandemic-era program. “It’s a lifesaver,” a credit union CEO said.

The organizations have created the Racial Equity Accelerator for Homeownership, a two-year incubator for the development of innovations to address racial inequality in wealth and housing.

The proposal calls for a 20-year mortgage with Ginnie Mae and Treasury participation, but critics suggest that other measures would be more effective in bridging the gap in home equity.

Sandra Thompson, who has been acting director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency since June, has won backing from the mortgage industry and community groups for the experience she brings to the role. The push comes as the administration is said to be considering Mike Calhoun of the Center for Responsible Lending.

The chair of the House Financial Services Committee endorsed acting Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Sandra Thompson as rumors abound that the administration is considering someone else for the job.

In a recent securitization with Capital One, RBC Capital Markets gave a bigger role to small firms owned by minorities and women. It’s one example of how banks are striving to be more inclusive.

Despite “color blind” underwriting algorithms, loan denial rates on mortgages that were not backed by the Federal Housing Administration and the VA skewed heavily toward minority groups, according to a study by The Markup.

In late July, the Justice Department notified the Houston bank of a potential lawsuit alleging violations between 2013 and 2017, according to a securities filing. Cadence said that its prospective merger partner, BancorpSouth, supports the settlement discussions.

With a steady stream of Senate hearings held on the racial wealth gap and inequities in the financial system, the new chairman has set a consumer-focused agenda that leans further left than even past Democratic chairs.

Interim CFPB Director Dave Uejio expressed concern that financial institutions have dragged their feet in resolving disputes with consumers for service issues during the pandemic.

Dave Uejio, acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, promised to protect veterans from predatory loans and to crack down on companies that improperly garnish stimulus checks or mistreat struggling borrowers.

The architects of two major loan deals featuring Black banks, one involving multiple lenders and a pro sports franchise and another backed by Citigroup, say more transactions like these are in the works.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's overhaul of its Qualified Mortgage standard is alarming free-market advocates who say it will precipitate a return to easy credit and higher defaults and could disproportionately harm minorities.

Party polarization and racial equity issues make it tougher for trade groups to manage internal divisions while ensuring the field supports those who get their hands on the levers of power.

The agency sought feedback on potential changes to the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. But a coalition of industry and advocacy groups want a longer comment period to afford “a greater opportunity for thoughtful public participation.”

Evidence suggests some minority-owned businesses can’t access loans, and the Trump administration is under pressure to report borrower demographics. The issue is gaining attention against the backdrop of protests over the George Floyd killing.

The central bank is only now nearing the launch of the credit facilities after the effort was announced in April. But Chairman Jerome Powell said loans have been available through other means.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has proposed an overhaul of an Obama-era rule meant to guide local jurisdictions in how they comply with the Fair Housing Act.

The two Democrats sent a letter “raising grave concerns about whether the bureau is fulfilling its statutory obligations.”

Despite assurances by Director Kathy Kraninger that the agency is cracking down on discrimination, it hasn't sent a Department of Justice referral on a fair-lending violation in two years.