Community Reinvestment

    Shelterforce articles, by date and issue number:

    • Predatory Lending: Redlining in Reverse After years of ignoring low-income communities’ credit needs, some lenders now prey on them by offering loans with unreasonable terms. As community groups have learned more about the problem, they have started to fight back. (Jan/Feb 2005, #139)
    • Freddie and Fannie Under Fire A guide to the controversy that has engulfed the government-sponsored enterprises and what it may mean for the future. (Sep/Oct 2003, #131)
    • No Progress without Protest The advocacy and organizing that made CRA legislation possible is still needed to move a progressive agenda. (Mar/Apr 2003, #128)
    • Going Subprime The entry of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into the subprime lending market will lead to better pricing and help curb predatory lending – or will it? A look at what may lie ahead for low-income borrowers. (Sep/Oct 2002, #125)
    • Beyond the Fringe Check-cashing outlets and payday lenders are preying on the poor. Learn how you can make sure your community has exploitation-free access to credit and other financial services. (Jul/Aug 2002, #124)
    • Keeping the Heat on Payday Lenders How community groups have engaged payday lenders in the battle over abusive lending.  (Jul/Aug 2002, #124)
    • Insuring Reinvestment Insurance companies, like banks, do business in low-income communities, but so far they haven’t been held accountable in the same ways. Advocates across the country are taking a variety of approaches to bring the industry up to speed. (Nov/Dec 2001, #120)
    • Strengthening the CRA (Nov/Dec 2001, #120)
    • The Price Is Wrong Housing markets in low-income neighborhoods often don't work the way they do in other areas - with negative consequences for both individual buyers and the neighborhood as a whole. (May/Jun 2001, #117)
    • Going After the Predators (Mar/Apr 2001, #116)
    • Flip, Flip, Flip, Flop Purchasing and quickly reselling homes for a large profit, but with little or no meaningful rehabilitation, is epidemic in low-income neighborhoods. Such "flipping" hurts buyers and communities. (Sep/Oct 2000, #113)
    • Predatory Lending, Preying on lower- and moderate-income homeowners, many subprime lenders use “bait and switch” tactics to ensnare borrowers into paying too much for loans they don’t need. But community reinvestment advocates have begun taking steps to eliminate this coercive and deceptive practice. (Jan/Feb 2000, #109)
    • Special Section: The War on CRA The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Modernization Act brings sweeping changes to the financial services industry. What will it mean for community reinvestment and low-income communities? Analysis and commentaries. (Nov/Dec 1999, #108)
    • EFT—Revolution or Redlining? As the federal government prepares to streamline its payment system, millions of low-income Americans could fall victim to a new form of redlining. (Nov/Dec 1997, #96)
    • Financial Modernization—The Newest Threat To Neighborhood Vitality (Nov/Dec 1997, #96)
    • Appraisal Redlining Artificially low property appraisals in minority neighborhoods damage whole communities striving to rebuild. (May/Jun 1997, #93)
    • CRA-Taking it to the Next Step Two CRA veterans, one an activist and the other a banker, discuss how they arrived at a long-term collaboration and a $319 million agreement. (Nov/Dec 1995, #84)
    • Tools for Reinvestment CRA and HMDA have allowed community groups access to new funds and vital information, but now these gains are in danger of disappearing. (May/Jun 1995, #81)
    • CRA Guerrilla Fighter, Bruce Marks While his aggressive tactics may not win him many banker friends, Boston's "urban terrorist" uses CRA to score multi- million dollar agreements. (May/Jun 1995, #81)
    • Insurance Redlining: Still Fact, Not Fiction Activism at home and in Washington may offer solutions to redlining. (Jan/Feb 1995, #79)

    For timely information on Community Reinvestment issues visit the National Community Reinvestment Coalition

    Also, see our Signposts page for links to related sites.

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