​​​​​​​Civil Rights and the Mortgage Crisis

This report examines whether federal efforts to increase homeownership rates among minority and low-income individuals may have unintentionally weakened underwriting standards and lending policies to the point that too many borrowers were vulnerable to financial distress and heightened risk of default, thereby setting conditions for the current mortgage crisis. It also examines the policies of federal agencies in enforcing prohibitions against mortgage fraud and lending discrimination.