During the Past Two Decades, the U.S. Housing Finance System Experienced Changes of a Magnitude Unseen Since the New Deal Era
FOREWORD During the past two decades, the U.S. housing finance system experienced changes of a magnitude unseen since the New Deal era. In the 1980s, the primary mortgage market restructured and consolidated as a result of the savings and loan crisis, adjustable-rate mortgages became widely available, and the secondary mortgage market grew rapidly. The 1990s saw continued industry consolidation, as well as significant technological de- velopments in mortgage finance. In addition, the past decade was a time of considerable innovation in affordable mortgage lending, part of a growing movement to connect his- torically underserved households and communities to the mainstream housing finance system. This volume examines this movement through case studies of organizations recognized by their peers as leaders in expanding homeownership opportunities. In an extension of their earlier research for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the authors describe the efforts of a broad cross section of industry participants, including small and large lenders, nonprofit community-based organizations (CBOs), and lending consortia. They document a wide range of strategies—in the areas of management, out- reach, borrower qualification, and homeowner retention—designed to expand and sus- tain homeownership among lower-income and minority households. The case studies illustrate three notable aspects of recent efforts to extend the reach of homeownership. First, they demonstrate that leaders in the mortgage finance industry view historically underserved populations and communities as viable business markets rather than regulatory burdens, and back this perspective with action. Second, the stud- ies show the vital role that partnership plays in expanding opportunity.
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