Over the past 25 years, the Community Reinvestment Act has been found to expand access to mortgage credit. But the banking world keeps evolving. Lending gains were strong during the 1990s, yet disparities still exist. This article provides highlights of an important paper that was produced by...

This article provides background on the evolution of Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) and fair lending regulations, summarizes the relevant economic literature, and evaluates the effectiveness of the regulations by analyzing recent trends in mortgage lending activity. Are the trends in line with...

The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) of 1977 encourages federally insured banking institutions to help meet the credit needs of their communities, including those of lower-income areas, in a manner consistent with their safe and sound operation. In responding to the CRA, many banking...

Consolidation among banking institutions has substantially changed the structure of the banking industry. Between 1975 and 1997, the number of commercial banks and savings associations declined more than 40 percent. Over the same broad period, the market for home mortgage lending has also...

Since 1977, the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) has required that federally insured banking institutions be evaluated on their records of helping to meet the credit needs of their local communities. In 1995, the agencies responsible for bank supervision substantially revised the regulations...

This Economic Letter discusses some of the research on whether the CRA has helped alleviate any shortfall in LMI home purchase lending. Overall, the literature suggests that, while the effects of the CRA versus the effects of other developments are not easy to separate, access to credit for the...