Introduction - discrimination, vulnerable consumers and financial inclusion (Stănescu & Gikay) -- Tackling issues in consumer credit : the role of human rights (Ondersma) -- Beyond negative interpretations of freedom of contract : the interplay between private law and human rights in light of...

In this paper, we empirically examine differences in subprime borrower default decisions by Census tract characteristics in order to clarify how the subprime foreclosure crisis played out in minority areas. An innovation in our modeling approach is that we do not constrain the impact of...

The current mortgage foreclosure crisis is presumably related to lax lending policies pursued by financial institutions that extended mortgages to borrowers with questionable credit. These so-called subprime mortgage loans were disproportionately offered in minority communities. Accordingly,...

How do technological advancements in credit markets affect minority communities? We use the endorsement of FICO credit scores by the Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs) in mortgage underwriting to answer this question. The use of credit scores led to the sorting of prime and subprime lenders...

We study the relationship between the labor market for loan officers and access to credit in the residential mortgage market. Using novel data matching the (near) universe of mortgage applications to loan officers, we find that minorities are significantly underrepresented among mortgage loan...

"Credit reporting is a critical part of the financial system in most developed economies but is often weak or absent in developing countries. It addresses a fundamental problem of credit markets: asymmetric information between borrowers and lenders that can lead to adverse selection and moral...