Tag Archives: Mortgage Market

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Letters: Principles for Equitable Zoning Reform

AFR joined over 100 groups in sending a letter urging the Biden administration to ensure that any zoning reform incentives or requirements actually do the job of opening up exclusionary areas to more economic and racial diversity; do not further the displacement of low-income communities and communities of color, do not result in the loss of affordable housing, and do not further entrench profit-driven commodification of housing. Federal action to eliminate exclusionary zoning has the potential to expand racial and economic justice, but, if not crafted carefully, the effort could be ineffective or even harmful to communities of color.

News Release: Experts: U.S. Supreme Court Ruling in Goldman Sachs Case Could Have “Devastating Consequences” for Investors, Market Confidence

Will the U.S. Supreme Court allow investors defrauded by Goldman Sachs during the financial crisis to have their day in court?  Or, will the Court rule in favor of Goldman Sachs and, in so doing, create a roadmap that publicly traded companies can use to make false and misleading statements that will harm Main Street investors and dramatically undermine market confidence by making it impossible for any investor to rely on the public statements of companies?

Letters to Congress: Letter in Support of Two Language Access Bills

AFR organized a letter of support for two bills expanding and improving language access for mortgage transactions that will make important strides in improving access to the mortgage market and awareness of the availability of assistance for homeowners who are struggling to keep up with their mortgage payments. LEP borrowers face many challenges that impede their full participation in the consumer marketplace, including, specifically, their ability to obtain and preserve ownership of a home. Tracking and transferring the language preference of LEP borrowers and enhancing the availability and use of services and resources in their preferred languages will significantly improve market access for LEP borrowers at all stages of a mortgage loan.

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New Release: AFREF Statement: Consumer, Civil Rights, Housing and Small Business Groups Urge the Federal Reserve Board to Strengthen Community Reinvestment Act Framework with Focus on Increasing Equity in Bank Investments and Access to Sustainable Credit for Communities of Color and Low and Moderate Income Families

Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund (AFREF) and 20 consumer, civil rights, small business, and other public interest partners submitted a comment letter to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors (FRB) on its Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to modernize the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA).

a series of houses

Letters to Congress: Letter Urging Congress to Provide Greater Assistance for Homeowners in COVID Relief Plan

AFR joined a letter urging Congress to expand assistance to homeowners in the upcoming COVID-19 relief package. The letter, which followed a previous letter to the Biden Administration urging for similar protections, requested that the upcoming COVID relief package include $25 billion for direct assistance to homeowners, with the bulk of the funds deployed through state housing finance agencies through the Homeowner Assistance Fund and including at least $100 million for housing counseling and $39.7 million for the Fair Housing Initiatives Program.

NEWS RELEASE: Advocates Applaud Senate Bill Fund to Help Millions of Families Keep Their Homes; Urge Inclusion in Covid Stimulus Bill

“Facing the most economic distress and illness, low-income families and communities of color are most at risk of losing their homes to foreclosure without relief. The Homeowner Assistance Fund is a necessary measure to stem the impending foreclosure crisis and prevent devastating losses for families and neighborhoods.”