ABSTRACT
This chapter shows that undertaking and comments upon the differences and similarities between the author's study and those done by the New York State Banking Department and the Boston Federal Reserve. The Boston study was statistical and analyzed the pattern across banks. At Decatur Federal Savings and Loan, all mortgage loan applicants were required to file a standard residential loan application, which indicated the amount of money the applicant was requesting, the terms of the loan, and the purpose of the loan. Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data have revealed substantially higher lending denial rates for black and Hispanic applicants than for whites. The disparities have led to debate about whether discrimination exists in home mortgage lending. In response to the HMDA data, various regulators have attempted to study the relationship between race and mortgage credit decisions.
