CRA Newswire

Federal Reserve: Inequality in 3-D – Income, Consumption and Wealth

Finance and Economics Discussion Series (FEDS) Inequality in 3-D: Income, Consumption, and Wealth (PDF) by  Jonathan Fisher, David Johnson, Timothy Smeeding, and Jeffrey Thompson Abstract: We do not need to and should not have to choose amongst income, consumption, or wealth as the superior measure of well-being. All three individually and jointly determine well-being. We…

Federal Reserve: Recent Trends in Small Business Lending and the Community Reinvestment Act

Tim Dore and Traci Mach In this note, we analyze data on small business loan originations collected under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) to document heterogeneity in the recovery in small business lending since the financial crisis. Small business loan originations by CRA respondents declined significantly between 2007 and 2010 and, by 2016, have only…

FHFA: Index Shows Mortgage Rates Increased in November 2017

Nationally, interest rates on conventional purchase-money mortgages increased from October to November, according to several indices of new mortgage contracts. The National Average Contract Mortgage Rate for the Purchase of Previously Occupied Homes by Combined Lenders Index was 4.05 percent for loans closed in late November, up 7 basis points from 3.98 percent in October….

CFPB: New Report Released on the State of the Credit Card Market

The Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (Bureau) today released its biennial report on the state of the credit card market. The report found that the total amount of credit line, number of accounts, average amount of card debt, and enrollment in online services have all increased over the past several years. The report found also…

FEMA: After the Disaster Assistance Registration Deadline Fact Sheet

While it has been more than 100 days since Hurricane Harvey made landfall, and the disaster assistance registration deadline has passed, there is still a lot of work to be done. Harvey survivors are part of the whole community effort. The steps they take on their road to recovery and the decisions they make about…

Federal Reserve: Assessing the Severity of Rent Burden on Low-Income Families

Jeff Larrimore, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System,1 and Jenny Schuetz, Brookings Institution Housing costs are a severe financial burden to many low-income families. The typical renter in the bottom quintile of the income distribution spends more than half of monthly income on rent and has less than $500 dollars left after paying…

FDIC: Resource Guide Highlights Collaborative Opportunities with Minority Depository Institutions

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) today issued a resource guide that underscores ways insured depository institutions, including community banks, can partner with minority depository institutions (MDIs) to the benefit of all institutions involved, as well as the communities they serve. The resource guide also notes that banks may realize business and regulatory benefits from…

FEMA: Major Disaster Declaration Approved for Pueblo of Acoma

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today that federal disaster assistance has been made available for the Pueblo of Acoma to supplement tribal recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms and flooding from October 4 to October 6, 2017. Federal funding is available to the Pueblo of Acoma and certain private nonprofit…

FEMA: Major Disaster Declaration Approved for Alaska

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today that federal disaster assistance has been made available to the state of Alaska to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by a severe storm from September 28 to September 30, 2017. Federal funding is available to state and eligible local governments and certain…