“It’s always been a surprise to me that housing doesn’t receive more attention in federal elections, and I think this is the year that changes that,” said Jesse Van Tol, CEO of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition.

“We need to strengthen and modernize the rules to make responsible credit accessible to creditworthy people,” writes NCRC President John Taylor.

“It requires all of us working together at the intersection of multiple sectors to see the kind of transformation this country needs,” said Jenn Jones, NCRC’S chief of membership and policy. “We spend a lot of time talking about the importance of engaging this November but really the work begins before November and it comes far after November. And, it starts in our communities; it starts in our neighborhoods; it starts with people.”

A historical map of NYC, from NCRC shows the areas where federal agencies would provide mortgage insurance to incentivize lending to homeowners and developers, versus areas where developers didn’t receive the same incentive.

“The foreclosure crisis really started as a subprime lending crisis,” Van Tol said, referring to the extremely risky loans lenders made to borrowers with less-than-stellar credit in the lead up to the crisis. “Low-and-moderate income people and people of color were disproportionately targeted for these bad loans.”

For those who aren’t rich and white, the American dream of home ownership is too often out of reach.

“This bill presents a vision for updating the Community Reinvestment Act that places the well-being of communities at the center of it,” said Jesse Van Tol, CEO of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition.

“For the average consumer, the biggest thing that has changed is it’s a lot clearer at the closing table what kind of loan you’re getting and what you can expect to pay over the life of the loan, and that’s a very good thing,” said Jesse Van Tol, CEO of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition.