In the News

Yes Magazine, February 27, 2023, Could We End Wealth No one should have a billion dollars. Yet there are now nearly 1,000 billionaires in the United States alone, according to Visual Capitalist, with a combined net worth of more than $4 trillion. Billionaires are a byproduct of an upside-down economic system. Wealth inequality is often seen

We Are Iowa, February 25, 2023, Des Moines Realtor Works To Close Racial Homeownership Gap According to the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, there’s been at least a 20% gap in homeownership rates between Black and white Americans for over 100 years. “We see that those are communities that have struggled the worst with some of the housing

WVXU/NPR, February 27, 2023, Man Files Federal Complaint Alleging Racial Discrimination In Cincinnati Property Appraisal Terry Horton was going to refinance a North Avondale apartment building he rented to predominantly Black residents, about half of whom use Section 8 vouchers, in order to buy another building he would also offer as affordable housing.  But Horton,

Shelterforce, February 24, 2023, NCRC Claims KeyBank Broke Promises, Failed Black Homeowners When KeyBank sought to acquire Buffalo-based First Niagara, which would make it one of the nation’s largest banks, it not only had to prove to banking regulators that the merger was sound, it also had to win over local and national advocates. The

The Baltimore Sun, February 24, 2023, Dealing With ‘Creeping Segregation’ In Columbia The planned community of Columbia represented a clear break with segregationist practices in urban development. When it was developed in the mid-1960s, the Rouse Corporation intentionally welcomed people of all races and faiths, rejecting racial steering, redlining and discouragement of Black families searching

CNBC, February 23, 2023, Black Families’ Net Worth Has Grown More Than Other Racial Groups Since Covid, But Wealth Gap Remains Wide Black families saw their wealth grow more than that of non-Black households during the pandemic, but the racial wealth gap is still vast, a new study showed. The average net worth among Black

Pennsylvania Business Report, February 21, 2023, TD Bank announces plan to build on community engagement TD Bank, which has locations in 63 Pennsylvania cities and towns, announced Wednesday it would launch a five-year Community Benefits Plan that would provide an estimated $50 billion impact to its communities across the United States.  The Community Benefits Plan,

Insider Mortgage Finance, February 21, 2023, CFPB in Legal Limbo as Supreme Court Ponders Taking Case The Supreme Court justices met in private last week to consider whether to take a case involving the CFPB’s funding structure and other authorities. A decision on the case will have major ramifications for the agency.

NBC, February 9, 2023, Does Race Impact Home appraisals? A home appraisal can impact your property taxes, insurance rates and how much a home can sell for, but some homeowners fear discrimination is a factor in the process. NBC News’ Zinhle Essamuah reports on one family’s fight to get their home evaluated fairly. NCRC CEO

American Banker, February 15, 2023, TD unveils community benefits plan amid push to close First Horizon deal The agreement with the National Community Reinvestment Coalition could help the Canadian bank to secure regulatory approval for the First Horizon deal, which was announced a year ago. Last week, the two banks extended the deal’s targeted closing date by

Mashable, February 18, 2023, How to find and support Black-owned businesses — and why it’s important A 2016 Survey of Consumer Finances from the Federal Reserve showed that Black families have only 10 cents for every dollar held by typical white families, and one 2017 study concluded that (of the sample size that participated) 56 percent of Black Americans

WebMD, February 16, 2023, Advocates Decry ‘Environmental Apartheid’ in Port Cities In the 1930s, the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) sketched Los Angeles. Under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal, the HOLC was responsible for helping Americans, crippled by the Great Depression, refinance their mortgages. To guide its investments, the HOLC took markers to maps,

M Live, February 16, 2023, Rap with Muskegon area leaders about concerns, dreams, ideas at Saturday event “Rap w/ Ya Rep,” described as a “community vision board party,” will be Saturday, Feb. 18, near downtown Muskegon. It’s hosted by 3N1Community, which is affiliated with the grassroots organization Thredz, in concert with other local groups. In