Abstract
The late 1990s through the mid-2000s was a period of historic growth in mortgage lending and house prices and there is intense debate over whether lending growth was a cause or consequence of house price growth. I show that lending growth was strongest for lower-income and minority borrowers. However, I also show that there was pronounced lending growth for all borrowers, regardless of income or race, in lower-income and higher-minority neighborhoods. Importantly, each of these results hold after I control for the effects of growth, or expectations of growth, in house prices. This evidence is consistent with the view that the house price boom was caused by an expansion in the supply of mortgage credit, primarily benefiting borrowers and neighborhoods which previously had the most limited access to mortgage credit. In particular, the evidence can be explained by government housing policies which mandated increased lending to lower-income borrowers as well as borrowers in lower-income and higher-minority neighborhoods.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.