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An Unintended Consequence of Mortgage Financing Regulation – a Racial Disparity

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  • James B. Kau

    (University of Georgia)

  • Lu Fang

    (Longwood University)

  • Henry J. Munneke

    (University of Georgia)

Abstract

This study investigates whether mortgage financing regulation unintentionally leads to minorities paying a higher loan contract rate under a risk-based pricing system. We provide evidence that minority borrowers prepay less frequently than comparable non-minority borrowers and thus have lower termination risk. Racially neutral lending policies prohibit the lender from considering this reduced termination risk, resulting in a disparate impact from the overstatement of a minority borrower’s termination risk. While we find little evidence of a rate differential among borrowers under the current regulatory structure, results show minorities pay a higher rate when the variation in termination risk is recognized.

Suggested Citation

  • James B. Kau & Lu Fang & Henry J. Munneke, 2019. "An Unintended Consequence of Mortgage Financing Regulation – a Racial Disparity," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 59(4), pages 549-588, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jrefec:v:59:y:2019:i:4:d:10.1007_s11146-018-9683-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s11146-018-9683-y
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    Cited by:

    1. Kristopher Gerardi & Paul S. Willen & David Hao Zhang, 2020. "Mortgage Prepayment, Race, and Monetary Policy," FRB Atlanta Working Paper 2020-22, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
    2. Bartlett, Robert & Morse, Adair & Stanton, Richard & Wallace, Nancy, 2022. "Consumer-lending discrimination in the FinTech Era," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 143(1), pages 30-56.
    3. Fang, Lu & Munneke, Henry J., 2021. "A spatial analysis of borrowers’ mortgage termination decision – A nonparametric approach," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    4. Paul S. Willen & David Hao Zhang, 2020. "Do Lenders Still Discriminate? A Robust Approach for Assessing Differences in Menus," Working Papers 20-19, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
    5. McCartney, W. Ben & Shah, Avni M., 2022. "Household mortgage refinancing decisions are neighbor influenced, especially along racial lines," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    6. Gerardi, Kristopher & Willen, Paul S. & Zhang, David Hao, 2023. "Mortgage prepayment, race, and monetary policy," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 147(3), pages 498-524.

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