A Practitioner's Guide To Combating Predatory Lending

"Today, the home-ownership rate in the United States is higher than it’s ever been, thanks largely to public policies, a strong economy, low interest rates and innovative financing. For some Americans, though, predatory lenders – through abusive practices that strip equity from homes – have turned the home ownership dream into a nightmare. Borrowers who are short on cash but rich in equity are favorite targets, particularly minority customers without access to traditional banking services. These lenders take advantage of their inexperience and lack of information, manipulating them into high cost loans they can’t afford to repay. Foreclosure and a destabilized housing market often follow. Community-based organizations and others have developed prevention and intervention tools to curtail predatory lending. Prevention helps to steer people clear of predatory lenders before any damage is done. Intervention strategies help homeowners who have been victimized by abusive lenders." [Editor's note: The full version of this report requires registration, and is available as a PDF.]

Thanks to Chris Steins