Indepth analysis of persistant problems in the field of community development. Woodstock's research reports contribute to the body of knowledge used by policymakers and community development practitioners.
An analysis of new federal mortgage lending data confirms that high cost subprime lending tends to be concentrated in minority communities and to African American and Hispanic borrowers. Reinvestment Alert 28 is based on new 2004 HMDA data which includes pricing information for subprime loans.
This report shows that foreclosures have a significant negative effect
on neighborhood property values. Although foreclosures have long been
considered a problem associated with FHA loan programs, recent research
has shown that the explosion in foreclosures that began in the 1990s
was primarily driven by the growth of high-risk, conventional subprime
lending.
This report analyzes the deceptive effect of credit card terms and
conditions and how these terms and conditions massively raise the cost
of using credit cards and contribute to rising levels of consumer debt.
This report analyzes 2002 IRS tax return data to determine the impact of refund anticipation loan usage among EITC recipients in communities across Illinois. The report also calculates the total amount of EITC dollars spent on high cost tax preparation and refund anticipation loan products in these same areas.
This analysis of Chicago area mortgage lending is intended as a companion piece to Woodstock Institute’s 2004 Chicago Area Community Lending Fact Book. It is meant to help put the mortgage lending data found in the Fact Book in a broader regional context. The first section analyzes regional trends in home purchase lending with a focus on changes in home buying patterns between 1999 and 2004. The second section focuses on patterns of high cost lending and foreclosures in the region.