Discriminatory Lending: Are We Able to Overcome It?

Abstract

The issue of Discrimination has raged in this country for hundreds of years. With a racial diversity that ranks second to none in the world, the United States truly has earned her "big melting-pot" title. However, for the most part, we live and work separate from each other in rural areas, suburbs, and urban neighborhoods. This kind of cultural separation initiates social biases biases that institutions. Why it is are we expressed in our work and in our have become a nation with these tendencies was decided long ago, due to complex, historical forces. Currently, unjust race relations are still very prevalent in today's society, especially at the professional level. In this paper, modern lending trends will be displayed through a variety of statistics, geographical breakdowns, and real case studies to better understand if the banking institutions are practicing discriminatory lending. In addition, governmental agencies were examined as a possible cure for unfair lending patterns. An overview of the responsibilities of each governmental agency was documented to analyze whether government regulations were needed in our current lending system, and if so, whether these agencies were assuming a large enough role on changing lending bias. In the latter parts of this Senior Individualized Project, subject matter included a reflection of the work undertaken during the WESIP, and the integration of previous academic material with this work-related experience. As a result of this study, a strong case could be made that banking institutions in the United States are displaying various kinds of discriminatory lending. However, governmental agencies are developing new measures to reduce and eventually eliminate lending bias in this country. With discrimination prevalent in our current system, governmental agencies are taking an active role to bring about equality.