Factsheets


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Minorities and Banking Access

For most of us, the first step in financial planning is opening a bank account. A bank account is a useful tool for paying bills, cashing checks and, perhaps most importantly, saving for emergencies and to achieve financial goals. An estimated 20 million households do not have a bank account (often referred to as unbanked), and another 20 million are underbanked (they may have a bank account but also use non-banks such as check cashing agencies, payday lenders or pawn shops for financial transactions). 60% of these households are white, 19% Latinos and 16% black. Read more…

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2007 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act Data

Every year, the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) releases the latest Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data. HMDA requires banks and other lenders to record the race and other characteristics of loan applicants. This information can then be analyzed to find disparities and differences across borrowers, lenders and geographic regions. In 2007, both the number of applications and reported loans fell significantly. The number of conventional home purchase originations dropped 49% for blacks, 42% for whites and 53% for Latinos. Read more…

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2007 Health Insurance Data

On August 26th, 2008 the U.S. Census Bureau released the data for health insurance coverage in 2007. The data showed 45.7 million uninsured in the United States, a decline from 15.8% in 2006 to 15.3% of the population. The percent of children (under 18) uninsured also decreased, from 11.7% to 11%. The decrease was due mostly to an increase in those covered by government insurance (e.g. Medicare and Medicaid), as the percent covered by their employer continued its long decline. Just under 7.4 million or 19.5% of Blacks were uninsured in 2007, down from 20.5% in 2006. Read more…

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2007 Poverty and Income Data

On August 26, 2008 the Census Bureau released new statistics on income and poverty for 2007, which was probably the last year of the Bush economic recovery. Unlike the previous 4 economic cycles, poverty remains higher and real income lower during this recovery than the end of the last economic cycle in 2000. For the nation as a whole, 816,000 more people were in poverty, a statistically insignificant increase from 12.3% to 12.5%. The child poverty rate (those under 18) climbed by more, from 17.4% to 18%. Read more…

Digital Television Transition - UPDATED

On June 12, 2009 (originally February 17), all those who watch broadcast television and do not have cable, a digital TV or a converter box will no longer be able to view their favorite shows, news, educational and other programming. Congress has mandated (through the Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005) that large broadcasters end their traditional analog broadcasts and instead use exclusively digital signals after that day. Read more…

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The 2010 Census and African Americans

Every ten years since 1790, as required by the Constitution, the federal government conducts a census to find out how many people are living in the United States and where they live.  The Census is used to distribute political power, determining not only how many representatives each state will have but the legislative boundaries within every state.  The census data is also used to determine how over $300 billion in federal funding every year is spent on education, health care, transportation and other vital areas.  The basic Census questionnaire takes less than 10 minutes to Read more…

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Credit Card Holders' Bill of Rights Act of 2009

On Friday, May 22nd 2009, President Obama signed the Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights into law (P.L. 111-24), which amends the Truth in Lending Act.  This legislation takes some important steps to curb what many see as abusive practices by the credit card industry that particularly affect low-income and minority borrowers.  Some of the major provisions: Read more…