abc News, June 11, 2024, In Sweeping Change, Biden Administration To Ban Medical Debt From Credit Reports In a sweeping change that could improve millions of Americans’ ability to own a home or buy a car, the Biden administration on Tuesday proposed a rule to ban medical debt from credit reports. The rule, announced by

Urban Institute, April 19, 2024, The Wealth Gap Between Homeowners And Renters Has Reached A Historic High Homes are often families’ largest assets and one of the most effective ways to build wealth, but countless news stories and studies detail just how out of reach homeownership has become. What does that mean for the wealth gap

The New York Times, May 31, 2024, What Is Fair Housing? A federal fair-housing law prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, ethnicity, religion and other factors, like gender identity and disability. That applies to any number of scenarios, in which such discrimination has occurred: a homeowner refusing to negotiate a sale; a landlord failing

CNN, May 30, 2024, Zero-Down Mortgages Are Making A Comeback Many Americans would love to buy a home, but they don’t have tens of thousands of dollars to cover a down payment. That massive roadblock is being removed by a new zero-percent down mortgage program launched two weeks ago by one of the nation’s largest mortgage lenders.

The New York Times, May 31, 2024, She Made an Offer On A Condo. Then The Seller Learned She Was Black. Perched on a hill with a view of the Atlantic Ocean, the condo in Virginia Beach was just what Dr. Raven Baxter wanted. It had a marble fireplace, a private foyer and details like

AP News, May 10, 2024, Woman Was Living Inside Rooftop Grocery Store Sign With Computer And Coffee Maker For A Year Contractors curious about an extension cord on the roof of a Michigan grocery store made a startling discovery: A 34-year-old woman was living inside the business sign, with enough space for a computer, printer

The New York Times, May 13th, 2024, Priced Out of Housing, Communities Take Development Into Their Own Hands As the owner of the coffee retailer Higher Grounds Trading Company, Chris Treter had a problem: Business was booming, but his new hires couldn’t find affordable places to live. “Traverse City is becoming Myrtle Beach meets Hilton

The Wall Street Journal, May 20, 2024, FDIC Chairman Martin Gruenberg To Resign Following Report Detailing Sexual Harassment At Agency Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Martin Gruenberg bowed to pressure to resign from the bank regulator after an external investigation found widespread sexual harassment at the agency and lawmakers of both parties berated his leadership. In an email to staff

Planetizen, May 20, 2024, Biggest US Housing Gains In Southern And Western States “The United States has added almost 5 million housing units since 2020, most heavily in the South and most of them single-family homes, making a housing shortage look conquerable in much of the nation,” reports Tim Henderson for Stateline. According to Stateline

Fierce Healthcare, May 15, 2024, UnitedHealth’s Investments In Affordable Housing Top $1B UnitedHealth Group’s investments in affordable housing have topped $1 billion, with the program a keystone in its overarching strategy to address health equity and disparities. The company has made investments in housing since 2011 and, in that time, has supported the development of

The Washington Post, May 14, 2024, Are Home Prices Still Rising? See How Prices Have Changed In Your Area. Many first time home buyers are struggling to break into the U.S. housing market as prices continue to rise. Since 2019, home prices have surged 54 percent. In the last year, prices increased 5.8 percent —

The Guardian, May 13, 2024, Banks Have Given Almost $7tn To Fossil Fuel Firms Since Paris Deal, Report Reveals The world’s big banks have handed nearly $7tn (£5.6tn) in funding to the fossil fuel industry since the Paris agreement to limit carbon emissions, according to research. In 2016, after talks in Paris, 196 countries signed

American Banker, May 13, 2024, Judge Blocks Credit Card Late Fee Rule From Taking Effect WASHINGTON — A federal judge granted an injunction pausing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s credit card late fee rule, a major setback for the bureau as it tries to bring one of President Joe Biden’s major bank policy priorities into reality. 

Marketplace, May 14, 2024, Animal Shelters Had A Strong 2020. Then Came The Affordable Housing Crisis. KC Pet Project, an animal shelter in Kansas City, Missouri, opened a brand-new facility in January 2020. It came just in time: Last year, they took in 16,000 animals — more than double they took when they opened in 2012.