Suchergebnisse

Check-cashing businesses constitute a growing industry, particularly in low-income and non-white neighborhoods. This case study of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, finds that check-cashing businesses are concentrated in the central city while conventional banks are concentrated in outlying city and suburban communities. These services are growing, despite relatively high fees, primarily because of their convenient hours and locations for central-city residents, exclusionary behavior by conventional institutions, and financial problems of area households. More effective marketing by conventional banks and more aggressive enforcement of community reinvestment requirements by regulatory agencies would blunt development of two-tiered banking and facilitate revitalization of distressed communities.

While it is widely recognized that racial minorities and residents of distressed urban communities experience relatively greater difficulty in obtaining mortgage loans, there is little consensus on the causes of such lending patterns. This study examines the relationship between lender profitability and the percentage of their loans and loan dollars that are invested in Milwaukee's central city and to racial minorities throughout the metropolitan area. Findings suggest that to understand broader industry-wide patterns, it is important to focus on the characteristics of lending institutions themselves, particularly those that yield discriminatory lending patterns, and not solely on the income, credit rating, and other socioeconomic characteristics pertaining to the risk and profitability associated with various population groups and community areas. Policy and research implications that will lead to a more comprehensive understanding of, and more effective solutions for, urban credit availability or redlining problems are discussed.