The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) and National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) have debuted a new online toolkit for mortgage lenders interested in developing Special Purpose Credit Programs (SPCP). SPCPs permit lenders to offer mortgage credit to economically and socially disadvantaged borrowers and are an important tool for ensuring financial institutions can meet the needs of their consumers.
“MBA is committed to bringing the mortgage industry together to develop effective policy and resources to help to close the racial homeownership gap,” says Bob Broeksmit, CMB, MBA’s president and CEO. “We have been at the forefront of encouraging regulators, the GSEs, lenders, and other industry stakeholders to enable the creation of SPCPs to increase mortgage credit availability to underserved communities.”
“The online toolkit is designed to provide useful guidance and data analysis for mortgage lenders that are interested in using SPCPs to serve economically disadvantaged communities as well as minority borrowers, most of whom lack generational wealth to fund a down payment,” continues Broeksmit.
The online toolkit, which was developed with technical assistance from the Homeownership Council of America (HCA) and input from the Urban Institute, provides background information, best practices and guidance, industry examples, data, and other useful links to aid mortgage lenders in their work in developing SPCPs.
“NFHA has championed Special Purpose Credit Programs as an excellent tool for expanding credit access for underserved markets, including consumers who live in credit deserts and are credit invisible,” states Lisa Rice, NFHA’s president and CEO. “Our collaboration in developing the SPCP toolkit demonstrates that NFHA and the MBA share a commitment to promoting justice, fairness, inclusion and equity. We also share a commitment to strengthening communities, increasing sustainable homeownership and growing our economy. We urge all lenders to use this toolkit to develop impactful programs to better serve borrowers of color, women, people with disabilities and other underserved groups.”
SPCPs are critical for strengthening and revitalizing communities and helping lenders support consumers trying to reach important financial goals. While SPCPs have been available under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) since 1974, the toolkit is designed to expand their usage by lenders, helping to improve minority households’ ability to achieve homeownership.
“HCA is thrilled to provide our technical expertise in designing products and programs that reach underserved communities for this project, and for our lender partners actively engaged in building SPCPs to bring to market,” comments Gabe Del Rio, HCA’s president and CEO. “Working together, we build and enhance credit delivery systems that make homeownership attainable for economically disadvantaged populations.”
Image: Roger Starnes Sr on Unsplash
