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Does the Community Reinvestment Act Improve Consumers’ Access to Credit

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Abstract

We study the impact of the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) on access to consumer credit since 1999 using an individual-level panel and three distinct identification strategies: a regression discontinuity design centered on a CRA-eligibility cutoff; a comparison of neighboring census blocks; and an event study of changes in eligibility. All three rule out a significant effect of the CRA on consumer borrowing. We show that this is in part explained by a shift in mortgages from nonbanks, which are free from CRA obligations, to banks in need of CRA-eligible mortgages. Our findings underscore the pitfalls of a circumscribed regulatory regime.

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  • Jacob Conway & Jack Glaser & Matthew Plosser, 2023. "Does the Community Reinvestment Act Improve Consumers’ Access to Credit," Staff Reports 1048, Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
    • Handle: RePEc:fip:fednsr:95489
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Community Reinvestment Act (CRA); household finance; banks;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • G28 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Government Policy and Regulation

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