Less Than 10% Of Loans Are Made To Minorities In Buffalo

Have you ever wondered how living in a certain area of the city can affect your ability to get a loan? Many people struggle with credit all the time, but you can also be illegally denied a loan based on where you live. The practice is called redlining, it is when business is done in a discriminatory way based on the racial composition of a neighborhood.

According to WGRZ,  an investigation done by the New York State Department of Financial Services shows that this practice is still going on in Buffalo decades after redlining was banned. The state says this is less than half of what should be expected in an area where minorities make up over 15 percent of the metro population.

Undersevered communities, especially families of color, continue to face housing discrimination, in a form of limited access to mortgage lending, facing a roadblock to achieving the American Dream.

said, Governor Andrew Cuomo, according to WGRZ

Credit: WGRZ

Redlining has impacted residents of Buffalo for a long time, the state says that 85 percent of people that who identify as Black and live east of Main street. Those neighborhoods are the same ones that were redlined in the 1930s. The report also calls for legislative changes at the state level.

In my opinion, its great to see that this practice is being investigated, there are far too many people that work hard and live in underserved communities, but that should not stop them from qualifying for a loan.