José Loya On How Race, Gender, And Age affect Access To Mortgage Credit And The Implications For Inequality

Poverty Research & Policy

Homeownership is one of the most common ways to accumulate wealth and promote intergenerational economic mobility in the United States. But even with laws and policies designed to ensure equal access to housing and financing, access to mortgage credit is far from equal. Factors like the race, gender, and age of the applicant can result in less favorable loan terms and higher rates of denial and default. Dr. José Loya discusses his research on how different demographic factors affect access to mortgage financing, and what policy and practice approaches might help to lessen inequity in this area.

José Loya is an Assistant Professor in Urban Planning at UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs and a faculty affiliate with the Chicano Studies Research Center. He is also a 2023-2025 IRP Emerging Poverty Scholar.