We study racial disparities in the U.S. mortgage market. Using new data from Hurtado and Sakong (2024), we present three findings. First, we document access disparities between minority and otherwise- identical White borrowers even within the same bank and loan officer. In contrast, cost disparities are nearly zero. Second, the use of automated underwriting algorithms is associated with smaller access disparities but slightly larger cost disparities. Third, individual factors do not seem to matter much. Our findings represent another step toward understanding the factors driving discriminatory forces in the mortgage market. Recent research suggests structural or organizational factors may also play a role and have been overlooked by previous studies (Hurtado and Sakong, 2024).
Authors: Agustin Hurtado, University of Maryland, Robert H. Smith School of Business; and Jung
Sakong, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago