Insurance Redlining Disinvestment, Reinvestment, and the Evolving Role of Financial Institutions

This volume brings new evidence to bear on the issues that have framed almost 30 years of debate over insurance redlining -- discrimination in the homeowners' insurance market based on the racial or ethnic characteristics of neighborhoods. The authors present the most current findings on a range of critical issues: why and how the Fair Housing Act applies to insurance; the distribution of insurance products and services and the significance of race in that pattern; industry practices that contribute to unequal access; enforcement efforts to ensure equitable access; and industry initiatives to help reduce the objective factors that harm their ratings. They provide a framework for the development of public policy, private industry practice, and partnerships with community-based organizations that can facilitate insurance availability.