Real Estate Blog

Bankruptcy bill proponents are putting their champagne on ice as they wait for this week’s vote by the U.S. House of Representatives. Passage seems imminent. After passage, credit card companies and other "Tony Soprano" genre lenders can turn to federal courts empowered to act as "enforcers" for unpaid debt.  Broken lives will follow.

Racial segregationists continue to exploit minorities in growing numbers, and minority home owners continue to be steered to  minority-dominated neighborhoods where real estate does not appreciate as quickly as in majority white neighborhoods, according to the National Fair Housing Alliance. Housing discrimination complaints to state, federal and nonprofit agencies rose 8.6 percent in the past year, climbing to 27,319 in 2004 from 25,148 in 2003, according to the group.

"Some commentators say integration has failed. I say integration has yet to happen," declared Shanna L. Smith, NFHA president and chief executive.

Lending figures due to be released later this week  will answer the group’s concern that there are discrepancies between loan rates offered to white and to minority home buyers.