Black Americans were short-changed amidst a promising time for refinancing home loans. According to Bloomberg’s analysis of federal mortgage data, Wells Fargo rejected nearly half of Black applicants who were looking to refinance their homes. Worsening matters, the banking giant approved applications for more lower-income white applications than the highest-earning Black applicants. Engineer Mauise Ricard III experienced Wells Fargo’s rejection firsthand after paying $560.43 to refinance his home in the suburbs of Atlanta. Richard was married to a doctor and had a credit score boasting over 800. The loan officer affirmed he could qualify for a fast-track appraisal. Yet, what should have been a clear green light turned into a string of issues. Bloomberg reports, Richard’s former home was in a predominantly Black neighborhood and he was told by the loan officer “perhaps the area is not eligible” for fast-track appraisal. Later, the loan officer told Richard his rate would increase by...

If you’ve been walloped by the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, taking advantage of the federal student loan repayment suspension and interest freeze is a no-brainer. You can now stop making your payments and enjoy the six-month, interest-free period handed down by the U.S. government. But what if you can afford to keep putting money toward your education debt? For you, taking advantage of the federal student loan interest freeze might mean something else entirely. Here’s how to know… … when it makes sense to keep making federal loan payments … when it makes sense to sit back during the federal student loan interest freeze When it makes sense to keep making federal loan payments As you’ve likely heard, the government has enacted a six-month suspension of student loan payments — technically, an “administrative forbearance” — that allows most federal loan borrowers to take a penalty-free break from payment through Sept. 30, 2020. And yet, continuing to make payments...

One of the biggest challenges most aspiring business owners face is finding the capital needed to launch. If you’re starting a business, one financing option you might want to think twice about is tapping into your home equity. There are a variety of ways homeowners may use home equity to start a business: A home equity loan provides a fixed amount of money from a loan that is secured by your home. You typically repay the loan in equal monthly installments over a fixed term, similar to a traditional mortgage. A home equity line of credit (HELOC) provides a line of credit that you can draw from as needed over a fixed period. You only make payments on the outstanding amount at any time. Cash-out refinancing replaces your existing mortgage with a new loan at a higher amount. You receive the difference in cash that can be used for any purpose. A HELOC isn’t a particularly popular way to fund a small business. According to a report from the Federal Reserve, just seven percent of all...

For business owners who need help funding their venture, loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration can be a popular financing option. The SBA aims to help small business owners who have trouble qualifying for traditional business financing , said Terri Denison, SBA Georgia district director. However, that doesn’t mean everyone with less-than-perfect credit can receive SBA loans. “What we’re looking for is that middle section — the borrower that has a good, solid business plan and idea, but maybe there’s something that’s not quite meeting all the requirements of a lender’s conventional loan,” Denison said. If you fit that description, keep reading to explore the pros and cons of SBA loans. We’ll dive into the benefits of an SBA loan, as well as some downsides you could expect. What are SBA loans? Pros and cons of SBA loans The bottom line What are SBA loans? The SBA doesn’t directly lend to small business owners — rather, it backs loans made through partnering lenders,...