Color and Money: Politics and Prospects for Community Reinvestment in Urban America

by Gregory D. Squires, Sally O'Connor

Contrary to conventional wisdom, green is not the only color that matters to lenders. This case study of Milwaukee, Wisconsin—a fairly typical urban area that has experienced systematic disinvestment and a budding reinvestment movement—demonstrates the continuing significance of race in determining who gets home mortgage and small business loans. Confirming the ongoing role of politics in both nurturing urban reinvestment and fueling a backlash by financial institutions, Color and Money offers critical policy recommendations for increasing access to capital in central city communities and for racial minorities throughout the nation's metropolitan areas.

218 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2001