the wasserblawg

Yesterday, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development released a study conducted by the Urban Institute that suggests that "[m] any American consumers overpay by thousands of dollars in total closing costs when they purchase their homes. There are significant and unsupported variations in loan charges, title fees and other closing costs charged to unsuspecting (most typically minority) home buyers . The study found significant disparities in closing costs even when it compared borrowers with identical credit scores, loan terms and mortgage amounts. Variations appeared to be based on education level, geography, race and ethnicity. Of course, in an information-era, free market system this shouldn't happen. HUD mandates that all mortgage loan applicants receive two critical documents: a " Good Faith Estimate of Closing Costs " and a " Truth in Lending Disclosure Statement " (the "TIL") that should enable consumers to compare t...