Bank of America announced a program that will target specific communities in certain cities across the nation with zero-down, zero closing cost mortgages. This is being declared as racist by many conservative pundits, and it definitely is. But it’s actually not racist for the reason most are saying and definitely IS racist for an even worse reason.
Reports coming from many pundits indicate the loans are only for Black and Hispanic borrowers. That’s not true, but it’s actually worse than that. Here are the details according to NBC News [emphasis added]:
Bank of America said it is now offering first-time homebuyers in a select group of cities zero down payment, zero closing cost mortgages to help grow homeownership among Black and Hispanic/Latino communities.
The option will first become available in certain neighborhoods in Charlotte, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles and Miami. The new mortgage, called the Community Affordable Loan Solution, aims to help eligible individuals and families obtain an affordable loan to purchase a home, the bank said.
Applicants do not have to be Black or Hispanic to qualify for the product, a bank representative said.
“Homeownership strengthens our communities and can help individuals and families to build wealth over time,” AJ Barkley, head of neighborhood and community lending for Bank of America, said in a release. “Our Community Affordable Loan Solution will help make the dream of sustained homeownership attainable for more Black and Hispanic families, and it is part of our broader commitment to the communities that we serve.”
The loans require no mortgage insurance — the additional fee typically charged to buyers who put down less than 20% of the purchase price — and no minimum credit score. Instead, eligibility will be based on factors like timely rent payments and on-time utility bill, phone and auto insurance payments. Prospective buyers must also complete a homebuyer certification course provided by Bank of America and federally approved housing counseling partners before they apply for the loan program, the bank said.
The notion that this is for Black or Hispanic borrowers only is incorrect. Whites, Asians, or anyone else living in these Black and Hispanic communities are eligible, and that makes this even MORE racist than had they just done an affirmative action move. By isolating specific communities, they are basically saying that they’ll “help” people in poor communities to stay in their poor communities.
This isn’t just a race-based program. That alone would be terribly racist. This is about segregation. They are taking poor people and telling them to stay in their poor neighborhoods if they want to get a super-special loan.
As I noted in a short episode of today’s America First Report show, Democrats and leftists are inherently racist and often don’t even realize it. By pushing poor people in poor communities to stay in their poor communities, somehow Bank of America feels justified for their racism.
