Fed Asked to Collect More HMDA Data

Twenty congressmen, including nine Republicans, are urging the Federal Reserve Board to collect more Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data, such as credit scores and loan-to-value ratios, to determine whether subprime lenders are treating borrowers fairly.In a letter to the Fed, the congressmen note that the Fed has improved its data collection and that the release of the aggregated 2004 HMDA data this September should provide a "better understanding" of whether unfair disparities exist in the subprime market. "At the same time, we are aware that the data provided under the HMDA, despite recent enhancements, may still be inadequate for analysis of how borrower risk and choice influence prices or whether low-income and minority borrowers are treated equitably," the letter says. Additional information, such as LTV and debt-to-income ratios, is "vital for understanding if there are elements of unlawful discrimination in the subprime market," it says.