MBA Holds 1st Homeownership Roundtable

The first in a series of roundtable discussions on increasing minority homeownership in America, sponsored by the Mortgage Bankers Association of America, was held April 23 in Gary, Ind.Participants in the "Blueprint For the American Dream" discussion were local MBA members, federal, state, and local government officials, consumer groups, and industry experts. The goal of the discussion was "to identify the challenges and solutions" to minority homeownership, the MBA said. MBA members such as Bank One, Irwin Mortgage, M&T Mortgage, United Guaranty, and the Indiana Mortgage Bankers Association made concrete commitments to create homeownership opportunities in Gary over the next three to six months. The commitments include increasing renovation lending services, consumer homebuyer education, and reverse-mortgage opportunities in the city. Future MBA roundtables are slated for Fort Worth, Texas, San Diego; and Trenton, N.J. The MBA can be found online at http://www.mbaa.org.