Bias in appraisal system hinders credit union mission

Systemic bias in the home appraisals exacerbates the homeownership gap, racial wealth gap, and harms long-term U.S. financial security, CUNA wrote to the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee Thursday. The committee conducted a hearing on oversight and equity in the appraisals process.

“Credit unions rely on appraisers for accurate and unbiased opinions on the market value of homes serving as collateral for mortgage loans,” the letter reads. “When racial prejudice is injected into that process, it prevents credit unions from meeting their mission to serve their members and introduces risk into the housing finance system.”

President Joe Biden’s Interagency Task Force on Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity (PAVE) released its action report Wednesday on this topic, addressing several items CUNA has engaged with regulators on.

 

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