The forgotten ongoing sufferers from the GFC

When ones reads about the extra-ordinary money being raised by the Obama and Romney camps in order to fight the upcoming US presidential election or how, seemingly many Americans, live a really high-life - that 1% so often spoken about - those who got caught in the GFC appear to have been forgotten. The Wall Street fat-cats are doing fine, thank you, and really no one has been brought to account for their, often illegal, actions leading to the GFC.

The Washingon Post highlights how there are still significant numbers in the American populace continuing to suffer, perhaps forever, from the fallout of the GFC.

The implosion of the subprime lending market has left a scar on the finances of black Americans — one that not only has wiped out a generation of economic progress but could leave them at a financial disadvantage for decades.

At issue are the largely invisible but profoundly influential three-digit credit scores that help determine who can buy a car, finance a college education or own a home. The scores are based on consumers’ financial history and suffer when they fall behind on their bills.

For blacks, the picture since the recession has been particularly grim. They disproportionately held subprime mortgages during the housing boom and are facing foreclosure in outsize numbers. That is raising fears among consumer advocates, academics and federal regulators that the credit scores of black Americans have been systematically damaged, haunting their financial futures.

The private companies that calculate credit scores say they do not consider race in their formulas. Lenders also say it is not a factor when deciding who qualifies for a loan; federal laws prohibit the practice. Still, studies have shown a persistent gap between the credit scores of white and black Americans, and many worry that it is only getting wider.

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Mahler's Prodigal Son

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