On December 9–10, 2009, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago hosted a conference on mortgage foreclosure policy with the help of the Chicago Community Trust, Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago, the MacArthur Foundation, and the Woodstock Institute.

A critical challenge faced by educators, community leaders and policy makers is to bring financial literacy and consumer education effectively to their constituencies. Based on the qualitative evidence gleaned from focus groups, we take a pragmatic approach in proposing ways to deliver financial...

In October 2012, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, the Michigan Bankers Association and the New Economy Initiative for Southeast Michigan co-sponsored a symposium in Detroit that brought together business experts, business owners, policymakers, funders and bankers to explore issues around...

Hispanics are one of the fastest-growing populations in the nation, yet they have one of the lowest rates of homeownership of all racial/ethnic groups. For a large proportion of Hispanic immigrants, particularly those from Mexico and other Latin American countries, housing needs remain critical....

The issue of economic opportunity for the disadvantaged has grown in importance. We’ve witnessed healthy job creation rates in recent years, and by almost all measures American workers, overall, have gained economic ground. Yet, at the same time, it’s also well known that inequality in...

This paper investigates empirically the importance of ethnic networks for self-employment decisions of immigrant men. The results confirm that ethnic networks, as conceptualized, are important. Consistent with a “pulled” effect framework, being surrounded by others from the same country of...

A notable feature of immigration into the United States is the high degree of spatial concentration of different immigrant groups. This article asks the question whether residing in areas with a large proportion of a coethnic group influence the decision to own a home for Hispanics in the...