By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent, @StacyBrownMedia In data released earlier this year from the Federal Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, major disparities exist in home loan approval rates between African Americans and Whites. Nationally, the purchase mortgage denial rate for Black homebuyers is twice as high as the denial rate for the overall […]
Category: Baltimore News
Posted inBaltimore News
Inside look: recipients of increased first-time homebuyers incentive sound off about experience
By Tashi McQueen, AFRO Political Writer, Report for America Corps Member, tmcqueen@afro.com More than 50 first-time homebuyers in Baltimore have received a $10,000 incentive to help with the cost of purchasing their homes. The incentive increased on May 1 after Mayor Brandon Scott doubled the incentive from $5,000 to $10,000. Natasha Carter and Ashley Johnson, […]
Posted inNational News
We’re still here: the AFRO highlights the importance of Black homeownership, Black realtors and housing policy
By Frances Murphy “Toni” Draper, AFRO Publisher When I was a young child, my mother, my brother, my sister, and I made weekly trips to the “country,” as we called our grandparents’ home. It took nearly an hour to travel from our West Baltimore home, near Elgin Avenue and Poplar Grove Street, to the end […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
First judgment against a non bank lender for redlining set at $22 million
Trident Mortgage ordered to pay for racist lending practices By Charlene Crowell, The Washington Informer The first-ever judgment against a non-bank lender for engaging in the practice of “redlining” has come down against Trident Mortgage Company (Trident) to the tune of more than $22 million. Trident was targeted by a four-year investigation begun by Pennsylvania’s […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Squeegee Collaborative hosts inaugural community input session
By Mylika Scatliffe, AFRO Women’s Health Writer, mscatliffe@afro.com The Squeegee Collaborative launched the next phase of the initiative with a community engagement session on Sept. 13, at New Shiloh Baptist Church in Baltimore. Tension-filled interactions between squeegee workers and motorists have escalated in recent years. The recent grand jury indictment of a teen accused of […]
Posted inSponsored
YOUR JOURNEY HOME
By Michelle Fields-Hall, Director, Community Lending, George Mason Mortgage, LLC With the economic challenges brought on by COVID and interest hikes, borrowers have discovered that rental prices have increased. However, there are still great ways to turn the dream of homeownership into reality! ABOUT GEORGE MASON MORTGAGEGeorge Mason Mortgage helps individuals and families reach their home […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Maryland Fleet Week brings ships from around the globe and Black service members to Baltimore
By AFRO Staff Fleet Week took place from Sept. 7 to Sept. 13 in the Baltimore Inner Harbor, bringing Black service members, U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships, elected officials and visitors to Charm City. Ships from as far as Denmark made an appearance. “Fleet Week is a tradition for Baltimore and the U.S. Navy […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Jazmin Owens managed properties for seven years, now she’s starting her real estate career
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com After working in property management for nearly seven years, Baltimore native Jazmin Owens decided the next step in her career was becoming a real estate agent. She figured there would be some overlap between the professions, especially considering her experience with building robust […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Missy Conway left corporate America, and now, she’s running her own, independent real estate brokerage
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member, msayles@afro.com Before opening her Baltimore boutique real estate brokerage, Missy Conway was an actuary for an insurance company. Born in Trinidad and Tobago, she came to the U.S. in 1995 to attend Temple University for actuarial science, but she moved to the Baltimore area […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Realty ONE Group Excellence supports buyers ‘one home, one dream, one life’ at a time
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member, msayles@afro.com In 1999, Baltimore native David Pridgen worked for the U.S. Postal Service but to supplement his income, he delivered newspapers in his spare time. Traveling through city neighborhoods, he would often see “for sale” signs. Some of the properties he saw captured his […]
Posted inBaltimore Government
Who is Ivan Bates?: Democratic nominee for Office of Baltimore City State’s Attorney speaks with the AFRO
By Tashi McQueen, AFRO Political Writer, Report For America corps member, tmcqueen@afro.com Many know Ivan J. Bates as the Baltimore City State’s Attorney candidate, but that’s not all he is. He is the doting father of a 6-year-old daughter, London, and a husband to wife Lana Bates Ph.D. As Bates avidly expressed, his wife and […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Councilwoman Odette Ramos responds to NACA’s cease and desist order
By Tashi McQueen, AFRO Political Writer, Report For America corps member, tmcqueen@afro.com The Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (NACA) has threatened to take legal action against Councilwoman of District 14, Odette Ramos, for alleged false and defamatory claims against NACA. NACA provides services that many impoverished communities and lower-income families need like homeownership assistance and […]