Double Jeopardy: Why Latinos Were Hit Hardest by the US Foreclosure Crisis

Keywords

US foreclosure crisis, foreclosure, latinos foreclosure, latinos

Abstract

Recent research has demonstrated that Latinos have been hit hardest by the US foreclosure crisis. In this article, I combine place stratification and spatial assimilation theory to explain why Latinos suffered a devastating double blow during the foreclosure crisis. Using a national sample of borrowers who received risky mortgage loans during the boom and following them through the crisis, I find that Latinos were most likely subject to high-cost subprime lending and especially risky low-/no-documentation lending as Latino suburbanization and immigration peaked along with national home prices. As a result, while Latino borrowers were no less likely to lose their homes to foreclosure than blacks prior to the crisis or in the Rust Belt, they were significantly more likely to lose their homes after the crisis began and in the Sand States of Arizona, California, Florida, and Nevada. Taken together, the results demonstrate the risk of rising Latino immigration, suburbanization, and homeownership during the stages of the housing boom and foreclosure crisis.

Original Publication Citation

Rugh, Jacob S. 2015.“Double Jeopardy: Why Latinos Were Hit Hardest by the US Foreclosure Crisis.” Social Forces 93(3):1139-1184. doi: 10.1093/sf/sou107

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2014-11-04

Permanent URL

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/5664

Publisher

Social Forces

Language

English

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Sociology

University Standing at Time of Publication

Associate Professor

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