In 2019, Crystal Marie and Eskias McDaniels were set to close on their dream home in Charlotte, N.C.
They were excellent applicants: good jobs, plenty of savings, and great credit.
Then, their mortgage application was denied. themarkup.org/denied/2021/08…
They were excellent applicants: good jobs, plenty of savings, and great credit.
Then, their mortgage application was denied. themarkup.org/denied/2021/08…
The reason? Crystal Marie was a contractor, not a full-time employee—even though her boss told the lender she wasn’t at risk of losing her job.
Her co-workers, also contractors, had mortgages. They are White. She is Black.
Her co-workers, also contractors, had mortgages. They are White. She is Black.
Crystal Marie’s lender, loanDepot, denied that race had anything to do with the decision. 
Our investigation found that lenders denied people of color at higher rates than similar White applicants.
In Charlotte, where Crystal Marie lives, they were 50% more likely to deny loans to Black applicants than White applicants with similar financial profiles.
In Charlotte, where Crystal Marie lives, they were 50% more likely to deny loans to Black applicants than White applicants with similar financial profiles.
Crystal Marie pushed back against the denial with the help of her real estate agent and boss.
At the last minute, at around 8 p.m. the night before her original closing date, she got an email from the lender: “You’re cleared to close.”
At the last minute, at around 8 p.m. the night before her original closing date, she got an email from the lender: “You’re cleared to close.”
“It means so much to me, as a Black person, to own property in a place where not that many generations ago you were property,” Crystal Marie told @lkirchner.
Read our full investigation on racial disparities in mortgage lending algorithms here. themarkup.org/denied/2021/08…
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