Focus Area · Homeownership
Homeownership builds wealth. Latino families deserve a fair shot at it.
Latino families are driving homebuying demand across California, and owning a home is still the most reliable way to build wealth that lasts. Our research tracks who gets home loans, which lenders are serving Latino buyers, and what it will take to open the door wider.
The research
Mapping access and exclusion.
March 2026 · Research report
Mapping Access and Exclusion: Latino Home Purchase Lending Across California’s Major Metropolitan Markets, 2018–2024
Seven years of Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data show Latino families driving homebuying demand across California, while the state’s biggest banks have largely stepped back from serving them. Nonbank lenders now do most of the work of reaching Latino buyers.
- 6 of 25top home purchase lenders in California were traditional banks
- 5.3%of Citibank’s California home purchase loans went to Latino borrowers, the lowest of the major banks. Wells Fargo was at 6.8%; JPMorgan Chase led at 21%.
What the data shows
Where the door opens, and where it stays shut.
Latino access to home loans varies widely across California’s metro markets, and so does the role banks play.
The strongest Latino lending
More affordable markets lead the state, but traditional banks are largely absent.
Share from the top 25 lenders
Home to the largest concentration of Latino households in California.
The most exclusionary market
Banks there made 4.7% of their loans to Latino buyers, compared to 13.7% for nonbanks.
Latino share of loans
Rising over seven years, but still well below the Latino share of the population.
What we push for
A mortgage market that serves Latino buyers.
Banks back in the market
A real presence in Latino-majority neighborhoods and public, measurable goals for Latino home lending.
A stronger CRA
Community Reinvestment Act obligations with the reach to serve the communities banks have stepped away from.
More homes
Faster home construction so more working families can afford to buy.
Ownership that builds wealth
Attention to loan terms, costs, and equity, not just loan counts, so buying a home leads to lasting security.
Where we’re going
From mapping the gap to closing it.
Our economic future depends in part on whether Latino families can own a meaningful stake in it. The goal is not just more mortgages, but more families in homes they can keep and grow wealth in.
- March 2026
Mapping Access and Exclusion
Seven years of lending data across California’s major metro markets.
- Spring 2026
Findings to lenders
A fact sheet and bank-by-bank results shared with lenders, regulators, and the press.
- 2026
Lenders at the table
Roundtables with lenders and regulators, including one co-hosted with DFPI.
- Next
What works, and beyond California
Spotlighting what helps families buy homes, and expanding to other states with large Latino populations.
Work with us
Help more Latino families buy homes.
Lenders, housing counselors, regulators, and community groups all have a role. If you’re working to expand fair, sustainable mortgage access, we want to hear from you.
Invest in Latino homeownership.
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