The Future of Homeownership in America: Book Launch & Panel Discussion

The ups and downs in housing markets over the past two decades are without precedent, and the costs —financial, psychological, and social —have been enormous. Yet Americans overwhelmingly still aspire to homeownership, and many still view access to homeownership as an important ingredient for building wealth among historically disadvantaged groups.

A new Joint Center book, Homeownership Built to Last: Balancing Access, Affordability, and Risk After the Housing Crisis (Brookings Institution Press) reexamines the goals, risks, and rewards of homeownership in the wake of the housing bubble and subprime lending crisis. Housing, real estate, and finance experts explore the role of government in supporting homeownership, deliberate how homeownership can be made more sustainable, and discuss how best to balance affordability, access, and risk, particularly for minorities and low income families.

Join us for a panel conversation, moderated by NPR Reporter CHRIS ARNOLD, with four contributors to the book:

• MARSHA COURCHANE, VP, Practice Leader of Financial Economics, Charles River Associates
  Dr. Courchane specializes in financial institution analyses for regulatory reviews and in support of litigation. She is a leading expert in the areas of mortgage and consumer lending and has worked with many of the largest lenders in the US. 
   
• CHRIS HERBERT, Acting Managing Director, Joint Center for Housing Studies
  Dr. Herbert is the Acting Managing Director of the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies and has extensive experience conducting research related to housing policy, housing markets, housing finance, and urban development. 
   
• JEFFREY LUBELL, Director of Housing Initiatives, Abt Associates
  Jeffrey Lubell is a nationally recognized housing and community development authority.  At Abt Associates, a mission-driven, global leader in research and program implementation, he provides policy and program expertise to assist policymakers in solving the nation’s pressing housing challenges.
   
• PATRICIA McCOY, Liberty Mutual Professor of Law, Boston College
  Professor McCoy is a nationally prominent scholar in financial services regulation. In 2010 and 2011, she joined the U.S. Department of the Treasury, where she helped form the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and, as the CFPB’s first assistant director for mortgage markets, oversaw the Bureau’s mortgage policy initiatives.