The Richmond Fed's Community Development team connected organizations on Maryland's Eastern Shore with potential funders during a recent Investment Connection program.
Housing and Housing Finance

Explore our research and analysis into the housing market, including pricing, supply and financing.
Local jurisdictions in the greater Richmond area have collaborated to develop a Market Value Analysis (MVA) of Richmond's housing market.
The Richmond Fed Community Conversations team learned about efforts to pivot in central business districts and achieve collaborative wins in affordable housing during a recent visit to Northern Virginia.
The modern mortgage is the result of a complicated history. Local, state, and national actors all competing for profits have existed alongside an increasingly active federal government seeking to make the benefits of homeownership accessible to more Americans.
The Fed's monetary tightening over the past year has had an immediate effect on the housing market. But if the Fed didn't act to bring inflation down, we could expect lenders to charge high rates simply to break even in real terms.
Kartik B. Athreya
Executive Vice President and Director of Research
Greta Harris and Jim Tobin offer their perspectives on the housing market, from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and recent increases in mortgage rates to the continuing challenge of building affordable housing. Harris is president and CEO of the Better Housing Coalition and Tobin is executive vice president and chief lobbyist for the National Association of Home Builders.
Following two years of tight housing market conditions in the Fifth District, indicators suggest that markets are cooling although affordability remains an issue.
Among the topics discussed were income growth volatility, AI's impact on productivity and how housing price changes affect young businesses.
We theoretically and empirically investigate how climate risks affect collateralized debt markets. Our results highlight the importance of heterogeneous beliefs in understanding the effects of climate change on the financial system.
Laura Bakkensen, Toan Phan and Russell Wong
University of Chicago economist on remote work, changes in recruiting, and business startups after the pandemic
As revealed through data and academic literature, historical inequity in credit access still affects minority borrowers today.
Monetary policy, marriage, college admissions, and discrimination and socioeconomic outcomes were among the topics discussed at our recent conference.
With assistance programs winding down, evictions are on the rise but have not surpassed pre-pandemic levels.
For homebuyers who are still in the market despite higher prices and borrowing rates, their options may be limited as homebuilders focus on clearing backlogs rather than starting new construction.
Renee Haltom offers an overview of economic conditions in Virginia, based on her recent conversations with local contacts and analysis of the data. Haltom is a vice president and regional executive at the Richmond Fed, with responsibility for engagement with businesses and communities in Virginia.
Matt Martin provides an update on economic conditions in North Carolina and South Carolina, based on his recent conversations with local business contacts and analysis of the data. Martin is the regional executive based at the Richmond Fed's Charlotte office.
Numerous factors — including population growth, education, housing, transportation, child care, health, and broadband availability — are shaping the differences in employment outcomes between rural and urban communities.
Since last summer, rising home prices have threatened to push up rent prices, adding pressure to overall inflation. How have actual rents fared and what do the most recent numbers imply for rent inflation going forward?
Evidence highlights the nuanced ways in which participants in the financial markets may be strategically adapting to climate change.
Sierra Latham and Peter Dolkart discuss their work on the availability of affordable housing in small towns and rural communities. Latham is a senior research analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and Dolkart is a community development regional manager based in the Richmond Fed's Baltimore office.
Although people often associate high housing costs with urban areas, many households in rural areas also struggle with costly housing
John O'Trakoun discusses the factors that have increased the cost of single-family and multi-unit housing in recent months, as well as what shapes overall supply and demand for housing over the longer term.
Harvard University economist on urbanization, the future of small towns, and "Yes In My Back Yard"
This survey of climate finance research literature highlights key findings and their policy implications.
A decreasing-rate mortgage wouldn't increase its interest rate, but would decline when rates dropped, potentially saving significant refinance costs.
Peter Dolkart discusses what is happening with renters in the Fifth District as state and national moratoriums on evictions wane and COVID-19 infections surge.
The housing market has boomed during the pandemic, but data over the past few months have been more mixed. Is this bumpiness the result of weaker demand or lower supply?
A recent Richmond Fed conference covered housing, Social Security claiming, savings and labor supply related to older households.
As we look ahead at an economy that is likely to show strong aggregate performance, it will be important to keep in mind that such headline numbers — including, importantly, headline indicators of consumer credit performance — will almost surely hide the struggles of a not-small group of households.
Kartik B. Athreya
Executive Vice President and Director of Research
Bernie Mazyck and Mark Fessler discuss how the pandemic is contributing to ongoing high volumes of renter evictions in certain parts of our country.
For the housing market, the coronavirus recession in 2020 was unusual: Demand for homes was strong and price growth remained solid.
Roisin McCord
The COVID-19 pandemic has depressed housing security and increased eviction risk for renters in the Fifth District. Although helpful for tenants, some federal pandemic-response provisions are ending in December.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe economic distress in the Fifth District, but the regional housing market has proven remarkably resilient.
Benjamin Lukas
Intern (2020)
The Federal Reserve's purchases of agency mortgage-backed securities — launched in response to financial disruptions caused by COVID-19 — appear to have restored smooth market function supporting the continued flow of credit to mortgage borrowers.
The COVID-19 pandemic has put housing stability at the forefront of public policy discussions, and home repair is a critical piece of that conversation. What were total home repair costs in Baltimore prior to the pandemic, and how might COVID-19 impact home repair?
Benjamin Lukas and Eileen Divringi
Researchers and policymakers are wondering whether the economic losses associated with the COVID-19 pandemic will prove temporary or persistent. Examining the housing crisis of 2006—09 may provide some clues.
This issue of the Community Pulse presents the findings from our 2019 survey.
This issue of the Community Pulse presents the findings from our 2018 survey.
This issue of the Community Pulse presents the findings from our 2017 survey.
This issue of the Community Pulse presents the findings from our 2016 survey.
The current issue of Community Pulse presents the results of our 2015 survey.
Richmond Fed President Jeffrey M. Lacker addressed the Global Interdependence Center in Sarasota, Florida.
Jeffrey M. Lacker
President, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
Richmond Fed President Jeffrey Lacker addressed the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce.
Jeffrey M. Lacker
President, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
This issue of 5th District Footprint provides a look at changes along the rural-urban continuum for localities in the Fifth District between 2003 and 2013.
The current issue of Community Pulse presents the results of our fall 2014 survey.
This issue of 5th District Footprint examines the distribution of the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC).
Richmond Fed President Jeffrey M. Lacker addressed business leaders during a luncheon hosted by the Rotary Club of Charlotte in Charlotte, N.C.
Jeffrey M. Lacker
President, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
The current issue of Community Pulse presents the results of our spring 2014 survey.
On November 25, 2008, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) announced it would begin purchasing debt issued and MBS guaranteed by GSEs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to provide monetary stimulus to the housing sector and broader economy.
Renee Haltom and Robert Sharp
Richmond Fed President Jeffrey M. Lacker spoke about the economic outlook Jan. 17, 2014, in remarks to the Richmond chapter of the Risk Management Association.
Jeffrey M. Lacker
President, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond