Market returns and mutual fund flows

With the increased popularity of mutual funds come increased concerns. Namely, could a sharp drop in stock and bond prices set off a cascade of redemptions by mutual fund investors and could the redemptions exert further downward pressure on asset markets? The authors analyze this relationship by using instrumental variables--a measuring technique previously unapplied to market returns and mutual fund flows--to determine the effect of returns on flows. Despite market observers' fears of a downward spiral in asset prices, the authors conclude that the short-term effect of market returns on mutual fund flows typically has been too weak to sustain such a spiral.Mutual funds ; Stock - Prices

Borrowers in Higher Minority Areas More Likely to Receive Prepayment Penalties on Subprime Loans

For years, subprime lenders have defended prepayment penalties by claiming that borrowers with penalties get a lower interest rate. Now, groundbreaking research by CRL shows that borrowers get no rate benefits with subprime prepayment penalties -- and that residents in minority neighborhoods have much greater odds of receiving such penalties.Prepayment penalties (fees for paying off mortgage loans early) are almost nonexistent in the prime mortgage market, but occur in up to 80% of subprime mortgages. The costs of these fees can prevent refinancing or strip equity, widening an already vast wealth and homeownership gap between white families and African-American and Latino families