A report released by the UNC Center for Community Capital details flaws in the methodology and conclusions of a new paper seeking to discredit the Community Reinvestment Act, enacted in 1977 to encourage regulated financial institutions to meet the credit needs of their communities in a safe and sound manner.

Researchers urged policymakers and practitioners to resist being distracted by a widely rejected thesis promoted in a December paper issued by the National Bureau of Economic Research. The "'blame the CRA' story has been refuted by industry leaders and researchers time and time again," authors said in their report, Debunking the CRA Myth Again. "Rather than trying to place blame where none exists, we argue that the focus of the debate should be on how CRA can be modernized and improved to better reflect the current financial services landscape and meet the continuing credit needs of America's communities."

Read the full report for more information about the study and its conclusions.