Limitations of Combining Hispanics and African-Americans for Analysis of Credit Problems

Abstract:     
This study uses a combination of six Survey of Consumer Finances data sets to examine whether factors affecting credit delinquency differ by the racial/ethnic identity of households. Hispanic households are less likely than white households, and white households were less likely than African American households to be delinquent. Our full model with interaction terms shows that the effects of financially adverse events, financial buffers, and debt burden on the debt delinquency differ across racial/ethnic groups. Combining African American and Hispanic households into one racial/ethnic minority group as previous studies have done can be problematic.

Keywords: Debt delinquency, Racial/Ethnic Disparity, Survey of Consumer Finances

JEL Classification: D14, D91, E5, G21, J15

Accepted Paper Series