"A Traiger & Hinckley LLP study of 2006 mortgage loan data suggeststhat the Community Reinvestment Act, a federal law that requires banksto help serve the credit needs of their local communities, includinglow- and moderate-income neighborhoods, deterred banks from engagingin the kinds of risky lending practices that are provoking theforeclosure crisis. Compared to other lenders in their communities, banks making loansin their CRA assessment areas (CRA Banks) were less likely to make ahigh cost loan, charged less for the high cost loans they did make,and were substantially more likely to eschew the secondary market andretain high cost and other loans in portfolio. Foreclosure rates werealso lower in metropolitan areas with proportionately greater numbersof bank branches."