'Homeownership among people of color has dropped' | A push to increase homeownership: Monday, July 11.

Black Americans are far more likely to be denied mortgages, according to Zillow an online real-estate firm.

This means homeownership may be out of reach for many people, but Charlotte programs are trying to help residents achieve the American Dream and own a home.

“In Charlotte right now, homeownership among people of color has dropped," President of DreamKey Partners, Julie Porter said. “For white folks, it’s about 77%, for black and Hispanic people it’s in the low 40’s."

Porter says they're working to create more opportunities for people of color to own a home by creating more affordable housing and offering down payment loan options through the House Charlotte Program.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/money/markets/real-estate/homeownership-among-poc-has-dropped/275-29216198-4cc5-45f0-ad32-e58f219e7d1f

The average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline plunged 19 cents over the past two weeks to $4.86 per gallon.

Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg of the Lundberg Survey said Sunday that the continued decline comes as crude oil costs also fall.

“Assuming oil prices do not shoot up from here, motorists may see prices drop another 10-20 cents as the oil price cuts continue making their way to street level,” Lundberg said in a statement.

The average price at the pump is down 24 cents over the past month, but it's $1.66 higher than it was one year ago.

Nationwide, the highest average price for regular-grade gas was in the San Francisco Bay Area, at $6.14 per gallon. The lowest average was in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at $4.19 per gallon.

According to the survey, the average price of diesel dropped 13 cents since June 24 to $5.76 a gallon.

Gas prices in much of the United States shot past the $5 a gallon mark last month before a slight drop, and Americans have responded by driving a bit less, two sets of data show. June gas sales are about 5% below pre-pandemic 2019 levels and 2.6% below a year ago, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/nation-world/average-us-gasoline-price-plunges/507-c92fccad-9bfa-4d2d-a5eb-571556635fa3

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