Insurance Redlining, Agency Location, and the Process of Urban Disinvestment

Abstract
Insurance redlining exacerbates economic decline and impedes revitalization of urban neighborhoods throughout the United States. One significant barrier to the availability of insurance is the movement of sales representatives from inner-city to suburban locations. In examining the changing pattern of insurance agency locations within the Milwaukee metropolitan area, the authors find that racial composition of neighborhood is associated with agency location even after the effects of family income, condition of housing, and number of dwellings are controlled. Policy recommendations are offered to mitigate the practice and effects of insurance redlining and to stimulate reinvestment in urban communities.