The NCRC has conducted matched pair testing of PPP loan application processes in Washington, DC. They conclude that minority applicants were given less assistance in seeking business credit. Lending Discrimination within the Paycheck Protection Program

Thanks for the information InFairness

"Tester profiles were controlled with racially identifiable names and each tester was required to pass a voice panel test to determine whether or not their perceived race could be determined over the phone. Testers were only used if their voice was perceived to be racially identifiable above 70%."

I find the methodology they used to be inaccurate. I'm sorry, but what is a racially identifiable voice? I have plenty of black friends, and I wouldn't know based on voice or name that any of them were black or white. Is Morgan Freeman black or white based on his name and/or voice? What about James Earl Jones?

Now there are some names that you might assume were black, like Latoya, however, I find it racist to even suggest that a person's voice would identify the color of their skin. Would love to actually HEAR what they made be a "black" voice.

My interpretation was that they used testers who spoke in a stereotypical fashion for the race or ethnicity that they were representing and used, for the purposes of the matched pair testing, a name that is typically identified with a particular race/ethnicity. That's how these sorts of tests are usually conducted.

This follow the same as business lending practices and location of bank branches. It is not a surprise.

See this report from the NCRC. https://ncrc.org/lending-discrimination-during-covid-19-black-and-hispanic-women-owned-businesses/

Thank you for providing the link to the latest report. It was a very interesting read. Perhaps a good training read for commercial lenders - at least the sections regarding the findings.