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Issue link: http://digital.dsnews.com/i/1020518
14 ON THE WEB WEBSITES TO GET TO KNOW. With a board composed of industry and government representatives from organizations such as Bank of America, BankUnited, and the GSEs, the American Mortgage Diversity Council (AMDC) works to promote diversity and inclusion throughout the mortgage and servicing sectors. rough a mix of on-site events, webinars, and certification programs, the AMDC strives to create an understanding and appreciation of individual differences in thought, experience, race, ethnicity, culture, religion, style, sexual orientation, and gender identity. is year, the AMDC has hosted several LGBT town halls in cities such as Dallas, Chicago, Miami, and Los Angeles, and the website includes resources such as access to the group's full lineup of D&I- themed webinars. Dr. Dawn Bennett-Alexander is an Associate Professor of Employment Law and Legal Studies at the University of Georgia's Terry College of Business. In this 17-minute TEDx Talk, Dr. Bennett-Alexander explores ways that companies can move diversity and inclusion from theory to practice. Bennett- Alexander is the co-author of Employment Law for Business, a leading text on the topic, and a frequent lecturer on D&I related matters. In "Practical Diversity: Taking Inclusion From Theory to Practice," Dr. Bennett-Alexander posits that "I believe that we have a responsibility to try, in the ways we can, to change what we don't like about the world," and states her belief that "each of us is here for a unique purpose and come with the tools to accomplish it, including our race, gender, sexual orientation, etc." Diversity Resources offers a massive catalog of videos, online training courses, live training, and more, covering all aspects of D&I. e site's Diversity Calendar helps integrate D&I concerns into your everyday processes, automatically keeping you abreast of important holidays and events, providing tips on addressing the needs of various groups, and integrating them smoothly into existing programs such as Outlook or Google Calendar. It even has an app. Diversity Resource's online training runs the gamut from fundamental explorations of why D&I is vital to more focused training on areas such as workplace harassment. e extensive lineup of D&I training videos is searchable by topic and divided into categories such as "Cultural Diversity," "Disability Awareness," "LGBT," and "Unconscious Bias." YOUTUBE/EXCDNLY1DBI 2 MORTGAGEDIVERSITYCOUNCIL.COM 1 DIVERSITYRESOURCES.COM 3 Q2 RENTAL TREND UPDATE Consumers on the hunt for a new rental home this summer could expect to pay higher prices than last year, especially for anyone searching for two- or three-bedroom homes. at's according to the recently issued Q2 2018 HotPads Rent Report. HotPads reported that rent prices rose 2.8 percent over the past year for both two- and three-bedroom rentals. Two-bedroom rentals are averaging around $1,310 per month, whereas three-bedroom rentals are sitting at around $1,445 per month. In comparison, average rent for a one-bedroom unit was around $1,275 in Q2, up 2.2 percent year-over-year. In some cases, the rent price appreciation is obviously worse than in others. HotPads reported median rent for a two- or three- bedroom home is appreciating more than twice as fast as rent for a one-bedroom home in metros such as Baltimore; Washington, D.C.; and Austin. Median rent overall was up 2.5 percent year-over-year, hitting $1,480 per month. With both home prices and rent on the rise across the nation, affordability concerns are deepening for many consumers looking to find a new home. "Rent growth has mellowed out to a steady rate recently, but overall prices are still high compared to recent years," said Joshua Clark, Economist at HotPads. "Two and three- bedroom rentals are seeing the fastest pace of price growth this year, usurping one-bedrooms as the fastest-appreciating segment of the rental market in April 2018. New apartment construction tends to focus on studios and one- bedrooms, so the additional supply of smaller units has eased price pressures in that market segment. Renters looking for a larger apartment or home—including young families—should expect faster rent growth this year."