OFF THE CUFF REMARKS

Blacks seeking mortgages in Boston were turned away 2.66 times more frequently than whites last year, and Hispanics 2.28 times more, says the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. These figures are slight improvements over those of 2001.

It’s uncertain if industry rhetoric has improved with Acorn’s figures, but it does have a certain audacious quality all its own. The Boston Herald paraphrases Kevin Cuff, executive director of the Massachusetts Mortgage Bankers Association, as saying there’s no doubt “historical discrimination exists here and elsewhere” but that “lenders work hard with regulators and activists to reduce discrimination when it’s found.”

It’s possible blacks and Hispanics would be more reassured to hear that lenders were working hard to reduce discrimination, period, instead of just when it’s “found” -- a bland word that could also be “revealed,” “discovered” or “exposed.” And the phrase “historical discrimination exists here” is significantly different from saying “historically, discrimination existed here.”

Cuff’s actual quotes may be clear of what look to be simply clever evasions, although the paraphrases really do read like standard industry stuff. Either way, at least he’s honest, after a fashion.