The term ‘Redlining’ comes from the New Deal era, during which bank lenders, insurers, and federal agencies like the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) would designate neighborhoods as “high-risk” for mortgage lenders using red lines on a map.

 

In these "redlined" neighborhoods, residents were refused home loans or taken advantage of with unfair terms.

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In 1935, the HOLC would indicate which neighborhoods were high-risk for mortgage lenders by creating a map of Omaha neighborhoods designated with red, yellow, blue, or green.

 

Red was considered "high-risk", and green meant "low-risk" based on the demographics of that neighborhood.

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Redlining practices were made illegal in 1968, however, the systemic effects are still felt in Omaha.