The electrical industry shaped FHA rules to subsidize appliance purchases

Evidence

To achieve that goal, the industry needed to expand the market for household appliances. The establishment of the Federal Housing Administration suggested a new way to meet potential demand. Because appliances were easiest to sell as built-in components of new homes, utility companies and electrical equipment manufacturers lobbied the FHA to allow federally insured mortgages to cover the cost of refrigerators, ranges, dishwashers, and washing machines. The agency soon agreed. Eventually, the electrical industry persuaded the FHA to insure purchases of smaller appliances, including vacuum cleaners. — Adam Rome, The Bulldozer in the Countryside, 133

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Electric utilities lobbied for insulation standards to protect their market. — Adam Rome, The Bulldozer in the Countryside:…, 281

Broader Connections

• Electric utilities lobbied for insulation standards to protect their market. #exemplifies (0.80) — Adam Rome, The Bulldozer in the Countryside, 281