On September 25, 2012, the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) and five of its member organizations announced that they had filed a federal housing discrimination complaint against Bank of America Corporation, Bank of America, N.A., and BAC Home Loan Servicing, LP. The complaint, which was filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), alleges …
race
DOJ Sues North Carolina Landlord for Race Discrimination
On September 25, 2012, the United States Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the owners and managers of a number of rental homes in Washington, NC, alleging that apartment manager William I. Cochran III discriminated against African American tenants. According to the press release issued by the DOJ: The complaint, filed in the U.S. District …
DOJ Settles Discrimination Suit With Wells Fargo; Bank to Provide $175 Million in Relief
On July 12, 2012, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a $175 million settlement — the second largest fair lending settlement in the department’s history — to resolve allegations that Wells Fargo Bank engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination against qualified African-American and Hispanic borrowers in its mortgage lending from 2004 through 2009. Under …
Court Rules Against Westchester County, NY; HUD Withholds CDBG Funds
On May 3, 2012, U.S. District Court Judge Denise Cote held that the Westchester County, New York, violated a 2010 consent decree designed to address racial and ethnic segregation in the County. The ruling concerned legislation in the County that would have prohibited landlords from considering a tenant’s “source of income” in making rental decisions. Under the terms …
DOJ Sues NY Mortgage Company for Lending Discrimination
The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit alleging that GFI Mortgage Bankers, Inc., violated the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act by charging African-American and Latino borrowers higher interest rates and fees on home mortgage loans than white borrowers. According to the Justice Department’s press release announcing the lawsuit: From 2005 through at least …
Consumer Group Releases New Study on Fair Lending
The National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) issued a new report examining the fair housing implications of the mortgage lending crisis. The report, entitled “Why Responsible Mortgage Lending Is a Fair Housing Issue,” notes: The historic legacy of redlining contributed materially to the subprime boom and bust, as subprime lenders and brokers flooded African‐American and Latino …
Justice Department Sues Louisiana Parish, Alleging Racial Discrimination
On January 31, 2012, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against St. Bernard Parish, La., alleging that the parish violated the Fair Housing Act by engaging in a multi-year campaign to limit rental housing opportunities for African-Americans. The DOJ’s press release announcing the lawsuit stated: The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the …