HUD TO BEGIN NATIONAL INVESTIGATION OF MORTGAGE LENDING DISCRIMINATION

HUD will investigate charges that 22 lenders have unfairly denied U.S. government-backed mortgages to qualified applicants. The National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) filed a Fair Housing complaint with HUD against 22 lenders offering FHA-guaranteed loans. Lenders include Nationstar Mortgage and PHH Mortgage. The NCRC said the lenders were only providing mortgages to borrowers with credit scores higher than the 580 minimum required by the FHA, a move it said disproportionately affects African-Americans and Latinos. Read the December 8, 2010 Reuters article. Read the December 8, 2010 HUD Press Release.

NATIONAL LENDER WITH BALTIMORE AREA BRANCHES SETTLES DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINT

PrimeLending Resolve Allegations of Lending Discrimination; 5 Branches in Baltimore Area

PrimeLending, a national mortgage lender with 168 offices in 32 states, has agreed to pay $2 million to resolve allegations that it engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination against African-American borrowers between 2006 and 2009. The settlement was filed on December 9, 2010, in conjunction with a complaint made by the Justice Department. Brought under the federal Fair Housing Act and Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the complaint alleges African-American borrowers nationwide were charged higher prices on retail loans through PrimeLending’s branch offices - of which 7 in Maryland, including 2 in Baltimore County.

In 2006-2009, PrimeLending charged African-American borrowers higher annual percentage rates of interest for prime fixed-rate home loans and for home loans guaranteed by the FHA and VA than it charged white borrowers. The settlement requires PrimeLending to pay $2 million to the victims and use non-discriminatory loan pricing policies, monitoring, and employee training. Read the December 9, 2010 Article.

Welcome to this Fair Housing Maryland Blog edition of Fair Housing E-News! This newsletter is produced by the GBCHRB as a public service. More info/resources: http://www.gbchrb.org. To read this issue of Fair Housing E-News, click here: fhnews10dec.pdf. Just a few of the December headlines are:

Over 60% of Hispanics Say Discrimination Is a Major Problem.
Read the October 28, 2010 Times article.

Baltimore City Again Sues Wells Fargo For "Racist, Predatory Lending Practices." As reported in The Baltimore Sun on October 23, 2010.

Maryland-Based Innershore Enterprises / Marlow 6 Theater To Pay $20,000 For Disability Discrimination As Concession Manager Fired for HIV Condition.
Read the November 22, 2010 Press Release.

Three Men Charged in Albuquerque, N.M., with Federal Hate Crimes Related to Assault of Disabled Navajo Man. Read the November 12, 2010 DOJ Press Release.

Justice Department Reaches Agreement with Hilton Worldwide Over ADA Violations at Hilton Hotels and Major Hotel Chains Owned by Hilton.
Read the DOJ November 10, 2010 Press Release.

Justice Department Makes the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design Available Online. Read the November 10, 2010 Press Release. www.ada.gov/2010ADAstandards_index.htm.

HUD Charges Vicksburg, Mississippi Rental Property Manager & Owner With Race Discrimination. Read the HUD charge.

BALTIMORE CITY SUES WELLS FARGO FOR "RACIST, PREDATORY LENDING PRACTICES"

As reported in The Baltimore Sun on October 23, 2010, the City is suing Wells Fargo for a third time for causing increased foreclosures through its discriminatory practices. Previous suits have been dismissed, and Wells Fargo denies all allegations. The Sun article continues:

"The latest complaint, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court, contains 14 new paragraphs that purport to address concerns that led Judge J. Frederick Motz to dismiss the case twice before — namely a lack of evidence that the mortgage lender was responsible for housing vacancies and millions of dollars in associated damages. In the second dismissal, Motz asked the city to show why the properties would not "have been vacant in any event." The new filing attempts to explain this through a general description of the ways in which lending to those who can't afford the loan leads to foreclosure."

SURVEY FINDS DISCRIMINATION PREVALENT AGAINST HISPANICS

According to the survey results discussed in The New York Times article on October 28, 2010:

"More than 6 in 10 Latinos in the United States say discrimination is a “major problem” for them, a significant increase in the last three years, according to a survey of Latino attitudes by the Pew Hispanic Center, a nonpartisan research group. In 2007, the center reported, 54 percent of Latinos said discrimination was a major problem. That year, nearly half of Latinos — 46 percent — cited language as the primary cause for that discrimination. In the new survey, 36 percent — the largest number — said that immigration status was the leading cause."

DID YOU KNOW THAT NOVEMBER IS AMERICAN INDIAN HERITAGE MONTH?

As the Governor's Commission on Indian Affairs' website says:

"American Indian Heritage Month in Maryland is recognized in conjunction with the national celebration of National Native American Heritage Month. In November 1990 a joint resolution was approved by the President of the United States designating November as National Native American Heritage Month. Proclamations are made each year by the President declaring the heritage month celebration. The first American Indian Day recognized by a state was declared on the second Saturday in May 1916 by the Governor of New York."

Check out the October Edition of FAIR HOUSING E-NEWS:

(October, 2010 - Vol. 16, No. 5)

Welcome to this edition of Fair Housing E-News! This newsletter is produced by the GBCHRB as a public service. More info/resources: http://www.gbchrb.org. To read this issue of Fair Housing E-News, click here: fhnews10oct.pdf. Just a few of the August headlines are:

HUD Fair Housing Report Finds Most Complaints Allege Disability Discrimination. Read the 2009 National Fair Housing Report.

In Disability News

Harris Survey on ADA Compliance Finds Companies Lag in Efforts to Diversify. http://www.2010DisabilitySurveys.org.

National Council on Disability Calls for Affordable, Accessible, and Appropriate Housing for People with Disabilities.

Other Fair Housing News

All 50 U. S. States Launch Joint Investigation Of The Mortgage Industry.
Read the October 12, 2010 Reuters Article.

NCRC Study Argues That the Community Reinvestment Act Lessened Damage to Communities in the Recession. Read the Report.

A Majority of Americans Believe Gay and Lesbian Couples in Committed Relationships Should Receive Equal Workplace Benefits as Heterosexual Married Couples.
Read the October 4, 2010 Harris Interactive Article.

HUD Discrimination Charges
HUD Charges New York Landlord With Discriminating Against A Tenant With Disabilities, as Its First-Come, First-Served Parking Policy is Discriminatory. Read the October 1, 2010 HUD Press Release.

HUD Charges Chicago Architect, Developer With Failure To Build Apartments That Are Accessible To Persons With Disabilities. Read the July 26, 2010 HUD Press Release.

DOJ Discrimination Charges

U. S. Justice Department Signs Agreements with Fort Myers, FL, and Newport, RI, For Civic Access for People with Disabilities. Read the Sept. 30, 2010 DOJ Press Release.

DOJ Signs Agreements with Cities of Muskegon and Cheyenne to Ensure Access for People with Disabilities.

DOJ Publishes Final Rules on Nondiscrimination in Public Accommodations, Commercial Facilities, and State & Local Government Services.

Resources

The U.S. Department of Justice Has An Excellent Americans with Disabilities Act Home Page. http://www.ada.gov/index.html

Interesting Books
Where We Live Now: Immigration and Race in the United States by John Iceland.

The Diversity Paradox: Immigration and the Color Line in Twenty-First Century America
by Jennifer Lee and Frank D. Bean.