BAZELON CENTER TO HOLD FREE VIRTUAL AWARDS SPECIAL

ONE WEEK AWAY - REGISTER NOW!

Image Description: Navy blue design at the top with a golden sunray design with the Bazelon 50 years logo. White and blue background. Red, gold, and black lettering. Descending vertically: Bazelon 50 Years - 2022 Virtual Annual Awards, Thursday, September 22nd 2022, 7pm EST featuring special guests & awardees. Followed by photos and descriptions: Emcee Jonathan Capehart, Associate Editor, The Washington Post & MSNBC Anchor; Performer Lachi Award-winning recording artist and founder/president of RAMPD, Emmy-nominated TV personality, author and activist, Jonathan Van Ness; Athlete Advocate of the Year Laurie Hernandez, Olympic Champion and Mental Health Advocate; Congressional Champion Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA); Innovator of the Year Vanessa Green, Call BlackLine®; Social Justice Awardee Wade Henderson, Civil Rights and Human Rights Leader; Emerging Advocate of the Year Stefanie Lyn Kaufman-Mthimkhulu, Project LETS; Outstanding Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year Elizabeth B. McCallum, Baker and Hostetler LLP; Lifetime Advocacy Award Harvey Rosenthal, NYAPRS, Inc.; Lifetime Advocacy Award Laura Van Tosh, Founder/Convener, Mental Health Policy Roundtable; Lifetime Advocacy Award (In Memoriam) Sally Zinman, Mental Health Advocate; Hyperlinked: Admission is FREE. Click here to RSVP. Open Captioning, ASL, and Audio Descriptions will be provided. Request additional accommodations, communications@bazelon.org www.bazelon.org, www.bazelon50.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @bazeloncenter

REGISTER HERE

Date: Thursday, September 22, 2022 Time: 7 PM ET Location: Virtual Cost: FREE Registration: Open NOW Open Captioning, ASL, and audio transcriptions will be provided. Request additional accommodations at communications@bazelon.org. This year's sponsors include: Baker & Hostetler LLP, Bank of America, Bender Consulting Services, Inc., Brown Goldstein & Levy, BRG, Dignity Memorial, eSSENTIAL Accessibility, Georgia Advocacy Office, Gilbert Employment Law, P.C., Goodwin Proctor LLP, Highmark, MIDA Associates, PNC, Reed Smith, Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld, LLP, and Vanguard Communications REGISTER HERE Re-watch our 2021 Awards (video) HERE. Learn about sponsorship opportunities (PDF) HERE. www.bazelon.org | bazelon50.org.

 RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATIONS WORKSHOP TO BE HELD

Religious Accommodations During The Jewish Holiday Season Virtual Presentation by:  Kara N. Hunt, Ph.D. Director of Education & Outreach  Featuring Panelist: Howard Libit, Executive Director of the Baltimore Jewish Council   Are you wondering how you could best support your staff and community as the Jewish holiday season approaches? Join MCCR Education & Outreach Director Kara N. Hunt, Ph.D., & Guest Speaker Baltimore Jewish Council Executive Director Howard Libit for a workshop on religious accommodations during the Jewish Holiday Season. This workshop will focus on the legal understanding of reasonable accommodation for religious beliefs and practices of an employee or prospective employee by an employer. This program will also provide an overview of Traditions and Religious Practices, strategies for Respect and Inclusivity, Key Terms and Best Practices.   Date and time:   Thursday, September 29, 2022  12pm-2pm EST Register Here via Eventbrite   For Reasonable Accommodation Requests please contact:  Renee Hickman at: Renee.Hickman@maryland.gov no later than one week prior to the event Victim of Discrimination? Training & Partnerships HOME      ABOUT MCCR      SERVICES      PUBLICATIONS      EVENTS      PRESS      CONTACT US

 HUD TO HOLD HOUSING DISCRIMINATION IDENTIFICATION VIRTUAL CONFERENCE ON SEPTEMBER 27TH

On September 27, 2022, from 12:00 pm to 2:30 pm EDT, 2M Research, with support from HUD’s Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R), is hosting a virtual conference focused on the identification and measurement of housing discrimination. This conference is part of an exciting study to find new and innovative methodologies that uncover and measure housing discrimination. Our objective is that these methodologies will augment current testing approaches, such as paired and sandwich testing. This conference is an opportunity to meet experts in the field of discrimination research and testing, discuss ideas, and ask questions. The conference will feature a panel discussion focused on various topics, including: Promising or innovative research trends related to discrimination Gaps in research and testing of discrimination Methodological challenges in researching and testing discrimination Adapting testing protocols to technological changes (for example, ways to detect and capture differential treatment that might occur before in-person interactions) Opening Remarks: Housing Discrimination Study Innovative Methodology Project Background James Murdoch, Senior Policy Analyst, 2M Research Hiren Nisar, Director of Analytics and Senior Economist, 2M Research Panel Moderators Peter Christensen, Assistant Professor, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Christopher Timmins, Professor of Economics, Duke University Panel Mackenzie Alston, Assistant Professor, Department of Finance, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Peter Bergman, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Texas, Austin Fred Freiberg, Consultant for the Fair Housing Justice Center Peter Hull, Groos Family Assistant Professor of Economics, Brown University Stephen L. Ross, Professor of Economics, University of Connecticut We hope you can join this discussion on new ideas for measuring housing discrimination.

 FHFA Announces Update for Housing Loan Servicers to Maintain Fair Lending Data

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has announced that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) will require loan servicers to obtain and maintain fair lending data on their loans, and for this data to transfer with servicing throughout the mortgage term.

FHFA Director Sandra L. Thompson commented: “The need for collection and maintenance of quality fair lending data is a lesson learned from the foreclosure crisis and COVID-19 response,” said  “Having fair lending data travel with servicing will help servicers do the important work of providing assistance to borrowers in need, helping to further a sustainable and equitable housing finance system.”​

The fair lending data to be maintained includes borrowers’ age, race, ethnicity, gender, and preferred language. Servicers will be required to implement this change starting on March 1, 2023. This update follows a May 2022 announcement, which requires lenders to collect borrowers’ language preference data.

Specifically, that announcement require lenders to use the Supplemental Consumer Information Form (SCIF) as part of the application process for loans that will be sold to the Enterprises. The SCIF collects info regarding the borrower's language preference, if any, and on any homebuyer education or housing counseling the borrower received, so lenders can better understand borrower needs during the home buying process. Lenders are required to adopt these changes and reporting requirements for loans with application dates on or after March 1, 2023. Response by borrowers to the preferred language question in the SCIF will continue to be voluntary.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency regulates Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the 11 Federal Home Loan Banks. These government-sponsored enterprises provide more than $7.5 trillion in funding for the U.S. mortgage markets and financial institutions. Additional information is available at www.FHFA.gov, on Twitter, @FHFA, YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

For more information, contact: ​Adam Russell - Adam.Russell@FHFA.gov

Read the August 10, 2022 FHFA release.

Federal Advisory Committee on Affordable, Equitable and Sustainable Housing Formed

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has announced that it will establish a Federal Advisory Committee on Affordable, Equitable and Sustainable Housing to provide guidance to the government about regulatory or policy changes needed to improve those housing issues. The committee's main activities will be the role of FHFA’s regulated entities, including Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banks (the Government-Sponsored Enterprises, or GSEs) in supporting liquidity and funding in the single-family and multifamily housing markets.

FHFA Director Sandra L. Thompson commented: “The formation of an advisory committee will better position FHFA to fulfill its strategic goal of supporting access to affordable, equitable, and sustainable housing. Today’s announcement exemplifies our commitment to transparency, ongoing dialogue with stakeholders and the public, and thoughtful policymaking that connects equitable access with safety and soundness.”

Following publication in the Federal Register, the FHFA will be seeking applications and nominations for members, prioritizing relevant expertise related to the GSEs. To ensure diversity in the views represented by members, experience in at least one of the following areas will be required: fair housing, fair lending, or civil rights; single-family lending, servicing, development, mortgages, or capital markets; multifamily lending, servicing, development, mortgages, capital markets, or investments (i.e. Low-Income Housing Tax Credits); consumer, tenant, or community advocacy; market technology; state, local, or tribal government housing policies and programs; and academic or non-academic affiliated housing research.

Contact: Ada​m Russell​ - Adam.R​ussell@FHFA.gov

Read the full Federal Register notice for further details.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency regulates Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the 11 Federal Home Loan Banks. These government-sponsored enterprises provide more than $7.9 trillion in funding for the U.S. mortgage markets and financial institutions. Additional information is at www.FHFA.gov, on Twitter, @FHFA, YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Read the August 23, 2022 FHFA news release.

 Mariner Finance Accused of Predatory Lending Practices by Five States & D.C.

Mariner Finance, a loan company controlled by a large private-equity firm, is engaged in a nationwide scheme that takes advantage of low- and moderate-income consumers, according to a lawsuit filed by the attorney generals of five states: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Utah, Washington, Oregon, and the District of Columbia. The lawsuit alleges that the company: (1) adds expensive insurance policies and other products to loans without the borrowers' knowledge, and (2) deceptively gets them to refinance their debts to produce even more fees for the company. Mariner Finance is owned by an investment fund managed by Warburg Pincus, a Wall Street private-equity firm. Its president is Timothy F. Geithner, who, as President Obama's treasury secretary, condemned predatory lenders. Executives at Warburg Pincus and the lender denied any wrongdoing. Mariner has over 480 branches in 27 states and manages $2 billion in loans every year, according to the lawsuit.

State officials began investigating Mariner Finance after the Washington Post published a 2018 story on the company and private-equity firms' roles in consumer lending. The article detailed the company’s practice of mass-mailing live checks to consumers who, if they cashed them, were obligated to repay the money at interest rates of over 30%. The lawsuit said that Mariner’s targets “are often in financial crisis, decidedly unfamiliar with receiving unsolicited checks in the mail, and in desperate need of economic relief.” “Mariner uses live checks as an entrée to the most vulnerable portion of the targeted population.”

According to a 2018 Washington Post article, the company "enables some of the nation’s wealthiest investors and investment funds to make money offering high-interest loans to cash-strapped Americans."

Read the August 17, 2022, Washington Post article.

Read a July 18, 2018 Washington Post article on how equity firms exploit desperate households.

 Johns Hopkins Professors Sue Real Estate Appraisal Company over Low Valuation of Homeland Property

Two Black Johns Hopkins University professors took down family photos and replaced them with pictures of white faces in an effort to increase the value of their home after an initial appraisal fell short of expectation, an outcome they believed was due to race and not the property’s condition. A different appraisal company valued the house at nearly 60% more when the home appeared to be owned by white people.

Hopkins professors Nathan Connolly and Shani Mott are suing for damages citing racial discrimination. They have filed a suit against loanDepot (Foothill Ranch, California), and 20/20 Valuations and Shane Lanham, the owner of 20/20 Valuations who conducted the first appraisal. The complaint alleges that all of the first appraiser's selected comparable homes were of lower quality than their home, and the appraisal wrongly said that their home had not been updated for 15 years. The complaint stated the appraiser “cherry-picked low value homes as comps,” and by doing so, he “ignored legitimately comparable homes with much higher sales prices.”

It is ironic that Connolly, a history professor at Johns Hopkins University, is an expert on redlining and the legacy of white supremacy in cities, with a lot of his research on the role of race in the housing market.

Over 97% of home appraisers are white, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Since summer, 2020, after George Floyd's murder, dozens of Black homeowners have alleged discrimination in their home valuations. Some have filed lawsuits. The Biden administration in March, 2022, proposed reforms to overhaul the appraisal industry and try to dismantle systemic bias.

Sources: Read the August 19, 2022 Baltimore Sun article. Read the August 18, 2022, New York Times article. Read the August 19, 2022 CNN article.