Archive

HUD CHARGES FACEBOOK WITH UNLAWFUL DISCRIMINATION

On March 29, 2019 the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that it is charging Facebook with violating the Fair Housing Act by encouraging, enabling, and causing housing discrimination through the company’s advertising platform. HUD alleges that Facebook unlawfully discriminates based on race, color, national origin, religion, familial status, sex, and disability by restricting who can view housing-related ads on Facebook’s platforms and across the internet. Further, HUD claims Facebook mines extensive data about […]

NATIVE AMERICAN DISCRIMINATION

Recently the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) approved a Conciliation Agreement resolving claims brought by three homeowners, a couple and an individual, against loanDepot.com, LLC, and Appraisal Management Services of America, Inc. The three alleged that the lender refused to refinance their homes because they are on Native American lands. The individual also claimed that loanDepot.com would not refinance his house because he is Native American. The Fair Housing Act prohibits housing […]

ANOTHER REDLINING CASE – REALLY?

On March 10 the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced an agreement with Alpine Bank & Trust resolving allegations the Northern Illinois-based lender discriminated against African American and Hispanic mortgage applicants. HOPE Fair Housing Center of Wheaton, Illinois filed a complaint with HUD claiming the lender’s business service areas excluded majority African-American and Hispanic neighborhoods. The Fair Housing Act makes it unlawful for any person or other entity whose business includes residential real estate-related […]

WORTH WATCHING – BOA DISCRIMINATION CASE

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently announced it has charged Bank of America, N.A., and two of its employees with violating the Fair Housing Act by discriminating against prospective Hispanic mortgage borrowers in Charleston, South Carolina. The National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) filed a complaint with HUD claiming the bank discriminated against prospective borrowers who are Hispanic by failing to provide them with information about loan products or by offering them […]

LEP – THE NEXT BIG THING?

On September 15, 2016 the Department of Housing and Urban Development published guidance on Fair Housing Act Protections for Persons With Limited English Proficiency. The guidance applies to your role as a mortgage lender, and your role as a landlord, if applicable. Limited English Proficiency (LEP) refers to a person’s limited ability to read, write, speak, or understand English. Questionable practices include refusing to allow an LEP borrower to have mortgage documents translated, or refusing […]