Racial bias

How Trump is turning fair lending law on its head

What’s at stake: The Trump administration is trying to weaken the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair Housing Act, the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act and the implementation of small business lending data collection, known as section 1071 under the Dodd Frank Act. Key insight: Lenders have long complained that the federal government should not be […]

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Judge denies motion to halt racial equity mortgage program

A federal district court in Washington State denied a claim for a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit to halt a special-purpose credit program aimed at addressing racial disparities in homeownership rates  Processing Content Nonprofit advocacy group Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism first filed suit in late 2024 against the Washington State Housing Finance Commission. Founded

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CFPB to gut indirect discrimination in civil rights rule

CFPB to gut indirect discrimination in civil rights rule

Al Drago/Bloomberg What’s at Stake: The bureau acknowledges that the elderly, minorities and people with low incomes may be harmed by the changes. Expert Quote: The proposed rule “will effectively invite a return to redlining and exclusion,” said Jesse Van Tol, president and CEO of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition. Key Insight: The CFPB claims the

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Black homeowners lose ground as job losses mount

Black homeowners, who already face long-term disadvantages in the housing market, are losing more ground.  The Black homeownership rate fell this summer to its lowest rate since late 2021, according to Redfin. The brokerage, now a Rocket Cos. affiliate, cited annual unemployment figures, which are higher for both Black men and women than other ethnic

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Appraisal bias suit that sparked policy changes is dismissed

Shane Lanham first heard he was being sued for racial discrimination from a New York Times reporter who called him for comment. That story ran with the headline: Home Appraised With a Black Owner: $472,000. With a White Owner: $750,000. The New York Times article described how Drs. Nathan Connolly and Shani Mott, who were

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Appraisal bill introduced to counter HUD’s PAVE repeal

Sen. Raphael Warnock, D–Ga., introduced legislation Thursday to address what he called “systemic bias” in the home appraisal process. The proposal comes just one week after the Trump administration disbanded a Biden-era task force that had been focused on addressing racial bias in the housing system. The bill, called the Appraisal Modernization Act, would require

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Redlining deal dispute pits DOJ against advocates

Three fair housing organizations are asking to weigh in on a federal case where the Department of Justice is seeking to end a redlining settlement with Lakeland Bank — an effort the DOJ and the bank both oppose. The nonprofits — New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund, the Housing Equality Center of Pennsylvania, and the

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DOJ quietly axes more redlining settlements with lenders

The Trump administration is moving swiftly to roll back Biden-era redlining enforcement. Federal courts in recent weeks have terminated five consent orders with mortgage lenders, which stemmed from redlining probes by the prior administration. The Department of Justice claimed those companies satisfied the terms of their settlements months and years before their expiration, freeing them

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Feds close $22 million redlining order with lender early

Feds have terminated a consent order against a mortgage lender feds accused of “systemic racism” in the Philadelphia region. A federal judge Monday approved the government’s request to terminate its deal with Trident Mortgage, just over two years before it was set to expire. Attorneys with both the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Department

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