Redlining

DOJ, Lakeland redlining settlement contested by advocates

Fair housing organizations are pushing back against the early termination of a consent order between the Department of Justice and Lakeland Bank over a redlining settlement. Processing Content The Public Interest Law Center filed a proposed amicus curiae brief arguing against a joint motion to end another Biden-era redlining agreement early. The document said the […]

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Judge upholds Washington state’s special purpose credit program

A federal judge this week refused to block a special purpose credit program (SPCP) designed to reduce the racial homeownership gap across Washington state, rejecting a constitutional challenge brought by nonprofit Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism (FAIR). U.S. District Court Judge John H. Chun denied FAIR’s request for a preliminary injunction to halt the Covenant

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Supreme Court rejects Emigrant’s reverse redlining appeal

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected the appeal of Emigrant Mortgage and Emigrant Bank in a reverse redlining case over predatory lending cases on loans originated between 1999 and 2008. Processing Content The online docket for the case has a Jan. 12 entry stating “Petition DENIED” with no other links or explanations. The loans involved were

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Nonprofits launch fair lending tip lines as federal oversight wanes

Nonprofit organizations say the Trump administration has dramatically scaled back fair lending oversight — and they’re stepping in to fill the void. In its latest move, the Department of Justice (DOJ) this week announced the rescission of disparate-impact liability from its Title VI regulations, while other parts of the federal government have reduced enforcement of

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Judge rejects DOJ’s bid to end bank’s redlining settlement

A federal judge handed another blow to the Trump administration’s attempts to prematurely end redlining settlement obligations for mortgage lenders.  Pennsylvania-based ESSA Bank must follow the terms of its 2023 agreement for three more years, a federal judge ruled this week. The Department of Justice in recent months argued the lender had met the fair

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Black Americans still struggle to get mortgages, study finds

Black Americans have long faced an uphill struggle to homeownership, and new data suggests that those problems aren’t going away anytime soon. Black homebuyers are 1.7 times more likely to be denied a mortgage than other races, according to the latest report from Lendingtree. In 2024, 19% of Black applicants were denied mortgages, significantly higher

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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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Judge rejects CFPB motion to undo redlining settlement

Judge rejects CFPB motion to undo redlining settlement

Bloomberg News A federal judge rejected the Trump administration’s effort to undo a redlining settlement between the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and a Chicago mortgage lender whose CEO made comments on a talk-radio show that the agency had alleged discouraged potential Black homebuyers from applying for home loans. On Thursday, District Court Judge Franklin U.

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Judge blocks CFPB bid to undo Townstone redlining settlement

A federal judge on Thursday blocked an attempt by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to reverse a $105,000 settlement with Townstone Financial, a Chicago-based mortgage broker accused of discouraging Black applicants. U.S. District Judge Franklin Valderrama ruled that allowing the CFPB to unwind the deal, finalized last year, “would erode public confidence in the

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