Diversity and equality

What makes the situation alarming is the government attack on the fair lending enforcement infrastructure, said Lisa Rice of the National Fair Housing Alliance.

Black homeownership fell to 43.9% this summer, its lowest since 2021, as rising unemployment and federal layoffs widened housing gaps across demographics.

A headline-grabbing 2022 lawsuit alleging racial bias by home appraisers has been quietly dismissed for lack of evidence. At the same time, the Trump administration is rolling back many of the policy changes involving home appraisals that the Biden administration put in place.

The legislation is a direct response to HUD's effective elimination of the PAVE task force and comes amid ongoing debates over DEI policies in the federal government.

Rolling back PAVE signals a return to evidence-based housing policy and a rejection of flawed claims of systemic appraisal bias, say co-directors of the AEI Housing Center.

Three fair housing firms disagree that the DOJ should end a redlining consent order against Lakeland Bank, arguing the firm hasn't done enough. The bank disputes those claims.

Opposition is growing to the Trump administration's efforts to roll back fair lending requirements for lenders imposed by Biden-era prosecutors.

The defunct Trident Mortgage, whose obligations were handled by Home Services of America, was accused of "systemic racism" in lending around Philadelphia.

The Mortgage Bankers Association deleted web pages including a diversity, equity and inclusion playbook, citing compliance with President Trump's orders.

The comment period for the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing interim final rule has been extended, but consumer advocates are clear in their opposition.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau asked a federal judge to vacate and set aside a settlement against a Chicago mortgage lender, accusing the CFPB of misconduct in a case brought under former Director Kathy Kraninger, a Trump appointee.

Plaintiffs want to certify a class of 119,100 minority mortgage customers who were unfairly deprived of ultra-low mortgage rates during the refi boom.

According to the litigation, a homeowner's Denver property was valued 25% less because of her race.

Researchers from Lehigh University concluded that telling commercially available language learning models, like ChatGPT, to "use no bias" significantly minimized it.

The lender denied its software uses artificial intelligence in fighting a 'digital redlining' case.

Rocket Mortgage relied on a biased appraisal when it denied a borrower's refinance application in Denver three years ago, the housing agency claims.

A federal appeals court ruled that the Equal Credit Opportunity Act prohibits not just outright discrimination but also the discouragement of prospective applicants for credit.

Nikitra Bailey, EVP at the National Fair Housing Alliance, says communities of color are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change because of prior redlining practices. She explains that a HUD rule could make a big difference.

With millions of Black and Hispanic consumers likely to become new homeowners over the coming decades, the lending community stands to benefit if they are willing to combine expanded underwriting with direct outreach.

In recent years, the wealth gulf between white and Black families has only grown. But there is hope that advances in fintech, such as wider adoption of artificial intelligence, can help.