Diversity and equality

Housing advocates and compliance firms are suing to block a rule from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that they say guts the Equal Credit Opportunity Act.

In a settlement agreement last year, the bank will assist low- and-moderate income borrowers residing in, or buying homes in such Census tracts.

Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Craig Trainor encouraged the real estate industry to reconsider advice received from DEI experts.

The bank denied Black, Latino and Asian mortgage applicants roughly twice as frequently as white applicants in North Carolina, according to a study from the Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has finalized changes to Regulation B, which implements the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, to eliminate any liability for indirect discrimination by lenders. The change represents a major shift in how the agency polices lending discrimination.

The investment property owner says she was stonewalled and humiliated by BofA's loan officers, and that an error-riddled appraisal was short by over $70,000.

Over the course of its first year in office, the second Trump administration has neutralized the enforcement of key civil rights laws by reorienting Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rules and eliminating "disparate impact" that allows banks to be penalized for the discriminatory effects of policies without proving discriminatory intent.

A Washington court denied a plaintiff request, pointing to past Supreme Court rulings that showed a compelling interest for the state's special-purpose credit program.

A pair of fair housing attorneys fired by the Department of Housing and Urban Development testified the agency has stopped enforcement of those laws.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, building on an executive order by President Trump, wants to eliminate the legal framework of "disparate impact" from its implementation of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act.

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.