Articles in Category: Fair Housing Act

April 28, 2016

HUD Charges Massachusetts Landlord With Fair Housing Act Violations

April is Fair Housing Month, and as the month winds to a close, there are still a variety of government actions involving violations of federal fair housing law-actions taken against landlords, lenders, and others associated with housing. We report on these issues as press releases are issued from the Department of Housing and Urban Development for several reasons. The most important of those reasons is to raise awareness of Fair Housing laws and to remind our readers that the first line of defense against violations of the Fair Housing Act is often found at the consumer level. Those who report housing discrimination complaints to HUD help end future discrimination as well as get government action on the case at hand. Fair Housing Act violations affect everyone–borrowers, buyers, renters, lenders, etc. | more...

April 25, 2016

HUD Announces Agreement in Fidelity Bank Discrimination Case

By Joe Wallace

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced a settlement in a case involving Fidelity Bank and allegations of Fair Housing Act violations. According to HUDNo.16-054, “The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today a $1 million agreement between the Fair Housing Project of North Carolina Legal Aid and North Carolina-based Fidelity Bank to resolve allegations the mortgage lender engaged in unfair lending practices against minority applicants”. Federal law makes it illegal to “make housing unavailable or to discriminate in the terms, conditions, or privileges of the sale of a dwelling because of race” according to the press release on the FHA/HUD official site. “The Fair Housing Act also makes it unlawful for any person or entity whose business includes residential real estate-related transactions to discriminate | more...

April 19, 2016

HUD Files Discrimination Charges Against Kansas Landlord

By Joe Wallace

Fair Housing laws don’t just protect home loan applicants. They also protect renters and house/home hunters in the process of trying to find a place to live. You may not think that a housing discrimination case against a renter or potential renter has much to do with FHA loans, but consider the large number of people every year who must relocate due to employment or education needs and it’s clear that even for those who haven’t committed to an FHA mortgage yet, fair housing issues can affect your journey to a new place to live. That’s one reason why we report on cases like the recent HUD charges brought against a Kansas landlord. According to a press release on the FHA/HUD official site, ” U.S. Department of Housing and Urban | more...

April 4, 2016

FHA and HUD Kick Off Fair Housing Month

By Joe Wallace

April is Fair Housing Month, a time when efforts are made to raise the awareness of fair housing issues and federal law that protects those seeking a place to live from discrimination. That’s why the FHA and HUD began Fair Housing Month 2016 with the launch of a national media campaign designed to help the public, “to envision what communities with shared opportunity for all might look like. The new campaign is designed to further educate the public about their housing rights and the ideals behind HUDs new Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) initiative” according to a 1 April press release. “The campaign, which was developed in partnership with the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA), will include print Public Service Announcements (PSAs) in various languages, television PSAs in English and | more...

March 25, 2016

HUD Reaches Settlement In California Housing Discrimination Case

By Joe Wallace

Housing discrimination affects people in all stages of the journey to find a home. It doesn’t matter whether you are a renter, a prospective borrower, or somewhere in between; the rules that make up the Fair Housing Act apply across the board for those looking for a place to live. The FHA/HUD official site recently published a press release announcing a settlement in a California housing discrimination case; sometimes the victims of housing discrimination are the only ones who can prevent further discrimination from happening. Those who report their experiences do a service to themselves and to future borrowers and renters by helping to end illegal practices such as the ones mentioned in HUDNo.16-035: “The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today an agreement with a Cupertino, | more...

March 3, 2016

Settlement Reached In Kansas “Redlining” Mortgage Discrimination Case

By Joe Wallace

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced a settlement in a mortgage discrimination case involving First Federal Bank of Kansas City. According to a press release at the FHA/HUD official site, “The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today an agreement with First Federal Bank of Kansas City to resolve allegations of redlining against African American mortgage applicants. HUD and two fair housing organizations claimed the lenders designated service area effectively excluded African American neighborhoods, limiting residential mortgage lending to persons based upon their race.” Federal law makes it illegal to discriminate against mortgage loan applicants or anyone seeking housing because of their race. According to the press release, “Homeownership should never be affected by the color of a persons skin. This agreement helps | more...

February 10, 2016

HUD Settles Connecticut Fair Housing Discrimination Case

By Joe Wallace

The Department and Housing and Urban Development and a group of Connecticut landlords have reached a settlement in a housing discrimination case. According to a HUD press release, “The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced an agreement with a group of Connecticut landlords to resolve allegations they discriminated against families with children. HUD reached the agreement with New Britain-based Green New Britain, LLC, and PBJ Management, and their on-site property manager for allegedly refusing to rent a two-bedroom apartment to a single mother and her two young children.” Violations of Fair Housing Act laws can affect the home buying process at every level. In this case, the victims were renters, but plenty of people seek rental housing while searching for a new home to purchase. The | more...

February 4, 2016

HUD Reaches Settlement In Home Loan Discrimination Case

By Joe Wallace

The Department of Housing and Urban Development issued a press release this week announcing a $1.9 million settlement with a bank in Tennessee over a housing discrimination complaint. According to HUDNo.16-009, the settlement with First Tennessee Bank resolves “allegations that the bank discriminated against African-American and Hispanic applicants by denying them mortgage loans and by allegedly failing to place bank branches in minority-concentrated areas” according to the press release. The Fair Housing act makes it illegal to discriminate, according to the HUD official site, “in the terms, conditions, or privileges of sale of a dwelling because of race or national origin. The Act also makes it unlawful for any person or other entity whose business includes residential real estate-related transactions to discriminate against any person in making available such a | more...

January 15, 2016

HUD Charges Three Foreclosure Rescue Companies With Fraud, Discrimination

By Joe Wallace

HUD is bringing charges against three California foreclosure relief/loan modification companies according to a press release issued on the HUD official site. According to HUDNo.16-002, the agency is bringing charges against, “…three Modesto, California, home loan modification companies and nine of their agents with violating the Fair Housing Act by targeting Hispanic homeowners” for their national origin. As mentioned in the press release, laws passed as part of the Fair Housing Act prohibit discrimination in housing transactions (to include rental properties, public housing, and mortgage loans” because of national origin. “Families struggling to stay in their homes need real help, not false promises that make a bad situation worse,” said Gustavo Velasquez, HUD Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, who was quoted in the press release. He adds, | more...

January 8, 2016

FHA Loans, Fair Housing Laws And Your Rights: One Family’s Fair Housing Story

By Joe Wallace

Fair Housing laws ensure that all who seek housing get fair and equal treatment. It doesn’t matter if you are a renter, a house hunter, or somewhere in between renting and owning; fair housing laws apply to you and assign certain rights and responsibilities depending on which side of the transaction you are on. We write about fair housing cases from time to time because acts of discrimination can and sometimes do affect the FHA loan process. The people discriminated against are sometimes the only ones standing in the way of future violations of fair housing laws–those who report the illegal treatment can get it stopped. The video above is published by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and is part of a HUD video project aimed at educating | more...