discrimination – Consumer Financial Services Watch

HMDA Reality Check: What You Can and Cannot Conclude from New Mortgage Loan Data

Apr 03 2019

Extensive data about mortgage lending activity collected pursuant to the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (“HMDA”) was just made available to the public for the first time on March 29, 2019. More detail about borrowers, about underwriting, and about loan features is now available than ever before, and that information also is easier for the public to access than it ever has been. The mortgage lending industry should expect that the expanded HMDA data will receive significant attention and scrutiny from private organizations and individuals, and the data is certain to spark controversy about the racial, ethnic and gender fairness of mortgage lending.

Trump has opportunity to restore balance in fair lending cases

Feb 14 2017

From the February 7, 2017 article in American Banker

By Paul F. Hancock

With good cause, anxiety has been expressed regarding the direction of the Department of Justice’s civil rights division under the Trump administration.

Unfortunately, the past 16 years have seen the pendulum fly first to lax civil rights enforcement and improper politicization of the division under the Bush administration, and then to overreaching under the Obama administration. Trump administration officials would be wise to seek a balance. To get there, guidance is available from the division’s longer-range history — including during years that might not seem obvious, like under the Reagan administration. Balance would benefit both the nation and the future of the division.

To read the full article, click here.

The Supreme Court to Consider Whether Spousal Loan Guarantors Are “Applicants” for Credit under ECOA

Mar 06 2015

By: Andrew C. Glass, Olivia Kelman

The United States Supreme Court has granted certiorari to decide whether the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (“ECOA”) excludes loan guarantors from the definition of “applicants” entitled to bring suit under the Act. See Hawkins v. Community Bank of Raymore, No. 14-520 (U.S. Mar. 2, 2015). Specifically, the Court will decide whether the Federal Reserve Board exceeded its authority in its 2003 amendment to Regulation B, the regulation implementing ECOA, to purportedly bring guarantors within the ambit of ECOA’s protection. The Court’s decision may have far-reaching implications for lenders extending credit guaranteed by a non-borrower.

CFPB Issues Fair Lending Guidance for Indirect Auto Lenders

Mar 22 2013

By: Melanie Brody , Stephanie C. Robinson

On March 21, 2013, the CFPB issued CFPB Bulletin 2013-02: Indirect Auto Lending and Compliance with the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. In this bulletin, the CFPB describes its understanding of how the indirect auto lending industry works, and describes its view on how ECOA applies to indirect auto lending—including its theory on lender liability for disparities in dealer markups. The guidance offers advice to bank and nonbank indirect auto lenders within the CFPB’s jurisdiction on how they can limit their indirect auto fair lending risk. Read More

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