[nfbmi-talk] Fw: Bank of America Charged With Housing Discrimination, Justice Department Might Join Fight

[joe harcz Comcast]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Claude Everett" <ceverett at dslextreme.com>
To: "'Blind Democracy Discussion List'" <blind-democracy at octothorp.org>
Sent: Monday, February 27, 2012 11:27 PM
Subject: Bank of America Charged With Housing Discrimination, Justice 
Department Might Join Fight


> News Author : James Johnson Posted: February 27, 2012
> Tags : bank of america, bofa, Federal Government, House Loans, housing,
> Housing Discrimination, Mortgage Discrimination
>  Bank of America Charged With Housing Discrimination, Justice Department
> Might Join Fight
>
>
>
>
> The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development filed discrimination
> charges against Bank of America Corp. on Monday as the organization 
> claimed
> BofA discriminated against three disabled borrowers in Michigan and
> Wisconsin.
>
> According to federal agents the bank was in violation of the federal Fair
> Housing Act in both 2009 and 2010.
>
> The charge claims that Bank of America imposed "unnecessary and burdensome
> requirements" on borrowers who received income because of a disability. In
> some cases the bank wanted statements from doctors in order to receive
> loans, another provision forbidden by the FHA.
>
> Bank of America rather than apologizing issued a statement in which it 
> said
> Federal Housing Administraiton guidelines in all three cases were caused
> because of "inconsistencies" in laws that regulate housing discrimination.
>
> In the statement BofA claims:
>
> "There is no basis to allege that Bank of America has engaged in a 
> systemic
> practice of discriminating on the basis of disability in connection with
> mortgage lending."
>
> While HUD can levy sanctions up to $65,000 per violation the Justice
> Department which is also investigating the claims has the right to include
> civil penalties up to $100,000.
>
> Bank of America in the meantime provides no proof that laws in Michigan 
> and
> Wisconsin allow lenders to require doctor notes for disabled borrowers
> before loans are improved.
>
> Personally I find that simply requiring a person to provide a doctors note
> to obtain a loan when they have an obvious disability and receive 
> disability
> payments is discrimination.
>
> Do you think Bank of American discriminated against borrowers by asking 
> for
> information they don't require from non-disabled customers?
>
> Regards,
> Claude Everett
> "Labor is prior to and independent of
> capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed 
> if
>
> labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and 
> deserves
> much the higher consideration."
> Abraham Lincoln,
> Congressional address 1861
>
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