Articles Tagged With: Fair Housing Laws

October 16, 2014

HUD Awards Millions To Help Fight Housing Discrimination

In recent weeks we’ve seen a variety of press releases from the FHA/HUD discussing settlements in cases where HUD investigated alleged violations of the Fair Housing Act and other anti-discrimination housing laws. Now, the Department of Housing and Urban Development has issued a press release announcing millions of dollars in federal funds being awarded to agencies trying to raise awareness of Fair Housing laws. According to HUDNo. 14-123, “The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today awarded $38.3 million to more than 100 fair housing organizations and other non-profit agencies in 43 states and the District of Columbia to address housing discrimination.” The HUD press release says that competitive grants in this area are funded via the HUD Fair Housing Initiatives Program, “to help enforce the Fair Housing | more...

September 22, 2014

Fair Housing Act Violations: A Reader Question

By Joe Wallace

A reader asks, “I am trying to sell my manufactured home and the land it sets on to a couple that are not married from California, the lienholder refuses to do this because they are not married, isn’t this a violation of Federal Law?” The Fair Housing Act makes it illegal to discriminate against a house hunter–a buyer or renter–based on family status. That includes being married, not married, a single parent, etc. The Department of Housing and Urban Development official site (which is also home to the FHA official site) states the following basic information on the Fair Housing Act: “The Fair Housing Act covers most housing. In some circumstances, the Act exempts owner-occupied buildings with no more than four units, single-family housing sold or rented without the use | more...

September 19, 2014

HUD Announces Settlement In North Dakota Housing Discrimination Case

By Joe Wallace

We post news stories about settlements in housing discrimination cases for several reasons, but one of the most important is to remind borrowers that FHA loan applications aren’t immune from problems such as these. The first line of defense against continued violations of the Fair Housing Act usually comes in the form of complaints filed against companies that violate federal law. With that in mind, we bring news of a recent settlement between HUD and a North Dakota company over housing discrimination complaints. According to press release HUDNo.14-106, ” The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that it has reached an agreement with U.S. Bank National Association, U.S. Bank subsidiary Red Sky Risk Services, LLC (formerly known as USB Lending Support Services, LLC), and one of | more...

July 24, 2014

FHA, HUD Announce Settlement In Housing Discrimination Case

By Joe Wallace

The FHA and HUD have announced a settlement in a New Hampshire housing discrimination case. According to HUDNo.14-089, a tenant filed two housing discrimination complaints against TKB Properties and the New England Family Housing Management Organization. Those complaints were settled and the settlement announced in the HUD/FHA press release. “The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today agreements with the owners and managers of two Berlin, New Hampshire properties, settling allegations that they engaged in housing discrimination when they refused to rent to a woman who was a victim of domestic violence. The Fair Housing Act makes it unlawful to discriminate in the sale or rental of housing because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, or familial status.” “No woman should be denied housing based on | more...

July 8, 2014

FHA/HUD Announce Settlement In Discriminatory Ads Case

By Joe Wallace

The FHA and HUD have announced a settlement in a case involving discriminatory ads for housing. According to the press release found on the FHA/HUD official site, “The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today a Conciliation Agreement between the Connecticut Fair Housing Center (CFHC) and respondents Lil-1 Associates, AllPoints Realty and realtor Lillian Polak. The real estate companies will pay more than $24,000 to settle allegations that they published discriminatory listings and advertisements for condominiums specifying that children were not permitted.” Borrowers who want to buy a condo unit with FHA mortgage loans don’t always experience this type of illegal discrimination, but it’s good to know that if it does occur, FHA borrowers (or anyone looking to purchase a home or rent one) do have recourse | more...

November 6, 2013

HUD Settles Bank Of America Maternity Leave Discrimination Case

By Joe Wallace

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development issued a recent press statement announcing, “Bank of America will pay $45,000 as part of Conciliation Agreements resolving allegations the lender discriminated against pregnant women seeking mortgage loans. HUD had alleged that the Bank of America refused to refinance the mortgages of two couples in California and Texas, because the women were on maternity leave.” We write a great deal of articles here about home loans, and one of the most important aspects of being an informed borrower is knowing your rights under the Fair Housing Act. As the FHA/HUD press release points out, refusing a mortgage or denying a borrower mortgage insurance because the applicant is pregnant or on family leave is a violation of the Fair Housing Act. “No lender | more...

February 29, 2012

HUD Charges Bank Of America With Violations of the Fair Housing Act, Discrimination

By Joe Wallace

FHA loan applicants should know their rights under the Fair Housing Act, which forbids discrimination in the terms and conditions of a loan to an individual based on disability. That includes setting a different standard or requiring different application processes for disabled FHA and conventional loan applicants. Under federal law, it is also illegal for a lender to ask about the nature or severity of a disability except in limited circumstances explained in the Fair Housing Act. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently announced it is charging Bank of America with discriminating against homebuyers with disabilities.