This initiative will be led by the Housing and Civil Enforcement Section in the DOJ Civil Rights Division and will work in partnership with U.S. Attorney’s Offices. It will build on the longstanding work by the division that seeks to make mortgage credit and homeownership accessible to all Americans on the same terms, regardless of race or national origin and regardless of the neighborhood where they live. Allegations Typically, redlining complaints have alleged that the lender involved in the action took some combination of the following actions: • Avoided locating branches or other offices in majorityminority areas within the financial institution’s market area. • Avoided serving the credit needs of borrowers in majorityminority census tracts, or borrowers seeking credit in those tracts, from obtaining mortgage (or other) loans while acting to serve the credit needs for mortgage loans in majoritywhite census tracts. • Engaged in discriminatory conduct that would discourage loan applications from prospective applicants who are residents of or seeking credit in majority-minority census tracts in the geographic area. • Used a compensation policy that contains disincentives to make loans in majority-minority areas. • Adopted and maintained internal fair-lending policies and procedures that are inadequate to ensure that the bank provides equal access to credit to majority-minority communities. • Employed few (if any) minority loan officers/originators. • Failed to use advertising media that are directed toward or oriented to a majority-minority community. • Avoided sending loan officers to market to majorityminority neighborhoods. • Developed marketing campaigns and advertisements that discouraged and ignored minority mortgage loan applicants, particularly by use of individuals pictured in marketing materials — both models and financial institution employees — that appear to be white. • Distributed racist language and messages about certain neighborhoods — e.g., emails containing racial slurs and racist content, using racist tropes and terms, pejorative content specifically related to real estate properties’ locations and appraisals, and/or targeting people living in majority-minority neighborhoods. Continued on page 16 15 In Touch
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTg3NDExNQ==