Lenders Must Continue to be Held Accountable for Discriminatory Practices
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 22, 2021
Media Contacts: Charmaine Riley, The Leadership Conference, riley@civilrights.org, 202.548.7166;
Izzy Woodruff, National Fair Housing Alliance, iwoodruff@nationalfairhousing.org, 202.898.1661
Lenders Must Continue to be Held Accountable for Discriminatory Practices
Washington, D.C. — Wade Henderson, interim president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and Lisa Rice, president and CEO of the National Fair Housing Alliance, issued the following joint statement after the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced its Combatting Redlining Initiative, and the DOJ, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) took action against Trustmark National Bank’s deliberate discrimination against Black and Hispanic families:
“We welcome the Department of Justice’s renewed vigor and interest in addressing lending discrimination in the Combatting Redlining Initiative. Discrimination has no place in our society, in financial services or anywhere else. We also applaud the DOJ, OCC, and CFPB for taking another important step to end the legacy of redlining of Black and Hispanic communities by pursuing a strong enforcement action. No person should be denied banking services or other economic opportunities based on their race, national origin, or other factors that impede on their civil rights. Accountability must continue in order to rectify and prevent predatory and discriminatory housing and lending practices. We urge the court to accept the consent decree and take immediate action.”
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The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 230 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.
The National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) is the country’s only national civil rights organization dedicated solely to eliminating all forms of housing and lending discrimination and ensuring equal opportunities for all people. As the trade association for over 200 fair housing and justice-centered organizations throughout the U.S. and its territories, NFHA works to dismantle longstanding barriers to equity and build diverse, inclusive, well-resourced communities. Learn more at nationalfairhousing.org.