On February 27, 2025, fair housing not-for-profit agencies received letters notifying them that their funding was ending. These agencies have operated and exited because of the federal funding they receive yearly. Many of these agencies have been providing legal services and support to victims of housing discrimination based on RACE, COLOR, RELIGION, SEX, DISABILITY, and FAMILIAL STATUS. They receive hundreds, if not thousands, of complaints each year. Moreover, 75% of the agencies filed or handled discrimination complaints for their constituents. Half of the agency's fair housing grants, some $30 million, were terminated. The letters all said it was being done at the direction of the Elon Musk-led unit, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) because the funding "no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities." How will these agencies survive without federal funding, and how will the communities suffer without assistance or representation against discrimination? See HUD has choked funding to enforce fair-housing laws : NPR
This past Thursday, Businessweek covered a massive settlement in a federal lawsuit alleging racial discrimination in SunTrust’s lending practices. The suit, filed by the US DOJ, was filed in the U.S. District Court in Richmond, VA, alleging more than 20,000 African-American and Hispanic borrowers were charged more than similarly-situated and qualified non-Hispanic white borrowers, between 2005 and 2009. The suit alleged that minority borrowers in 75 geographic markets from Virginia Beach, VA to San Francisco, CA, paid more in loan fees, or were charged higher interest rates based solely on race or national origin. A consent order filed with the complaint says SunTrust denies any wrongdoing, but agreed to the settlement. "SunTrust strongly believes in the principles of fair lending," company spokesman Mike McCoy in Atlanta said. "We are pleased to have reached a settlement and put this matter behind us." Settlements like this come as a surprise, considering the...
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