The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) seeking comment on whether its 2013 Disparate Impact Rule (Rule) should be revised in light of the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs v. Inclusive Communities Project, Inc.… Continue Reading
Housing group announces settlement of FHA lawsuit alleging insurance-related discrimination
The National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) has announced a settlement in its lawsuit against Travelers Indemnity Company in which it alleged that Travelers engaged in discriminatory conduct in violation of the Fair Housing Act (FHA).
In its lawsuit, which was filed in federal district court in Washington, D.C., NFHA alleged that Travelers had a policy of refusing to provide habitational insurance policies to landlords that rent to tenants who use Housing Choice Vouchers, also known as Section 8 vouchers. … Continue Reading
ABA identifies various industry concerns in fair lending white paper submitted to Treasury Secretary
We previously reported on the Executive Order 13772 titled “Core Principles for Regulating the United States Financial System,” which is a high-level policy statement consisting of a series of Core Principles that are designed to inform the manner in which the Administration regulates the financial system. The Executive Order directs the Secretary of the Treasury to identify, in a report to the President, any laws, regulations, guidance and other Government policies “that inhibit Federal regulation of the United States financial system in a manner consistent with the Core Principles.”… Continue Reading
Industry trade groups’ renewed challenge to HUD disparate impact rule could yield helpful precedent for ECOA cases
The D.C. district court recently granted two industry trade associations whose members sell homeowners insurance leave to file an amended complaint in their lawsuit challenging the Fair Housing Act (FHA) disparate impact rule (Rule) adopted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In their amended complaint, the trade associations allege that the Rule is inconsistent with the U.S.… Continue Reading
ABA seeks supervisory and enforcement standards consistent with Inclusive Communities
The American Bankers Association has sent a letter to the DOJ, Fed, OCC, FDIC, HUD and CFPB requesting confirmation “in interagency guidance, updated exam procedures, and where appropriate amended regulations that the Agencies’ consideration of disparate impact claims in both the supervisory and enforcement context will be governed by standards consistent with the [Supreme] Court’s framework [in Inclusive Communities.]” … Continue Reading
Cognizability of ECOA disparate impact claims remains an open question after Inclusive Communities
A sharply divided U.S. Supreme Court announced its decision in Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs v. The Inclusive Communities Project, Inc. on June 25, 2015, holding that disparate impact claims are cognizable under the Fair Housing Act.
Inclusive Communities does not resolve the question of whether disparate impact claims are cognizable under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. … Continue Reading
BREAKING NEWS: U.S. Supreme Court rules disparate impact claims are cognizable under the FHA
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled this morning that disparate impact claims are cognizable under the Fair Housing Act. Justice Kennedy wrote the majority opinion in Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs v. The Inclusive Communities Project, Inc., in which Justices Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayer and Kagan joined. Justice Alito wrote a dissenting opinion, in which Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Thomas and Scalia joined. … Continue Reading
Third time is the charm: U.S. Supreme Court hears argument in FHA disparate impact case
The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument last week in Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs v. The Inclusive Communities Project, Inc.— the case presenting the issue of whether disparate impact claims are cognizable under the Fair Housing Act (FHA). Two prior cases presenting this issue were settled after merits briefing but before oral argument was heard in the Supreme Court.… Continue Reading
Disparate impact on the ropes: federal district court vacates HUD rule
A federal district court in Washington, D.C. dealt a heavy blow on Monday to HUD’s position that disparate impact claims are cognizable under the Fair Housing Act (FHA). In American Insurance Association v. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, a case we have been watching for some time, the court issued an opinion vacating the HUD disparate impact rule on the ground that “the FHA prohibits disparate treatment only, and that the defendants, therefore, exceeded their authority under the” Administrative Procedure Act. … Continue Reading
Disparate impact cases against HUD: Illinois federal court issues decision; update on D.C. case
Because of their potential impact on the CFPB’s conclusion that the ECOA and Regulation B encompass disparate impact claims, we have been following two insurance industry lawsuits involving a challenge to HUD’s Federal Housing Act (FHA) disparate impact rule, with one lawsuit filed in federal district court in D.C. and the other filed in an Illinois federal district court.… Continue Reading