Bank of America has settled a fair housing complaint with the federal government over allegations of denying mortgages and home equity lines of credit to adults with guardians.The period covered by the settlement with the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York was between January 2010 and February 2016 for mortgage loan applicants, and between January 2010 and May 2017 for home equity loan applicants. And even if you decide the request is not appropriate and should not be granted, do your best to ensure no resident can claim he or she was retaliated against because of the accommodation request or because they filed a discrimination complaint. The FHA, like most laws, is complicated.
By Scott M. Badami on May 25, 2020. For example, housing covered by Title II of the ADA includes housing operated by public housing agencies that meet the ADA’s definition of “public entity,” and housing operated by States or units of local government, such as housing on a State university campus.Title III of the ADA prohibits private entities that own, lease (to and from), and operate places of public accommodation from discriminating on the basis of disability and requires places of public accommodation and commercial facilities to be designed, constructed, and altered in compliance with established accessibility standards. For more information, see Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act provides that no qualified individual with disabilities should, solely by reason of his or her disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.Section 504 covers all programs and activities of recipients of HUD financial assistance, including, for example:• Outreach and public contact, including contact with program applicants and participantsSection 504 broadly covers all recipients and subrecipients of HUD financial assistance. "The settlement agreement notes that "Bank of America asserts that during the time period in question, it did make mortgage loans to persons with handicaps and disabilities without restrictions, including some adult applicants who had legal guardians or conservatorships. What the Fair Housing Act Covers In 1968, the Fair Housing Act was passed by Congress as Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968. By Fannie, Freddie also announced they'll face banklike liquidity standards starting Sept. 1. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, regardless of whether you live in private or public housing, Federal laws provide the following rights to persons with disabilities:. I. "The Fair Housing Act prohibits banks from denying mortgage loans and other housing-related credit to people because of their disabilities, and this Department will hold accountable those lenders who engage in such illegal conduct. This does not mean that other conditions are not disabilities. If you or your roommate has a disability that fits the definition under the Fair Housing Act (FHA), the law entitles you to certain protections. "No one in this free country should be denied access to the American dream merely because of a disability. New York Crime and Safety Provisions for Apartments An entity or person receiving housing assistance payments from a recipient on behalf of eligible families under a housing assistance payments program or a voucher program is not a recipient or sub-recipient merely by virtue of receipt of such payments.HUD’s Section 504 regulation defines federal financial assistance broadly to include virtually any form of financial assistance, including property, except for a contract or guarantee of insurance, provided or otherwise made available by the Department. . In addition, persons and entities covered by the Fair Housing Act may not coerce, intimidate, threaten or interfere with any individual’s rights under Fair Housing Act.