Bank of America faces Fed complaint for how it maintains bank-owned homes in minority neighborhoods
from the Detroit Free Press:
The National Fair Housing Alliance and five affiliated organizations announced today the filing of a federal housing discrimination complaint against Bank of America for the way it maintains and markets bank-owned houses in minority neighborhoods in eight cities, including Grand Rapids.
Shanna Smith, president and CEO of the National Fair Housing Alliance, said the groups had conducted an investigation to determine if Bank of America is maintaining the properties its obtained through foreclosure in white neighborhoods equal to its properties in black and Latino neighborhoods. The complaint, which is being filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, follows complaints by the alliance against Wells Fargo and U.S. Bancorp.
We found significant racial disparity, Smith said during a conference call today.
At one house in Grand Rapids, a dead dog was found among the trash and leaves of a Bank of America property in a black neighborhood. .................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.freep.com/article/20120925/BUSINESS06/120925069/bank-of-america-minority-discrimination-complaint?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE