Released: May 19, 2007

Discriminating lenders—or discrimination?

Source: Kenneth R. Harney, Washington Post (Free Registration)

When mortgage lenders refuse to write loans on central-city rowhouses, does that violate federal fair-housing rules?

What about refusing to write mortgages on houses in a community dominated by an ethnic group? Or not offering mortgage loans for houses that may be used in part to accommodate disabled adults?

Just how much protection do fair-lending and other civil rights laws provide to mortgage applicants who are rejected not because of their credit scores or financial capacities but possibly because of the location, type or potential use of their homes?

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