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Wells Fargo accused of REVERSE REDLINING


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2010 May 17, 1:03pm   3,080 views  9 comments

by Leigh   ➕follow (0)   💰tip   ignore  

Come on all you CRA critics, you read that right: REVERSE REDLINING!

Former Employees Allege Reverse Redlining at Wells Fargo

by AUSTIN KILGORE

Wells Fargo (WFC: 31.97 -0.22%) allegedly engaged in reverse redlining, the act of offering economically disadvantaged borrowers riskier mortgages, in neighborhoods across Memphis and surrounding Shelby County, according to the claims of former employees in a lawsuit (download here), filed by the relevant municipal governments.

...

In addition, the former employees claim Wells Fargo drafted subprime marketing materials on the basis of race by using software to “translate” the materials into what the bank defined as the “language” of African American, and referred to subprime loans located in minority communities as “ghetto loans.”

http://www.housingwire.com/2010/01/04/former-employees-allege-reverse-redlining-at-wells-fargo/

#housing

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1   Vicente   2010 May 17, 1:25pm  

It's just another way to say they were engaged in predatory loan practices. Because they all thought the loans wouldn't be on their books when it all blew up, and they'd anyhow all be rolling in so much money by the time it did they wouldn't care.

2   elliemae   2010 May 17, 1:39pm  

leigh says

In addition, the former employees claim Wells Fargo drafted subprime marketing materials on the basis of race by using software to “translate” the materials into what the bank defined as the “language” of African American, and referred to subprime loans located in minority communities as “ghetto loans.”

Let's hope that the "language" of African American's includes the word, "lawsuit."

3   vain   2010 May 18, 9:44am  

"If you b*tc*es don't have our money, you ain't go no more home to live at."
or
"If you b*tc*es don't have our money, we gonna put a cap in yo ass (foreclosure)."

4   thomas.wong1986   2010 May 18, 10:31am  

We live in interesting times... even an illegal alien who walked over the border, gets caught by a US citizen and handed over to the border patrol can claim their human rights were violated by the US citizen and seeks $1M in damages.

The suit seeks damages under the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discriminatory lending practices. Lawyers for the city and county claim 43.2% of Wells Fargo’s foreclosures are in the region’s minority neighborhoods, even though these neighborhoods account for 15.1% of Wells Fargo’s origination portfolio in the market. Foreclosures in the area’s white neighborhoods — where Wells Fargo originated 59.5% of its loans in the market — accounted for 21.5% of the bank’s total foreclosures in the market.

The lawyers contend if Wells Fargo were “properly and uniformly applying responsible underwriting practices” in both communities, foreclosure rates would be comparable.

But research from both the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the Columbia School of Business, released in April of last year, argues that claims of reverse redlining are a by-product of insufficient data. See earlier commentary.

“The reverse redlining suit seeks to hold Wells Fargo responsible for the damage that its illegal and discriminatory practices have caused the city and county,” Memphis mayor AC Wharton said in prepared remarks during a press conference held at the city’s National Civil Rights Museum.

“Our holding this press conference announcement at the National Civil Rights Museum underscores our assertion that the predatory lending issue is one of basic fairness,” he added.

5   simchaland   2010 May 18, 12:47pm  

Wells Fargo be hella bootsy. They employees be smirkish. Peace out.

6   elliemae   2010 May 18, 1:28pm  

Wow. You'd make a lovely black bear, simcha.

7   MarkInSF   2010 May 18, 3:46pm  

In addition, the former employees claim Wells Fargo drafted subprime marketing materials on the basis of race by using software to “translate” the materials into what the bank defined as the “language” of African American, and referred to subprime loans located in minority communities as “ghetto loans.”

Oh, come on. What's wrong with that? Some groups of people use language differently. Is it wrong to tailor your marketing materials to them?

And, what, ghettos don't exist? Is somehow making the word "ghetto" bad to say make them go away?

If it was predatory lending, fine, I'm against that, but that second piece you quoted is completely irrelevant IMHO.

8   MarkInSF   2010 May 18, 6:40pm  

Nomograph says

MarkInSF says

And, what, ghettos don’t exist?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venetian_Ghetto

Etymology is fascinating, but I think the Urban Dictionary is probably more in line with how Americans use the word.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ghetto

1. (n.) an impoverished, neglected, or otherwise disadvantaged residential area of a city, usually troubled by a disproportionately large amount of crime
2. (adj.) urban; of or relating to (inner) city life
3. (adj.) poor; of or relating to the poor life
4. (adj.) jury-rigged, improvised, or home-made (usually with extremely cheap or sub-standard components), yet still deserving of an odd sense of respect from ghetto dwellers and non-ghetto dwellers alike

But yeah, I don't think I'd mind living in the original Venice ghetto. Property values tripled there from the mid 90's to 2008. Not holding up so well of late though. Must have been the CRA and Fannie Mae and the Democrats at work.

9   turtledove   2010 May 18, 9:37pm  

What a huge surprise.... Banks taking advantage of people who were more than willing to be taken advantage of.

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