Since launching an initiative to fight redlining in 2021, federal prosecutors have reached settlements with 13 mortgage lenders totaling greater than $137 million.
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A New Jersey-based lender accused of closing branches in minority neighborhoods operated by two rivals it acquired has agreed to pay $15.1 million to settle federal redlining allegations.
OceanFirst Financial institution’s acquisitions of Solar Nationwide Financial institution in 2018 and Two River Group in 2020 attracted the eye of federal regulators and the Division of Justice, which launched a nationwide anti-redlining initiative in 2021.
In its grievance, the Justice Division famous that earlier than these acquisitions, OceanFirst largely operated in predominantly white communities in Ocean and Monmouth counties.
Within the technique of increasing, OceanFirst acquired 45 branches and mortgage manufacturing workplaces — and by 2022 had closed all 4 of its new branches that have been situated in majority-Black, Hispanic and Asian neighborhoods, the Division of Justice alleged in its Sept. 18 grievance.
Along with working no workplaces in minority neighborhoods, OceanFirst’s outreach and promoting was disproportionately centered on majority-white communities, contributing to “a pattern or practice of unlawful redlining,” prosecutors alleged.
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OceanFirst didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark however mentioned within the consent order that it neither admitted nor denied the allegations towards it.
“OceanFirst asserts that throughout the period of time at issue in this proceeding and to the present, it has treated all of its customers fairly and without regard to impermissible factors such as race, color and national origin,” the consent order mentioned. “OceanFirst also asserts that it enters into this settlement solely for the purpose of avoiding contested litigation with the United States, and to instead devote its resources to providing fair and equal access to residential lending services” within the New Brunswick space.
However the Division of Justice alleged that an evaluation of Residence Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) knowledge confirmed that from 2018 by 2022, only one.9 % of the 4,975 mortgage functions processed by OceanFirst got here from individuals in search of loans on properties situated in majority Black, Hispanic or Asian census tracts. That compares to 17.4 % of functions obtained by OceanFirst’s friends, the grievance alleged.
“OceanFirst was aware of the inadequacy of its fair lending risk management as early as 2020, when an internal analysis shared with bank leadership stated that the bank’s physical expansion had increased its fair lending risk but that risk management practices had failed to keep pace,” the grievance alleged. “A 2020 internal audit shared with bank leadership identified a lack of customer diversity, deficiencies in the bank’s marketing practices, and inadequate fair lending oversight by the board. ”
In 2021, the financial institution’s federal regulator, the Workplace of the Comptroller of the Forex, “concluded that OceanFirst’s fair lending monitoring had failed to keep pace with the bank’s expansion,” the grievance mentioned.
Though the financial institution created inner committees and teams to deal with the problems, many suggestions weren’t adopted and others weren’t carried out “until years after the bank had become aware of the inadequacy of its fair lending risk management,” the grievance mentioned.
In its consent order with the Division of Justice and a conciliation settlement with the Division of Housing and City Growth (HUD), OceanFirst agreed to:
- Make investments not less than $14 million in a mortgage subsidy fund to spice up mortgage lending to residents of majority-Black, Hispanic and Asian neighborhoods in Middlesex, Monmouth, and Ocean counties.
- Spend $700,000 on promoting, outreach, client monetary training and credit score counseling centered totally on Black, Hispanic, and Asian neighborhoods in these counties.
- Spend $400,000 on neighborhood partnerships to supply companies associated to credit score, client monetary training, homeownership, and foreclosures prevention.
- Open a mortgage manufacturing workplace and preserve the financial institution’s not too long ago opened full-service department in predominantly Black, Hispanic and Asian neighborhoods, and assign not less than one mortgage mortgage officer to every location.
- Conduct a neighborhood credit score wants evaluation, consider honest lending compliance administration programs and conduct workers coaching on honest lending.
- Rent a director of neighborhood lending to supervise mortgage lending in communities of shade.
“We are committed to ensuring that everyone in New Jersey has access to the American dream of homeownership, regardless of race, color, or national origin,” Philip Sellinger, U.S. Legal professional for the District of New Jersey, mentioned in a assertion. “This agreement is an important step in leveling the playing field and removing illegal and discriminatory barriers in residential mortgage lending.”
The Division of Justice mentioned that since launching its Combating Redlining Initiative in 2021, it’s reached settlements with 13 lenders totaling greater than $137 million up to now, together with:
- First Nationwide Financial institution of Pennsylvania, which in February agreed to take a position not less than $11.75 million in a mortgage subsidy fund to supply higher entry to mortgages and residential enchancment loans to residents of majority-Black and Hispanic neighborhoods within the Charlotte and Winston-Salem, North Carolina, markets.
- Jacksonville, Florida-based Ameris Financial institution, which agreed in October 2023 to a $9 million settlement geared toward enhancing entry to credit score in majority-Black and Hispanic neighborhoods.
- Newark, Ohio-based Park Nationwide Financial institution, which agreed in February 2023 to take a position not less than $7.75 million in a mortgage subsidy fund to extend entry to credit score in majority-Black and Hispanic neighborhoods within the Columbus space.
- Lakeland Financial institution, which agreed in September 2022 to take a position not less than $12 million in a mortgage subsidy fund for residents of Black and Hispanic neighborhoods within the Newark, New Jersey, metropolitan space, together with neighborhoods in Essex, Somerset and Union counties.
- Berkshire Hathaway-owned Trident Mortgage Firm, which agreed in July 2022 to take a position greater than $20 million to create homeownership alternatives in communities of shade round Philadelphia.
In saying the settlement with Ameris Financial institution final fall, Legal professional Normal Merrick Garland mentioned the Justice Division had over two dozen ongoing investigations into redlining throughout the nation.
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