HUD Offers New Tools for Fair Housing Compliance

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Jann Swanson | Mortgage News Daily
The Center for Responsible Lending praised the new rule. Its executive vice president Nikitra Bailey said that when people live in communities of opportunity they are more likely to prosper and when they don't they often end up paying more for mortgages and basic financial services which cripples their ability to save, build wealth, and drains money that could be...

Black Families Must Focus on Asset Building

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Charlene Crowell | District Chronicles
“Proving that when families receive responsible mortgage loans, they are able to build a financial safety net that they can access during challenging times,” said Nikitra Bailey, a CRL executive vice-president.

Consumer Complaints Pays Off in $1.6 Billion Relief

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Charlene Crowell | The Philadelphia Tribune
“These complaints reveal that consumers continue to face significant challenges within the mortgage industry,” said Nikitra Bailey, CRL vice-president. “The goal of clear and transparent lending is not happening for everyone. That should be the standard, rather than the exception. The CFPB is positioned to ensure fairness for all consumers.”

Martin Eakes Honored by Princeton University

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Millree Williams
CRL founder and CEO Martin Eakes received Princeton University’s James Madison Medal on Saturday, February 21, 2015 during the university’s 100th anniversary of Alumni Day. Queen Noor of Jordan, Princeton alumna, was also honored. Martin was honored for his work to empower lower-income communities, including low-wealth families and communities of color. He’s done so through the work of the Center...

Supreme Court to Review Fair Housing Law

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Charlene Crowell | The District Chronicles
Speaking at a January 21, midday rally organized by the National Fair Housing Alliance and held on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court, Nikitra Bailey, senior vice-president with CRL said, “Today, the question before the Supreme Court is a simple one: Will the court stand on the side of justice and fairness by upholding disparate impact as a critical...

High Court Housing Case Could Ease Discrimination Claims

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Jess Davis | Law 360
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday will consider whether Texas can be sued for disparate impact under the Fair Housing Act for how it allocated low-income tax credits in Dallas, in a case lawyers say would make it harder to bring claims of unintentional discrimination against companies in a broad swath of industries, including developers, lenders and insurers.

Residential Department: Q&A: Nikitra Bailey, Center for Responsible Lending

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Raymond Fleischmann | Scotsman Guide
Since the nadir of the housing crisis, the mortgage industry has seen the advent of a vast array of regulations aimed at protecting borrowers and ensuring their ability to repay their loans. Few would argue, however, that unethical banks and originators are entirely extinct, and consumer-advocate groups continue to promote industry reform.

In Home Loans, Subprime Fades as a Dirty Word

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Shaila Dewan | The New York Times
And it is doing just what many economists and consumer groups have urged: making credit more widely available. “Not all subprime lending is abusive. It just happened that all of the abuses happened in the subprime space,” said Nikitra Bailey, an executive vice president of the Center for Responsible Lending. “The regulators now have to be really vigilant to make...

Black America Still Struggling For Home Ownership Despite Housing Recovery

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Taylor Gordon | Atlanta Black Star
“It is concerning that families of color remain underserved in our current mortgage system,” said Nikitra Bailey, executive vice-president with the Center for Responsible Lending (CLR). “Owning a home remains an important building block for families to create economic stability. Thus, the primary and secondary mortgage markets have a responsibility to ensure that all Americans who are qualified can access...

Low Home Down Payment Builds Family Wealth

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Charlene Crowell | The Louisiana Weekly
Nikitra Bailey, executive vice-president with CRL added, “While families and communities struggle to recover from their tremendous lost wealth, no community should be left behind. All Americans deserve to be part of the nation’s financial recovery. . . .Without that access, the nation’s wealth gap will only grow wider.”