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Old news
(More recent news is available here.)The Miami Valley Fair Housing Center and the HomeOwnership Center of Greater Dayton present:
Maxed Out: Hard Times, Easy Credit and the Era of Predatory Lenders, a feature-length documentary directed by James Scurlock.
Maxed Out takes viewers on a journey deep inside the American style of debt, where things seem fine as long as the minimum monthly payment arrives on time. With coverage that spans from small American towns all the way to the White House, the film shows how the modern financial industry really works, explains the true definition of "preferred customer" and tells us why the poor are getting poorer while the rich keep getting richer. Hillarious, shocking and inciscive, Maxed Out paints a picture of a national nightmare which is all too real for most of us.
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Tuesday, November 27, 2007 7:30 p.m. • $3 per person The NEON Movies 130 East Fifth Street • Dayton, OH 45402 Tickets are available at the NEON's box office. |
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2007 Community Reinvestment Institute program
Now is your chance to participate in the Community Reinvestment Institute's 2007 program where you can learn about the Community Reinvestment and Home Mortgage Disclosure Acts and participate in a forum for dialogue about capital, credit and insurance needs in Dayton neighborhoods and small businesses. Learn more and register today!
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The Chicago Freedom Movement — Remember Why You're Here, Brother, an exhibit of over 50 of civil rights photographer Bernard J. Kleina's images of civil rights marches in Chicago in the mid 60s, will be on display in Sinclair Community College's new library April 4–14. April is National Fair Housing month, and the exhibit kicks off the month's celebration in Dayton. The exhibit will open on April 4 with an opportunity to meet the artist at 7:30 p.m. Read more about Kleina, the exhibit and the Marquette Park march. |
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hopes that you will join us
on the campus of Sinclair Community College
444 West Third Street
Dayton, OH 45402-1460
for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity
Presentation on predatory loans is now available
At the "Developing Solutions to Ohio's Foreclosure Crisis" summit in Toledo, MVFHC Vice President of Legal Affairs Kimberly Kilby gave a presentation on "How to Recognize a Predatory Loan" and possible ways to help clients with predatory loans. You can view the presentation online in HTML or PowerPoint.|
SAVE THE DATE
DEVELOPING SOLUTIONS TO OHIO’S FORECLOSURE CRISIS November 14, 2006 Wyndham Hotel, 2 Seagate, Toledo, Ohio Topics Tools for Implementing Effective Counseling Programs Predatory Lending Enforcement Foreclosure Prevention Best Practices Improving Communications Between Lenders, Counselors and Consumers Policy, Legislation and Regulatory Issues More information on who should attend and how to register is available here. |
Dayton community members participate in foreclosure solutions workshop
Over 50 community members including fair housing advocates, realtors, lenders and law enforcement professionals participated in a foreclosure solutions workshop held Tuesday, May 25th, 2006 at the Zion Gateway Transit and Cultural Center in Dayton, Ohio. Facilitated by Miami Valley Fair Housing Center (MVFHC) President/CEO Jim McCarthy, the workshop was one of six held around the state and organized by Lisa Rice, President/CEO, and Lisa Lawson-LaPointe, Development Director, of the Toledo Fair Housing Center (TFHC). Read about the workshop and see photos from the event.
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The Miami Valley Fair Housing Center, Inc. (MVFHC) is seeking independent contractors to be part of our testing program. If you are interested, you can apply online.
2006 FAIR HOUSING MONTH LUNCHEON CELEBRATION The Dayton Area Board of REALTORS® and the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center, Inc. invite you to join us in our celebration of April 2006 as Fair Housing Month by attending our annual luncheon to be held Thursday, April 6, 2006 at the Dayton Marriott. 
Michael Allen, Esq., Senior Staff Attorney of the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, will present the keynote address, What "Integrated" Housing Means to People with Disabilities.
For more information and to order tickets, click here. |
MVFHC awarded 3-year performance-based HUD grant
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced December 12, 2007, that Miami Valley Fair Housing Center (MVFHC) has been awarded a three-year performance-based grant for its work 
against housing discrimination and helping victims of predatory mortgage loans. At MVFHC's 2007 annual meeting, HUD Cincinnati Field Office Director James Cunningham presented MVFHC President/CEO Jim McCarthy with a check for the first year's installment of the grant.
The grant awarded to MVFHC is one of only thirty-nine multi-year grants awarded to the highest performing of HUD's more than 100 Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) agencies. Multi-year funding allows groups that maintain excellent performance ratings to continue their activities without interruption. Groups not in this category must submit requests for funding each year.
HUD's grant to MVFHC of $275,000 per year for three years, for a total of $825,000, will enable MVFHC to provide complaint intake, investigation and referral for alleged victims of discrimination. Read more and see photos.
National Fair Housing Alliance president to speak in Dayton about discrimination in housing sales
Shanna L. Smith, President/CEO of the National Fair Housing Alliance, will speak about NFHA's national sales investigation at the Dayton Area Board of Realtors® annual expo on April 10, 2007, at 1 p.m., at the Dayton Convention Center.
NFHA published the results of the investigation in their 2006 report Unequal Opportunity — Perpetuating Housing Segregation in America. Ms. Smith will provide illustrations of the discriminatory practices found and their impact on communities, and she will offer direction and guidance to real estate agents about ways to comply with the Fair Housing Act.
The presentation, which is open to the public, costs $30 per person; real estate agents can receive CE credit for attendance. For more information and to register, contact DABR at 937-223-0900.
National Fair Housing Alliance releases housing discrimination data and denounces crisis of segregation
The National Fair Housing Alliance released its annual trends report this month, which paints a comprehensive and alarming picture of how illegal housing practices by real estate companies perpetuate residential segregation in America. The report details an egregiously high incidence of racial steering across the United States even now, almost forty years after the passage of the federal Fair Housing Act.
NFHA's 2006 Fair Housing Trends Report describes its multi-year real estate sales testing program in twelve metropolitan areas, which revealed striking patterns of racial steering nationwide through hundreds of tests. In fact, NFHA's tests found racial steering to be the norm, with a steering rate of 87 percent, when testers were given an opportunity to see homes. Whites were limited to viewing homes in predominately White neighborhoods and discouraged from visiting homes in interracial neighborhoods. African-Americans and Latinos lost their right to see homes of their choosing across a wide spectrum of White communities. They were limited to seeing homes in neighborhoods in which their race or national origin predominated.
Read the entire report in Adobe Acrobat PDF format here.
Guide to Predatory Lending now available for Realtors®A brochure is now available for Realtors® that explains what predatory lending is and tells Realtors® how they can help their clients avoid predatory loans.
(Homeowners and home buyers should visit www.dontriskyourhome.com or call the Predatory Lending Solutions hotline at 937-222-9671 to get information about predatory lending.)
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Annual Fair Housing Luncheon celebration marks the 38th Anniversary of the passage of the federal Fair Housing Act 
More than 135 people enthusiastically turned out for the 2006 Fair Housing Luncheon in Dayton, Ohio, held Thursday, April 6, 2006 and featuring keynote speaker Michael Allen, Senior Staff Attorney and Director of Housing Programs with Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law. Read about the luncheon and see photos from the event.
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Fair Housing Month 40th Anniversary of the passage of the Federal Fair Housing Act
1968 — 2008
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Equal Housing Opportunity for All
Reflecting Back and Moving Forward Integrating America
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The Miami Valley Fair Housing Center and the Dayton Area Board of Realtors are hosting a special day commemorating the promises of equal housing opportunity embodied in the Federal Fair Housing Act.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
David H. Ponitz Sinclair Center Sinclair Community College Dayton, Ohio  Dr. Melissa Harris-Lacewell Dr. Melissa Harris-Lacewell  Terry W. Watson
One low price of $59 included three hours of continuing education plus the Fair Housing Luncheon, Keynote Address and Awards presentation! Registration is now closed.
For more information about the speakers and workshops,
check the program page. |
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Vectren Foundation awards grant to Miami Valley Fair Housing Center |
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Locally MVFHC and the Dayton Area Board of Realtors will celebrate the anniversary and Fair Housing Month on April 3, 2008. A conference will be held at the David H. Ponitz Sinclair Center on the campus of Sinclair Community College. The theme of the conference is "Equal Housing Opportunity for All - Reflecting Back and Moving Forward" and will be reflected through educational workshops, a luncheon and a keynote address, with more than 300 individuals expected to attend. The conference will include workshop presentations from:
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The keynote speaker for the event will be Melissa Harris-Lacewell, Professor of Politics and African American Studies at Princeton University, offering her insights on solutions to help our communities grow and prosper. "We're thrilled that Vectren has honored our work and plans for the 40th Anniversary Celebration with this grant," said Jim McCarthy, President/CEO of the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center. "We're also excited that 2008 will mark the 15th anniversary of the founding of the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center. "Over the past fifteen years, the Fair Housing Center's staff and board of directors have worked diligently to improve fair housing services in the Miami Valley and to assist homeowners facing foreclosure as a result of predatory mortgage lending through the Predatory Lending Solutions (PLS) project," McCarthy continued. "Our work has been supported with great vision by the Montgomery County Commissioners," McCarthy noted. "It is rewarding to have private donations also recognize our planning and achievements." With the grant, Vectren joins Wright Patt Credit Union, Coldwell Banker Heritage Realtors, Real Living Realty Services, the Dayton Area Board of Realtors, the National Association of Realtors, 5/3 Bank, and Huntington Bank, all of whom have signed on to support the April 2008 event. |
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The
Senior Attorney hired for Predatory Lending Solutions project |
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Randall J. Smith has been hired by the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center (MVFHC) as Senior Staff Attorney to work on MVFHC's Predatory Lending Solutions (PLS) project, effective Monday, December 17, 2007. He brings 25 years of legal experience with him to this new position, made possible in part by our recent Fair Housing Initiatives Program grant from the U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development. |
 MVFHC's new senior staff attorney Randy Smith In conjuntion with existing PLS staff members — Attorney Melissa Greenlee and Paralegals Donna Clendening and Nicole Wilson, Mr. Smith will be able to increase the capacity of the PLS project and to continue its great work on behalf of Montgomery County residents who, having fallen victim to predatory lenders, now face foreclosure. |
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MVFHC President/CEO Jim McCarthy's presentation done for Pima County, Arizona on the Predatory Lending Solutions project is now available online: revised 3/16/2006HTML PPT |
Now hiring
MVFHC is now hiring a Fair Housing Specialist. For more information, please visit our hiring page.
A special commemorative insert celebrating the 40 years since the passage of the Federal Fair Housing Act and the 15 years since the founding of the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center Inc. (MVFHC) was produced by Cox Ohio Publishing for distribution March 27, 2008, in the Dayton Daily News and the Springfield News-Sun.
Reproducing letters of congratulation from Congressman Mike Turner and Senator Sherrod Brown, the insert has articles on the history of the enactment of Civil Rights Act of 1968 as well as the history of MVFHC and of the Fair Housing Movement in general.
MVFHC paralegal Nicole Wilson (left) and Enforcement Coordinator Anita Schmaltz discuss work in the office
John Zimmerman,
MVFHC Vice President
of Education and Outreach
In addition the insert includes an article about accommodations landlords are required to make for companion and service animals for the disabled.
The insert is available online here, either in its entirety in PDF format or page-by-page in JPG or PDF formats by clicking the links to the right.
MVFHC's building, located at 21-23 E. Babbitt St.
Fair Housing Impediments analysis available
The 2004 Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice - Montgomery County, Ohio and Kettering, Ohio report is now available online.Montgomery County Consolidated Plan available
The Montgomery County, Ohio FY 2003-2007 Consolidated Plan is now available online.Predatory Lending Solutions study released
Nov. 15, 2001, 2:30 pm: The study is now available by clicking here.
The Predatory Lending Solutions project has released the results of a study designed to examine the local impact of predatory lending in Montgomery County, Ohio. The study, conducted by University of Daytons Center for Business and Economic Research, examined foreclosures in Montgomery County from 1994 - 2000, and the associated activity among lenders who offer sub-prime mortgages.
Objectives of the study were to:
- Determine whether predatory lending contributed to the rise of foreclosures
- Define the geographic and demographic pattern of predatory loans
- Identify the lenders who are involved with loans that have predatory characteristics
The study found that foreclosures in Montgomery County increased by a factor of two and one half times between 1994 and 2000, and that sub-prime lenders were responsible for a disproportionately high share of that increase. A substantial number of the sub-prime foreclosures sampled showed signs of predatory lending, including high interest rates, pre-payment penalties and balloon payments.
Telephone surveys also revealed that many of the tactics associated with predatory lending at the national level are occurring in the sub-prime market in Montgomery County. These tactics include new fees and different loan terms revealed at loan closing, encouragement to borrow more money, steering people with good credit into sub-prime loans, and inflated appraisals.
Lenders associated with sampled mortgages that showed predatory characteristics are noted in the report. The Citigroup subsidiaries (Associates, Citifinancial, Ford Consumer Finance) and Household International (Household Realty, Beneficial Mortgage, Decision One) dominated the loan sample with 26.27 percent and 24.2 percent. City Loan Financial was third with 12.3 percent.
The study indicated that most of the sub-prime lenders are doing three to four as many loans with African American borrowers, and two to five as many loans with borrowers whose household income is 50% or less of the median household income, when compared with the overall market. Mapping of the mortgage foreclosures between 1994 and 2000 illustrates the rapid spread across jurisdictions of Montgomery County. While the City of Dayton has the largest percentage, suburban communities have experienced an increase in their share of foreclosures as well as those associated with sub-prime loans.
Predatory Lending Solutions is a collaborative project by the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center, Consumer Credit Counseling Service, and the Legal Aid Society of Dayton. Montgomery County has provided strong financial support for the projects initiatives, including a public information campaign that rolled-out in September. The Dayton Foundation provided financial support for the research component, which was coordinated by the project partners with Dr. Richard Stock from the University of Dayton.
Copies of the complete study, and appendices are available at www.mvfairhousing.com/cber.
City of Dayton passes Predatory Lending ordinance
The Dayton City Commission passed a predatory lending ordinance on Wednesday, July 11, 2001. It prohibits practices by some companies which have lead to some properties being over-mortgaged causing homeowners to lose their houses through foreclosure.
Commissioner Dean Lovelace, who proposed the ordinance, said that if it pushes out abusive, high-cost lenders, then the ordinance will have done its job. "I think youre going to see some of the sub-prime lenders that have dominated our market step back," he said.
The city will not monitor all property transactions in the city. Instead homeowners who are signed into home-equity or refinancing loans that violate the provisions of the ordinance can have the terms modified so their loans are no longer in violation.
"At last this sets a tone for the citys position," said Jim McCarthy, director of the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center (MVFHC). MVFHC has added five staff members through a $350,000 grant from Montgomery County to handle complaints from residents who think they may be in an abusive loan. The county administration has pledged to fund two more years of the expanded effort as well, McCarthy said.
Consumers in Montgomery County with questions about whether their loans are abusive can contact the predatory lending hotline at 222-9671. Residents in other counties can contact their local legal aid societies.
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Copyright 2003-2008, Miami Valley Fair Housing Center, Inc.