Our America: Lowballed’ Documentary Trailer | Black & Latino Home Appraisal Discrimination

The new “Our America: Lowballed” documentary special will debut on ABC Owned Television Stations and streaming platforms and Hulu beginning December 2nd, with a linear release across eight ABC stations the weekend of December 5th, including New York and Philadelphia.

Black and Latino families have had their homes appraised for up to $500,000 less than expected, and they believe racial bias played a significant factor. According to an ABC Owned Television Stations data analysis of more than 50 million home loans, refinance applications in predominantly Black neighborhoods are nearly five times more likely to be under-appraised than in white communities.

Local Fair Housing Center and Other Fair Housing Groups Reach Historic Settlement with Fannie Mae Focused on Rebuilding Communities of Color

The settlement will directly and immediately benefit the communities of color throughout the Miami Valley region and nationwide hit hardest by the foreclosure crisis and its aftermath.

February 7, 2022 — Today, The Miami Valley Fair Housing Center (MVFHC), along with the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) and 19 other local fair housing organizations throughout the country, reached a landmark $53 million agreement with Fannie Mae (formally known as the Federal National Mortgage Association) to resolve a case arising from allegations that Fannie Mae treated foreclosed homes in communities of color unfavorably. The settlement will help rebuild and strengthen communities of color in 39 metropolitan areas including the Miami Valley. In the case, MVFHC and the other plaintiffs alleged that Fannie Mae maintained and marketed its foreclosed homes in predominantly White neighborhoods while allowing similar homes in communities of color to fall into disrepair and this differential treatment exacerbated the damage caused by the 2008 mortgage crisis and impeded recovery from the crisis in neighborhoods of color. The case was the first time a federal court confirmed the nation’s fair housing laws cover the maintenance and marketing of Real Estate Owned (REO) properties.

Download the agreement

“Fourteen years after the housing crash of 2008, and the predatory mortgage lending that preceded it, the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center continues to challenge issues that negatively impacted our neighborhoods,” said Ron Jackson, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center.

The plaintiffs’ 2016 allegations against Fannie Mae arose after a comprehensive, four-year investigation of more than 2,300 Fannie Mae-owned foreclosed properties in 39 metropolitan areas in the country. Of those properties, 90 were located in the Miami Valley. The plaintiffs collected more than 49,000 photographs revealing poorly maintained properties in Black and Latino communities, particularly as compared to properties in predominantly White neighborhoods.

”We will make strategic reinvestments into the communities of color that are hardest hit, with the goal that those investments begin stabilizing neighborhoods,” said Jim McCarthy, MVFHC’s President/CEO.

Today’s agreement has far-reaching implications. MVFHC and the other plaintiffs will invest the vast majority of the settlement monies directly back into the communities they allege were harmed by Fannie Mae’s conduct. Specifically, plaintiff organizations will use over $35 million of the settlement to promote home ownership, neighborhood stabilization, access to credit, property rehabilitation, and residential development in the 39 metropolitan areas at issue in the case, including Dayton. The plaintiffs will manage and disburse the settlement funds, providing much-needed grants, including for down-payment assistance for first-generation homebuyers and renovations for homes that languished in foreclosure. The grants will also include innovative programs and partnerships to promote fair housing.

Fannie Mae implemented practices that will help avoid similar harmful treatment of communities of color in the future, including increasing its oversight of maintenance of properties it owns, prioritizing owner-occupants rather than investors as purchasers of REOs, and ensuring that it complies with fair housing laws, including by providing fair housing training to its employees and vendors.

MVFHC and the other fair housing groups are represented by noted civil rights law firms Relman Colfax PLLC and Dane Law LLC. The organizations were also represented by Morgan Williams, NFHA’s General Counsel, and Julia Howard-Gibbon, Supervising Attorney of Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California.

If you are facing eviction now, there are resources to help

Whether you are facing an eviction lawsuit or worried about getting evicted in the future, it’s important to understand your rights and what next steps you need to take.

Find help with rent and utilities

If you’re looking for help with housing costs, you’re not alone.

State and local organizations are distributing federal rental assistance in their communities. The money can help landlords and renters who are struggling to keep up with rent and other bills. Many programs take applications from both landlords and renters.

If you live in Montgomery County, click the link below.
https://www.mcohio.org/alert_detail.php

If you live in Greene County, click the link below.
https://miamivalleycap.org/covid-relief/#rent

If you live in Miami County, click the link below.
https://miamivalleycap.org/covid-relief/#rent

If you live in Darke County, click the link below.
https://miamivalleycap.org/covid-relief/#rent

If you live in Preble County, click the link below.
https://miamivalleycap.org/covid-relief/#rent

If you live in Warren County, click the link below.
https://www.co.warren.oh.us/CovidUpdates/ERA/Default.aspx

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is a U.S. government agency that makes sure banks, lenders, and other financial companies treat you fairly. During this unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, the CFPB has also put together a web page with tips and suggestions that may be helpful. Including detailed instructions on what to do if . . .

• An eviction lawsuit has NOT been filed
• An eviction lawsuit HAS been filed against you
• A court has ruled you can be evicted

Click here to learn what the CFPB suggests to do if you're facing eviction.

Talk with your landlord about making a repayment plan. Find out if your landlord is willing to work with you or if they plan to file an eviction lawsuit. Here is information to start that conversation.

Talk with a lawyer, don’t delay.

Housing counselors can help you make a plan based on your situation and needs. HUD Certified housing counselors are available from:

• The HomeOwnership Center
• Miami Valley Community Action Partnership
• Greenpath Financial Wellness
• Neighborhood Housing Partnership of Greater Springfield, Inc.

Previous news items are available here.