“In the fifteen years that I have owned my home, I was never late with a mortgage payment,” said Ms. Ross. “Then, after I became unemployed, I applied for two government assistance programs for homeowners who were in the midst of hardship: the HAMP Program and the HomeSaver Program. Capital One denied my application for both. From my perspective, it seemed as though the bank would prefer to foreclose on my property rather than allow participation in government programs that I believe that I qualified for. I feel that Capital One kicked me while I was down.” Ms. Ross will be testifying at the upcoming Federal Reserve hearing regarding Capital One’s proposal to purchase ING Direct.?
David Berenbaum, NCRC’s Chief Program Officer, said the filing is the “first in a series of fair lending complaints in which the National Community Reinvestment Coalition will be acting as a private attorney general on behalf of homeowners who are at risk of foreclosure and have become of victims of discrimination. We will be challenging overt discrimination in federal and state foreclosure relief programs that servicers such as Capital One are perpetuating. This is an issue regulators need to address.”
Ms. Ross sought help from the National Community Reinvestment Coalition’s Housing Counseling Network. Because Washington, DC law protects against discrimination by source of income, NCRC alleges that Capital One violated the law when it denied Ms. Ross, who is unemployed, assistance available from the HomeSaver Program. NCRC has also filed with HUD, alleging that Capital One’s failure to offer access to such programs constitutes discrimination on the basis of race. NCRC also complained to Freddie Mac, which has directed all servicers it is working with to participate fully in the Hardest Hit Fund, under which DC’s HomeSaver Program is funded.
Copies of the complaint are available upon request.
Consumers who believe that they have been victimized by discriminatory lending practices may contact NCRC’s civil rights staff by calling 800-475-NCRC.
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Download a PDF of press release 
Download NCRC v. Capital One Complaint
