| Hispanic Discrimination Leads to SettlementPedro Ibarra alleges the lender wouldn’t pre-qualify him
April 19, 2017 By Mortgage Daily staff |
| A trio of companies has settled allegations that they discriminated against a potential borrower because he is Hispanic.
Pedro Ibarra claims that when he sought a loan from American Financial Network Inc. to purchase a home, he was not allowed to pre-qualify. The Salinas, California, resident claims that he was denied a pre-qualification because he is Hispanic, which is a violation of the Fair Housing Act. As a result, Ibarra filed a fair housing complaint with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, claiming discrimination. On Wednesday, HUD announced that it reached a settlement with Brea, California-based American Financial Network that will require a $5,000 payment to Ibarra. Also agreeing to the conciliation agreement were Benchmark Communities of Fresno, Brigantino Enterprise of Hollister, and Benchmark employee David Gottlieb. The two firms will provide fair housing training for employees. |
