Housing Secretary Shaun Donovan says the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will aggressively investigate and prosecute discrimination in HUD programs on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or marital status, and next month will release its first study of housing discrimination against same-sex couples.
Addressing the National Association of Gay and Lesbian Real Estate Professionals (NAGLREP) at the National Association of Realtors’ midyear meeting in Washington, D.C., Donovan described a “historic settlement” with Bank of America over allegations that the mortgage lender had refused to provide financing to a lesbian couple and had illegally based its denial on the couple’s sexual orientation and marital status.
Donovan said HUD had alleged that BofA had violated a new rule, “Equal Access to Housing in HUD Programs Regardless of Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity.” The rule includes a stipulation prohibiting FHA-approved lenders from basing eligibility determinations for FHA-insured loans on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. Source: hud.gov.
