Big Dirty Money

A blog on business law, politics, and white collar crime

January 24, 2015

Banks Urge Supreme Court to Weaken Fair Housing Law

Why has the banking industry urged the Supreme Court to take away key tools to fight housing discrimination? I shared my thoughts this week in a New York Times DealBook column:

“In the wake of a recent winning streak with Congress in rolling back reform, the banks now seek a fresh victory at the Supreme Court. The much-anticipated Fair Housing Act case . . . which was argued on Wednesday, does not directly involve banks or even borrowers. It stems from an arcane dispute over the allocation of federal tax credits to low-income housing developments in Dallas. The impact, however, could be much broader. . . .The court’s decision, expected before July, may greatly reduce liability for unfair mortgage financing practices nationwide and limit the ability for the government to combat predatory lending.”

Read more here.


In the wake of the financial meltdown in 2008, there were many who claimed it had been inevitable, that “no one saw it coming,” and that subprime borrowers were to blame.