Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR) Director Rocco Claps praised an announcement from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) of enforcement action in a case in involving a lesbian couple which was denied a mortgage.
HUD reached an agreement with Bank of America (BOA) in which the lender agreed to pay $7,500 and to remind its employees that they are banned from discriminating against FHA-loan applicants on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or marital status.
The recent HUD case in Florida was the first enforcement action taken against a lender involving the department’s rule, “Equal Access to Housing in HUD Programs Regardless of Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity.”
“This successful action provides a timely reminder of the important anti-discrimination work in the housing arena that HUD performs around the country and in Illinois in partnership with IDHR,” Claps said in a statement.