CFPB Takes Action to Address Townstone Financial’s Unlawful Redlining – Settlement follows a significant victory for the CFPB and its fair lending authority in the U.S. Court of
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) filed a proposed order to resolve its case against Townstone Financial for discriminatory lending practices and redlining African American neighborhoods in Chicago. If entered by the court, the proposed order would prohibit Townstone from taking any actions that violate the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) and require the company to pay a $105,000 penalty to the CFPB’s victims relief fund. Today’s action follows lengthy contested litigation and a unanimous July 2024 decision from the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit that stated that the ECOA prohibits lenders from discouraging prospective applicants on a prohibited basis from applying for loans.
( CFPB-PR241101-1 ) ( CFPB-PR-2411 )