Crist Fair Lending Amendment Blocked From Banking Bill

Statement

Congressman Charlie Crist (D-FL) released the following statement after his amendment to protect data collection that prevents racial discrimination was blocked from inclusion in S. 2155, the Dodd-Frank overhaul bill being considered in the House today. Crist's amendment, offered with Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN), would retain Dodd-Frank fair lending reporting requirements.

"At a time when banks are still being penalized for redlining and other discriminatory practices, we need more data, not less, to fully address this problem," said Crist. "We should be working together to move fairness forward, not rolling back protections for vulnerable communities."

"If you've never experienced the sting of discrimination, maybe the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act is a pesky business regulation to you. But for many people in my district and around the nation it is a civil rights protection they need to not only receive a home loan, but to receive it at a fair rate," Ellison said. "We need HMDA data to detect and combat mortgage discrimination, and I'm deeply disappointed that the amendment to preserve that data was not even considered in order to be included in S. 2155."

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