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Make the Disability Vote Count

2008 Marks 40 Years of Federal Fair Housing Act, Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Fair Housing Pioneer Retires after 27 Years

UPDATED: Predatory Lending Remediation Program Restores Dreams

Toledo Fair Housing Center Selected for National Best Practices Award

Ohio ranks fifth in nation for number of sub-prime loans

Judge Allows Insurance Redlining Case Against Prudential to Proceed  (PDF File*)

MAKE THE DISABILITY VOTE COUNT

 The one good thing about the number of people in Ohio who have disabilities is that numbers equal power. The disability community is large enough to affect how elections come out, if everyone gets involved. But many people with disabilities don’t even vote. To make politicians pay attention to our rights, and to the services and programs we need, we have to show them that we care enough to vote and to get involved.  

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2008 Marks 40 Years of Federal

Fair Housing Act,

Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Toledo Fair Housing Center Commemorates with Awards Luncheon

The year 2008 is a milestone in many ways.  It marks the 40^th anniversary of the passage of the Federal Fair Housing Act, which was signed into law on April 11, 1968, by President Lyndon Johnson, just one week after the tragic assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Civil Rights Act of 1968 was meant as a follow-up to the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  While the Civil Rights Act of 1866 prohibited discrimination in housing, there were no federal enforcement provisions. The 1968 act expanded on previous acts and prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin, sex, (and as amended in 1988) handicap and family status. It also provided protection for civil rights workers. Title VIII of the Act is also known as the Fair Housing Act (of 1968).

April is Fair Housing Month, and in recognition of these important historical events, the Toledo Fair Housing Center presented a Fair Housing Month Luncheon on April 16, 2008 at noon at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Toledo.  At the ceremony, the Spirit of Fair Housing Awards were presented.   

The Access Award was presented to the Ability Center of Greater Toledo’s Advocacy Department.  This recognized its pioneering efforts to assist tenants with disabilities to secure and sustain affordable and accessible housing opportunities. 

The Reverend Chester Chambers received the Public Policy and Political/Government Action Award for his efforts to establish the Greater Toledo Housing Coalition to address systemic housing issues.  In doing so, he brought together individuals from the Toledo Fair Housing Center, Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, religious organizations, neighborhood groups, Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments, and university researchers to advocate expanding housing options for all community members. 

Retired Toledo Fair Housing Center Chief Investigator Nellie Edwards was presented with the Enforcement/Litigation Award for her 27 years of service to protect and expand equal housing opportunities.   

Former Toledo Fair Housing Center President & CEO Lisa Rice  received the Shanna L. Smith Spirit of Fair Housing Award.  Named for the Toledo Fair Housing Center’s first Executive Director, the honor is presented to an exceptional individual who has made major strides in equal housing opportunities.  Ms. Rice currently serves as Vice President of the National Fair Housing Alliance in Washington, DC. 

“The Board of Directors and staff are thrilled to present the Spirit of Fair Housing Awards to three extremely deserving individuals as well as one exceptional non-profit organization.  All of the recipients have a long history of working to affirmatively further fair housing.  The Center would not be a leader in the civil rights movement were it not for partners like the ones we are honoring today,” said Katherine Lawson Broka, President and CEO of the Toledo Fair Housing Center. 

Additionally, Illinois artist Bernard J. Kleina displayed his stirring photo exhibition of the Chicago Freedom Movement.  The exhibition, which has been on display across the country, features Mr. Kleina’s colorful photos that document the 1965-66 Freedom Movement’s peaceful demonstrations’ call for open housing.  The exhibit celebrates the efforts of Dr. King and other civil rights leaders and will also be on view at the Toledo Museum of Art from April 25-June 22, 2008 under the title, A Place to Call Home:  Martin Luther King and the Struggle for Fair Housing. 

“We are pleased to partner with Mr. Kleina to bring his moving photos to our luncheon and also to the general public through the free exhibition at the Toledo Museum of Art,” stated Michael P. Marsh, Vice President of Development and Public Relations for the Toledo Fair Housing Center. 

The Women of the Old West End neighborhood and several other concerned citizens and organizations established the Toledo Fair Housing Center in 1975 to combat discriminatory practices in housing that were destroying Toledo’s neighborhoods.  Since its inception, the Center has investigated over 9,223 allegations of housing discrimination, recovered over $27 million in damages for the victims and demonstrated a talent for setting national precedents that have expanded housing opportunities for millions of Americans across the country.  

April Luncheon Sponsors:


Major Supporter $5,000
Westfield Insurance

Underwriter $2,500
Charter One Bank
Nationwide Insurance ($3000)

Benefactor $1,500
Huntington Bank
Toledo Board of REALTORS®

Contributor $1,000
Owens Corning Foundation

Sponsor $500
Advocates for Basic Legal Equality/Legal Aid of Western Ohio
Associated General Contractors of Northwest Ohio
Beth Wilson of Cooper & Walinski
Danberry Company Realtors
Equity Planning Group/Mark Lacy
Fifth Third Bank
Key Bank
Meijer
National City Bank
National Fair Housing Alliance
Northern Ohio Investment Company
ReMax Preferred Associates
Signature Bank
William Vaughn Company

Friends $250
Blade Foundation
Knight Crockett Miller
C. Thomas McCarter



April Luncheon Committee

Luann Canham Kornowa
Becky Flynn
Janet Hales
Lisa Kohler
Katherine Lawson Broka
Lisa Lawson-LaPointe
Michael P. Marsh, CFRE
Susan Noel
Joan Rauh
Aimee Roemer
Angie Schweickert



Ticket Captains

Deborah Barnett
Luann Canham Kornowa
Angelita Cruz Bridges
Julia Bryant
Carol Engler
Keith Foster
Lisa Kohler
Katherine Lawson Broka
Lisa Lawson-LaPointe
Michael P. Marsh, CFRE
Susan Noel
Pam Pullella
Joan Rauh
Marshall Rose
Angie Schweikert
Ernest Walker

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Fair Housing Pioneer Retires after 27 Years

Graduating from the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff with a Bachelor of Science degree in vocational education, Nellie Edwards moved to Toledo with her husband Willie in 1969.  She taught in the Toledo Public School System for about three years, before taking a break to raise her five children:  Erroll, Jessie, Darrell, Dionise and Sonya.

Once the children were off to school, Ms. Edwards went back to school.  She graduated from the University of Toledo in 1977 with a Masters Degree in Education, majoring in Guidance and Counseling.  She was employed part time as a substitute teacher, but she really wanted to work full time.  The Toledo Public School System was not hiring Guidance Counselors at the time, so she went to the employment bureau.

It was there that Ms. Edwards learned of an opening at the Fair Housing Center and began her journey as a civil rights leader.  Shanna Smith, current President and CEO of the National Fair Housing Alliance, was the Executive Director of Toledo’s Fair Housing Center at the time.  Ms. Smith said, “Nellie impressed me with her communication skills, commitment to civil rights and her sense of humor.  She was able to persuade an audience to be open to hearing about fair housing and to be honest about their bias against civil rights.” 

Ms. Smith hired Ms. Edwards in 1979 and put her in charge of the Center’s education and outreach programs.  Ms. Edwards demonstrated investigation skills so Ms. Edwards switched jobs the following year with a fair housing investigator—Ruby D. Slack.  During most of her 26 year tenure with the Fair Housing Center, Ms. Edwards served as the Chief Investigator—responsible for coordinating hundreds of investigations and helping countless victims of discrimination.  Her kind-heart, humor, and sincere interest in others resulted in long lasting friendships with co-workers, volunteer testers and complainants.

One of the most prominent cases Ms. Edwards developed was the Shellhammer v. Lewallen litigation.  This was the first sexual harassment complaint to be filed in the United States.  The legal decision set the precedent for all the sexual harassment cases that followed.  Working closely with Ms. Smith and Joan Franklin, Ms. Edwards helped identify more than 40 women and girls who were harassed by Lewallen. Even though the case load was high, Ms. Edwards continued to assist with education and outreach activities and was certified by the State of Ohio to teach fair housing classes for REALTORS®. 

Ms. Edwards says that she enjoyed all of the groundbreaking cases that the Center worked on, especially in the areas of sexual harassment and homeowners insurance.   Around the Fair Housing Center, Ms. Edwards is known as the Testing Maverick.  It is not only her abilities, but also her commitment that many at the Center have come to rely on.  Lisa Rice, CEO of the Fair Housing Center commented, “Nellie has always demonstrated a dedication to fair housing and civil rights.  When the Center was experiencing tough financial times, Nellie made it clear that we could count on her whether funding was there or not.”  Ms. Rice added, “Not only has she helped provide a sense of strength and stability to the Center, but she has been one of the Center’s most prolific testing coordinators and investigators.”

Ms. Edwards became active in the Ohio Fair Housing Congress in the early 1980’s and became Chaplain in 1997—the same year she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the American Baptist Theological Seminary Extension in Toledo.  She also became a certified notary for the state of Ohio in 2000.

In her retirement, Ms. Edwards plans to remain active in her church—Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church—where she is a member of the Board of Trustees, Superintendent of Sunday school, an adult teacher,  Director of Vacation Bible School and former financial secretary. 

An avid traveler who has seen more than 25 states, she says, “I look forward to traveling with my husband Willie through the southern states and would like to go to Germany some day.”

From left:  Nellie Edwards, the Toledo Fair Housing Center's retired Chief Investigator, receives a proclamation from Darlene Newbern and Robin Wilson-Jones of the Ohio Civil Rights Commission.  Mrs. Edwards was honored on her 60th birthday for her many years of dedication to the civil rights movement.

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Predatory Lending Remediation Program Restores Dreams

Ohio has the highest number of foreclosures in the nation, according to a delinquency report from the Mortgage Bankers Association. Ohio’s rate of 3.41% of loans in foreclosure is almost triple the national average of 1.27%. This is due in large part to predatory lending practices that rob consumers of equity and oftentimes their homes.

To address this epidemic, the Toledo Fair Housing Center, Northwest Ohio Development Agency (NODA), and FannieMae launched of a Predatory Lending Remediation Program last year. The Predatory Lending Remediation Program pilot is designed to provide alternative financing to borrowers who may have been victims of abusive mortgage lending practices. 

Abusive predatory lending practices can include, but are not limited to, making loans that the borrower cannot reasonably afford to repay and successfully maintain homeownership, equity stripping due to excessive points or fees, loans that carry high interest rates when the borrower could qualify under a less costly financing alternative, single-premium credit life insurance, and prepayment penalties on loans that provide no choice or economic benefit to the borrower. Those eligible for the pilot must live in NODA’s target market, which consists of 51 central city census tracts in Toledo.

The group’s partners will provide a variety of important services to victims of predatory lending. For example, the Center will conduct an analysis of the homeowner’s current loan to determine if there are indicators of predatory and/or illegal lending practices. Based on that analysis, the Center may then be able to work with the current lender to negotiate away frivolous charges and fees, lowering the debt owed by the homeowner. After working with the Center, the homeowner could then go to NODA, which would work with the homeowner to try and qualify them for a new loan at a lower interest rate with a lender participating in the pilot. The participating lenders are: Charter One Bank, Fifth Third Bank, Huntington Mortgage Group, National City Bank, Northern Ohio Investment Company, and Sky Bank. After one of the participating lenders refinances the loan, NODA will provide second mortgages and post-closing counseling to the homeowner to help make sure that the homeowner doesn’t fall prey to predatory lending practices in the future. 

To date, the Center has successfully remediated 11 consumer loans, and it is negotiating the terms of 14 additional loans. Following are two of the success stories.

It’s got to be hard to kill a bird with a stone, let alone that fabled two birds with one stone trick. But that’s exactly what the Center and NODA were able to accomplish for Pedro and Josephine Cruz when they remediated and refinanced the Cruz’s predatory loan. Not only did the Cruz’s receive a refinanced loan with much improved terms, but also their new loan with NODA includes enough money to take care of badly needed repairs to their home.

Initially, the Cruz’s only submitted an application with NODA for an emergency repair second mortgage loan. Their garage was in disrepair; the roof needed some work; and the house needed to be painted. Just prior to the closing of their loan, NODA ordered an official payoff form from the Cruz’s first mortgage lender to verify the correct balance. At that time, the staff noticed that the interest on the first mortgage was a staggering 12.5%. NODA referred the Cruz’s application to the Center for further investigation that revealed other predatory features including a trend of questionable late charges totaling over $900, even though the payment was made faithfully at the same time every month.

Instead of proceeding with the second mortgage closing, NODA gave the Cruz’s a new first mortgage that paid off their predatory loan and covered the costs of their home repairs. NODA was also able to persuade the Cruz’s former lender to waive the questionable late fees. The Cruz’s new payment to NODA is only one third of their original payment, and the term is 10 years shorter.

Mrs. Cruz says that she has a new method for handling the barrage of mortgage solicitations loaded with false claims that she and her husband still receive in the mail almost daily: “Pitch! Pitch! Pitch! I throw that mortgage junk mail away now without even bothering to open them. NODA has walked the extra mile for us, and we are very happy where we are now.”

When Alleda Lawler came to the Center and NODA for help, the numbers 24, 29, 2, and 12 were all very important to her. In order, they represented how long she’d lived in her home, how many years she had worked in an auto plant to buy her home, how many children she had raised in her home, and the outrageous interest rate that she was stuck with that almost caused her to lose her home.

But there was another number that also proved to be important to Ms. Lawler—the number one. Ms. Lawler was down to one last viable option to rid herself from the clutches of her unscrupulous, predatory lender. That last chance was offered by the Center and NODA.

Ms. Lawler was struggling to pay all her monthly bills with the burden of a supersized mortgage payment hanging over her head that did not seem to reduce the balance at all. Ms. Lawler’s vision of retirement was quickly fading. That’s when the Center began its investigation into Ms. Lawler’s application and found several features that were predatory. Fortunately, NODA was able to partner with Charter One bank in an 80/20 split to refinance Ms. Lawler’s mortgage and reduce her monthly payment by almost 50%.

Ms. Lawler’s new mortgage payment gave her the financial relief that she needed to start to seriously plan for her impending retirement. The new prominent number in Ms. Lawler’s life is three—the realistic number of years she has left until she is eligible to comfortably retire in her home.

Predatory Lending Remediation Program Update

• 31 Loans remediated through May 31, 2006

• 16 Loan modifications or restructurings with current lenders

• 15 Loans refinanced with local lending partners and/or Northwest Ohio Development Agency

• Over $1.4 million in  reduced payments,
   (average = $46,592.56)

• Average reduction in monthly payment: $226.93

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TOLEDO FAIR HOUSING CENTER SELECTED FOR NATIONAL BEST PRACTICES AWARD
 

The Toledo Fair Housing Center is one of 14 housing agencies nationwide selected by the Equal Rights Center to receive the Fair Housing Best Practices award for innovative programs in 2002.  The Equal Rights Center is  a Washington, DC based not for profit civil rights agency founded in 1999 by a group of interdenominational clergy and community leaders to provide a multi-faceted approach to civil rights issues and to create an open society where equal opportunity for all is celebrated through the realization of “one America.” 

The Best Practices awards are made possible by a grant awarded to the Equal Rights Center by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  With the HUD grant, the Equal Rights Center identified housing authorities that developed Best Practices for fair housing education, compliance, and enforcement programs.  The 14 agencies provide unique and innovative services to underserved populations such as new immigrants, persons with disabilities, the homeless and rural populations.  

The Equal Rights Center will publish a summary of the best practices into a manual that will be used as a model for new and emerging housing organizations providing a framework for program development.  Veralee Liban, executive director of the Equal Rights Center said, “The Best Practices Manual will be a valuable tool for up-and-coming groups that are developing their own programs.” 

The 14 recipients were selected by a national advisory committee, which included leaders and experts from the housing industry, public interest groups and both rural and urban non-profit fair housing agencies.  The winners were evaluated based on such factors as how well the program assisted underserved and difficult-to-reach communities, how easily the program can be replicated, how it demonstrated leadership, and how well it collaborated with other agencies to maximize resources.  In addition to the Toledo Fair Housing Center, other award recipients included:  Fair Housing Council of Suburban Philadelphia; Memphis Area Legal Services; Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, Inc.; Housing Center of Puget Sound (Tacoma, WA); HOME, Inc. (Buffalo, NY); HOPE Fair Housing Center (Wheaton, IL); Housing Opportunities Made Equal (Cincinnati); Miami Valley Fair Housing (Dayton); Tennessee Fair Housing Council (Nashville); Southern Arizona Fair Housing Center (Tucson); City of Sante Fe, NM; Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council; and The Housing Discrimination Project (Holyoke, MA).

 The Toledo Fair Housing Center was recognized for its efforts to combat predatory lending activities through the development of educational materials and Public Service Announcements (PSA’s) for radio and television.  The television PSA’s feature Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur.

 “We developed mock checks, similar to those used by predatory lenders to lure consumers into loans that benefit the lender more than the consumer, and informative post cards that were mailed to over 13,000 Toledo-area households,” explains Michael P. Marsh, CFRE, the Fair Housing Center’s vice president, development and public relations.  “The result of the mailing and the airing of the PSA’s was an influx of consumer inquiries.  We had staff that was available to answer consumers’ questions and provide counseling services,” added Mr. Marsh.  The materials created in Toledo are available for replication throughout the country. 

The Old West End Neighborhood Association, League of Women Voters and several other concerned citizens and organizations established the Fair Housing Center in 1975 to combat discriminatory practices in housing that were destroying Toledo’s neighborhoods.  Since its inception, the Center has investigated over 8,000 allegations of housing discrimination, recovered over $27 million in damages for the victims and demonstrated a talent for setting national precedents that have expanded housing opportunities for millions of Americans across the country. 

“Our staff is one of the best in the country,” stated Lisa Rice, president and chief executive officer.  “Receiving the Fair Housing Best Practices award reinforces this.  I’m proud that we can share our locally developed, innovative materials with other fair housing advocates around the country,” she added.

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Ohio ranks fifth in nation for number of sub-prime loans

By Michael P. Marsh

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) "Classification of Sub-prime Lenders" ranks Ohio the fifth highest state in the nation for the number of refinancing loans made by sub-prime lenders. The Toledo metropolitan area is at number 38 overall, having 17.07% of its 18,930 refinancing loans made by sub-prime lenders.

Each year, millions of consumers are targeted by sub-prime lending institutions to secure high cost mortgage and/or retail loans. Sub-prime lenders specialize in offering credit to consumers who may have credit blemishes or consumers with “B” or “C” credit, while conventional lenders focus their marketing efforts on consumers with few or no blemishes or those with “A” credit. With promises of easy payment plans, debt consolidation, and quick approval, predatory lenders lure many consumers who have found it difficult or impossible to access low-cost loans in the conventional market, as well as many unassuming consumers who do, in fact, qualify for traditional loans. Recent studies by FreddieMac show that between 25-35% of consumers receiving high cost loans in the sub-prime market qualify for conventional loans.

While sub-prime lenders serve a need by providing credit to those consumers who may otherwise not have access to it, the Center is finding that, overwhelmingly, African Americans, Hispanics, low-income persons and the elderly are being targeted by this market—even when they have very good credit and qualify for loans in the conventional market. Furthermore, some unscrupulous lenders, which the Center refers to as predatory lenders, target vulnerable consumers in order to charge them excessively high rates and rob them of the equity in their homes. Since wealth for the vast majority of Americans is tied to property ownership, this system is threatening to deprive many Americans of their wealth by robbing them of their home’s equity and, in some cases, foreclosing on the homes of people who cannot afford the exorbitant interest rates and high points.

Many of the groups targeted by predatory lenders have been excluded by mainstream financial institutions. Additionally, these unknowing consumers find themselves in these devastating positions due to a lack of financial savvy. The lending process is very complicated with numerous forms to be completed. Many consumers are ill prepared to deal with the enormous volume of complicated paperwork that is given to them during the loan process. Reports show that consumers do not understand the process or the forms they are completing and rely on financial advisors to guide them through the process. Most predatory lenders, however, do not provide quality counseling for consumers seeking their products and use the consumer’s ignorance as a ripe opportunity to reap huge profits from selling money in this industry. Recent studies show that sub-prime lenders are far more profitable than their conventional counterparts. For instance, a small analysis of seven national lenders reveals that the earnings-to-loan volume ratio for sub-prime lenders is substantially higher than that for conventional or prime lenders. The loan volume for sub-prime lenders increased by 36% from 1996-97. Many national lenders are venturing or planning to expand into the sub-prime market, which may only compound the problem.

These lenders are extremely profitable due to their often-unscrupulous practices. They charge rates well above prime and charge large points as well. They push mortgage and loan insurance products on consumers that come at hefty premiums. Many times, consumers are paying too much interest for credit they secure, and they are purchasing credit life and disability insurance products for which they have little or no use. Moreover, these loans are often secured with consumers’ property, and the Center has received a number of complaints from consumers who are about to lose their homes because they cannot afford the high cost loan they obtained. This problem will only grow as the volume of business and the number of new lenders entering this market expands.

For the current fiscal year, the Center is investigating 17 lending cases. Eleven of these cases involve predatory lending. According to Kathy Broka, Senior Systemic Investigator, the Center is joining with various organizations throughout the state in order to draft legislation to combat predatory lending. “New legislation is imperative if we are going to stop these practices from raping our communities,” she said.

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