Evans Bank parent faces suit alleging redlining
By Matt Glynn, The Buffalo News, N.Y. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
The lawsuit, expected to be filed today in
"Redlining is illegal, and it's discriminatory -- and must, once and for all, be made a thing of the past," Attorney General
In a statement emailed to
"We continue to believe these allegations are without any merit, and we intend to vigorously challenge them," Nasca said. "Despite our best efforts over the last several months to resolve this matter with the attorney general, a resolution unfortunately could not be reached. We remain confident that our residential lending practices meet all applicable laws and regulations."
He added that the bank has "a long history" of complying with federal regulators who "require the fair treatment of customers and fair access to credit and financial products such as mortgage lending."
The
Schneiderman said the lawsuit is part of an "ongoing, wider investigation" by his office's
In a filing with the federal
Evans said then that it believes it has "meritorious defenses to the state attorney general's investigation, denies any wrongdoing and intends to defend against any allegations."
Last month, Evans said it had been unable to reach an agreement with the
The attorney general's lawsuit contends that Evans "failed to draw mortgage applications from and make mortgage loans to African-American borrowers and
For instance, the complaint says Evans received 1,114 residential mortgage applications in the
Beyond that, he said, "it would be inappropriate for us to have any further comment as this is now a matter before the courts."
The lawsuit contends that Evans defined its "trade area" to include much of the city and surrounding areas but exclude the
The
The result of these alleged practices, according to the
The lawsuit asks the court to:
-- Declare the policies and practices of
-- Enjoin the bank from discriminating because of race in any aspect of its business practices.
<p>-- Award monetary damages to compensate for the harm done.
-- Assess a civil fine or penalty against the bank.
-- Award punitive damages, the plaintiff's reasonable attorneys' fees and costs, and other necessary relief.
Evans, based in
News Staff Reporter
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