Bank accused of discrimination

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - A fair housing group says Bank of America is guilty of discrimination in Indianapolis.

The group says the mega-bank isn't maintaining and marketing foreclosed homes in Black and Latino neighborhoods.

Boarded up windows, trash on front lawns, broken locks and overgrown weeds are more than just signs of economic devastation. It's discrimination according to a coalition of fair housing agencies.

A compliant filed this week with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development alleges Bank of America intentionally neglected how it maintains foreclosures in Black and Latino neighborhoods compared to those in predominately white areas.

According to the investigation by the Fair Housing Alliance, in Indianapolis 100 percent of Bank of America's foreclosed properties in either predominately Black or Latino communities did not have a for sale sign 71 percent. Those properties had either large amounts of trash inside or outside of the building and 57 percent had broken doors or broken locks.

“Somebody maybe doing everything right keeping their home up paying their mortgage on time and their value decreased just because that home is not being maintained," said Amy Nelson, Executive Director for Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana.

Rick Simon with Bank of America media relations says, "it strongly denies NFHA's allegations and stands behind our property maintenance and marketing practices."

It also states the Indianapolis home profiled by the Fair Housing Alliance isn't the bank's responsibility.