Last year, together with the Department of Justice, we filed a complaint against National City Bank (National City) for discriminating in mortgage loan pricing. The complaint alleged that National City charged African-American and Hispanic borrowers higher prices on their mortgage loans than similarly-situated white borrowers between 2002 and 2008. The parties agreed on a settlement, and a federal court has ordered PNC Bank, which purchased National City in 2009, to provide $ 35 million in relief to minority borrowers who overpaid.
The National City Consent Order Administrator will locate and send checks to minority borrowers who were overcharged. Over the next two weeks, the Administrator will mail packages to all eligible borrowers asking them to participate in the settlement. If you were overcharged and are eligible, you will receive a package that will tell you the specific minimum amount of money you will receive. Your actual payment amount may be greater, depending on how many borrowers participate in the settlement.
Submit your form by mail, e-mail or fax
The packages being sent will include a form that you must sign if you want to receive your payment. You can return this participation form by postage pre-paid mail, e-mail, or fax. Just follow the instructions on the form. Be sure to submit your form by October 21, 2014. Only those eligible consumers who return their form by October 21, 2014 will receive their payment.
If you don’t receive a package in the mail by September 30 but you think you should receive a payment, you can call the National City Consent Order Administrator at (866) 523-6751 to ask about your eligibility. You can also fill out a claim eligibility form and submit it by mail, email or fax.
Participating in the settlement is free
Watch out for scammers claiming that they will help you for a fee or asking for your personal information in order to get your check. When large numbers of consumers receive settlement money, scammers sometimes pop up. The scammer may charge you a fee or try to steal your personal information. While you are of course free to speak with an attorney, you do not need to hire a lawyer or pay anyone a fee in order to participate in this settlement.
As part of this settlement, the National City Consent Order Administrator, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Department of Justice or your local U.S. Attorney’s office may contact you. You should treat any other contact claiming to be related to this settlement as a scam. Please immediately report any scam to the National City Consent Order Administrator at (866) 523-6751 or info@NationalCityConsentOrder.com.
Still have questions?
If you have any questions, check out the National City Consent Order Administrator website or call (866) 523-6751.
Learn more about how you can protect yourself from credit discrimination.
Continue Reading
Today, we’re releasing our third Snapshot of Complaints Received from Servicemembers, Veterans and their Families. The report details the data and trends from consumer complaints we’ve received from members of the military community since July 2011.
Here are just a few highlights:
- Debt collection complaints have continued to rise since our last report, and now make up 39 percent of total complaints. It is our largest category of complaints from the military community.
- Credit reporting remains a top category of concern. 72 percent of these complaints are about incorrect information on credit reports. This remains a significant issue for the military community, one that we highlighted earlier this year.
- Student loans are another concern. 49 percent of these complaints are about problems dealing with a lender or servicer. In these complaints, we continue to see long-standing trends, such as servicemembers complaining about not being provided their Servicemembers Civil Relief Act rights.
This year our report also highlights our outreach efforts that allowed us to connect with thousands of members of the military community, as well as three of our enforcement actions that recovered millions of dollars for affected consumers, primarily servicemembers, veterans, and their families. These figures represent the positive impact of the work we continue to do on behalf of those who serve.
Problems with account services
Basic account servicing stands out as a significant area of concern for servicemembers. Most consumers can call their financial institution, visit a branch, or connect online to try and get the help they need to maintain their account. Unfortunately, for military personnel and their families, the realities of military life, including deployments, frequent moves, and a high operational tempo, can sometimes make access to those services extremely challenging.
We found that servicemembers were often subject to a variety of account maintenance or penalty fees, as well as account-access restrictions, which were triggered due to aspects of their military service.
These problems raise concerns that financial institutions may not have a true understanding of the servicing needs of their military customers and may lack proper procedures and protections for them. Detailed examples of servicemember experiences can be found in Section II of the report.
Check out the snapshot to learn more.
We’re listening
As always, if you have a problem with a consumer financial product that you can’t resolve on your own; or if you know someone in that situation, please remember that you can submit a complaint online or by calling (855) 411-2372. We make your voice heard.
