Arizona mortgage firm to pay $5,000 to settle sexual orientation complaint
An Arizona mortgage firm, Discount Mortgage Advisors LLC, has agreed to pay two customers a total of $5,000 after they accused the firm of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, according to the Arizona Attorney General's Office and a copy of the settlement agreement.
The individuals filed a complaint with the Civil Rights Division of the Attorney General’s Office and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to the agreement. The complaint alleged violations of the Arizona Fair Housing Act, a statement from the Attorney General's Office said.
Under the deal, brokered by the Attorney General's Office, the Fountain Hills-based mortgage company also agreed to "write letters to credit agencies requesting removal of credit requests" and post a notice stating that housing discrimination, including on the basis of sex, is prohibited by law, according to the agreement.
Discount Mortgage Advisors LLC did not admit to any wrongdoing, according to the agreement.
The company said in a statement that it did not discriminate against the two customers.
The firm said the lender that it was working with denied financing to the customers "due to an unacceptable debt-to-income ratio."
"The company settled the matter agreeing to a no-fault settlement agreement only to avoid legal fees," according to the statement. "This no-fault settlement agreement contained no finding of fault or discrimination against the company."
Discount Mortgage Advisors said it would have incurred more than $5,000 in attorney fees if it had not agreed to settle the matter.
The settlement included agreeing to continue to follow the law about discrimination.
"It was easy for the company to agree to this requirement because it already had all the required training in place for its employees," the company said in the statement provided by attorney Stephen Brower.
Decisions about an individual’s creditworthiness or "their ability to qualify for a home loan should be based on neutral criteria and not on their sex, sexual orientation or gender identity,” said Attorney General Kris Mayes in a statement.
Since July 1, 2022, over 1,400 discrimination claims have been investigated by the Civil Rights Division, resulting in more than $1.2 million in monetary relief, according to the statement.
The division handles discrimination complaints about housing, employment, public accommodations and voting.
Reach the reporter at olakunle.falayi@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mayes: Mortgage firm pays $5K to settle sexual orientation complaint
