Practical Handbook on Fair Lending for Bank Directors and Executive Officers

Although the concept of fair lending has existed since the late 1960s, in recent years the industry has witnessed a dramatic shift in the regulatory landscape for enforcement of the federal fair lending laws. Non-compliance with fair lending laws — as well as allegations that a bank’s lending practices are discriminatory — can damage a bank’s reputation, lead to regulatory and litigation risks, and be costly to defend. As a bank director, you need to be engaged in overseeing your bank’s fair lending compliance efforts. That does not mean that you need to learn all of the technical details of fair lending, but you should have or gain a basic understanding of fair lending as well as an understanding of the role of the board of directors in overseeing your bank’s efforts to comply with the fair lending laws. That is the objective of this book. As bank directors with many responsibilities, we know that you may not have the time to read this book entirely. However, while we strongly recommend that you each read at least Chapters I and II (eleven pages altogether), someone on your board or in management should read the book in its entirety and be in a position to address issues raised in the book with the board or a board committee. We also strongly recommend that your chief compliance officer and/or fair lending officer read the entire book.