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By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Story Order
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FEDERAL COURT / S Bronx, July 30 – Whether or not the U.S. Community Reinvestment Act will be again enforced until the new Administration and its regulators is an open question. And the proposed acquisition of Investors Bank by Citizens Bank NA will be litmus test.

Investors Bank is one of the most disparate banks in New York State, where in 2020 it made only three mortgage loans to African Americans, while denying fully seven applications from African Americans. By contrast, it made 164 loans to whites while denying only 76 applications from whites.

  Inner City Press raised the 2019 disparities to the FDIC - and on July 30 was contacted by the FDIC that it imposed rare conditions on Investors. Letter here. This will be raised on Citizens' application - disparities cannot be rewarded, seriatim. The FDIC wrote: "Matthew Lee, Esquire Executive Director Inner City Press/Fair Finance Watch  Dear Mr. Lee: We are writing to inform you that the FDIC approved Investors Bank’s application to acquire eight branches from Berkshire Bank. As part of the application review process, we investigated the issues you raised in your e-mail dated January 19, 2019...
The Bank will develop and Board approve an Action Plan within 60 days of the  effective date of this Order to ensure that its home mortgage lending adequately  addresses the credit needs of all segments of its market areas. The Action Plan  should include, at a minimum, the following: a. The Bank will regularly monitor application and origination activity of home  mortgage loans in majority-minority census tracts and from Blacks throughout the  Bank’s assessment areas.  b. The Bank will ensure marketing and outreach efforts are inclusive of all communities,  including minority communities within all the Bank’s assessment areas. The  marketing and outreach efforts should focus on home mortgage product awareness.  Marketing activities should use materials and media that reflect the racial and ethnic  composition of the targeted communities. The Bank should also have specific  advertising and outreach goals, and the results of these efforts should be documented,  monitored, and evaluated for effectiveness.  5. Upon Board approval of this Order, the Bank will provide a copy of the signed Order to  the FDIC's New York Regional Office within 30 days.  6. Upon Board approval of such Action Plan, the Bank will provide a copy of the Plan  to the FDIC’s New York Regional Office. 7. The Bank will provide the FDIC’s New York Regional Office with quarterly  updates detailing its progress in meeting the goals listed in the Action Plan."

  Citizens cannot, as of now, be allowed to acquire this hot mess.

Citizens Bank proposes to buy 80 more branches, from HSBC. So on July 7, from Fair Finance Watch and Inner City Press on the FOIA, this:

Dear Deputy Comptrollers incl Kiefer, Ms. Cummings and others in the OCC:     This is a timely first comment opposing and requesting an extension of the OCC's public comment period on the Applications by Citizens Bank NA to acquire branches from HSBC, and close some of them.    

     The applicant Citizens in 2020 in New York State based on its disparate marketing made 7183 mortgage loans to whites, with 3116 denials to whites -- while making only 323 loans to African Americans, with more than that in denials: 336. This is outrageous. 

   Citizens Bank should be precluded from acquiring these branches. Additionally, it has not disclosed which branches it would close.  So which of these would Citizens close?   

See e.g., for the record on this application, this:
 "The branch acquisition also fills in an important gap in the $187-billion-asset bank's geographic footprint: New York City. While the bank does have 111 branches in New York, most of them are upstate and not around the city, so this certainly fills in a missing piece. Also, I expect the bank will find opportunities to consolidate or close branches, which will eventually result in cost savings down the line."

      There is no public benefit to this proposal.     

  FFW and Inner City Press have been deeply concerned about the rush by the OCC's penchant to rubberstamp mergers by redliners, particularly during the pandemic. We also note the OCC's role in The Federal Savings Bank's use to try to get a job for its CEO with the previous administration, being exposed today in SDNY court.

The branches in danger:

 24522 Doral Branch         4090 NW 97TH AVE.               MIAMI        FL          33178 Miami-Dade 127750A  24522 Arch St. Branch     1027 ARCH STREET                PHILADELPHIA  PA     19107 Philadelphia 127753A  24522 Boston Road Branch        3478 BOSTON ROAD             BRONX          NY    10469 Bronx 127764A  24522 Fordham Branch    ONE EAST FORDHAM ROAD                   BRONX       NY    10468 Bronx 127765A  24522 Crosby Branch       1756 CROSBY AVENUE                   BRONX          NY    10461 Bronx 127766A  24522 Riverdale Branch   569 WEST 235TH STREET               BRONX          NY    10463 Bronx 127767A  24522 Parkchester Branch          1499 WEST AVENUE              BRONX          NY    10462 Bronx 127769A  24522 3rd Ave. and 92nd Branch          9201 THIRD AVENUE             BROOKLYN         NY    11209 Kings 127874A  24522 Williamsburgh       252 BEDFORD AVENUE                   BROOKLYN         NY    11211 Kings 127876A  24522 86th St. & 23rd Ave Branch       2301 86TH STREET                 BROOKLYN         NY    11214 Kings 127878A  24522 9th Street Branch   325 E. 9TH STREET                BROOKLYN          NY    11215 Kings 127879A  24522 Avenue U Branch  1702 AVENUE U           BROOKLYN          NY    11229 Kings 127884A  24522 Georgetown Branch         2145 RALPH AVE.                   BROOKLYN         NY    11234 Kings 127886A  24522 Flatbush & Nostrand Branch     1545 FLATBUSH AVE.            BROOKLYN         NY    11210 Kings 127889A  24522 Starret City Branch          1330 PENNSYLVANIA AVE.             BROOKLYN         NY    11239 Kings 127891A  24522 Franklin Square Branch   682 DOGWOOD AVE.              FRANKLIN SQUARE    NY    11010 Nassau         127944A  24522 Levittown Branch  3130 HEMPSTEAD TURNPIKE                  LEVITTOWN       NY    11756 Nassau         127953A  24522 Miami Beach Branch       301 ARTHUR GODFREY RD.           MIAMI BEACH    FL      33140 Miami-Dade 127746A  24522 Syosset Branch      603 JERICHO TURNPIKE                 SYOSSET   NY    11791 Nassau         127958A  24522 Tribeca Branch      110 WEST BROADWAY                   NEW YORK         NY    10013 New York    127961A  24522 Lenox Hill Branch 1340 THIRD AVE.          NEW YORK          NY    10075 New York    127968A  24522 Union Square         15 UNION SQUARE WEST              NEW YORK         NY    10003 New York    127970A  24522 95th Street & Amsterdam Avenue Branch      721 Amsterdam Avenue                 New York    NY    10025 New York    127974A  24522 Canal Street Branch         235 CANAL STREET              NEW YORK         NY    10013 New York    127975A  24522 8th Ave. & 14th Branch   80 8TH AVENUE           NEW YORK          NY    10011 New York    127978A  24522 57th Street Branch 252 West 57th Street                 New York          NY    10019 New York    127986A  24522 57th Street & Lexington Avenue          131 East 57th Street                   New York    NY    10022 New York    127988A  24522 86th St. & 3rd Branch      186 E. 86TH ST.             NEW YORK          NY    10028 New York    127990A  24522 Staten Island Branch        280 Marsh Avenue          Staten Island          NY    10314 Richmond    128076A  24522 Commack Branch  5880 JERICHO TURNPIKE               COMMACK          NY    11725 Suffolk        128094A  24522 Huntington Village Branch        355 W. MAIN STREET             HUNTINGTON    NY    11743 Suffolk        128096A  24522 E. Setauket Branch 300 MAIN STREET SUITE 1            EAST SETAUKET NY    11733 Suffolk        128097A  24522 Lake Ronkonkoma Branch        395 PORTION RD.                   LAKE RONKONKOMA NY    11779 Suffolk        128107A  24522 Melville Branch     534 BROAD HOLLOW ROAD                    MELVILLE NY    11747 Suffolk        128112A  24522 Bohemia Branch    4040 VETERANS MEMORIAL HWY.                  BOHEMIA  NY    11716 Suffolk        128114A  24522 Hampton Bays Branch     248 MONTAUK HWY. WEST            HAMPTON BAYS          NY    11946 Suffolk        128115A  24522 Rye City Branch    67 PURCHASE STREET                   RYE          NY    10580 Westchester  128141A  24522 Bronxville Branch 74 PONDFIELD ROAD           BRONXVILLE          NY    10708 Westchester  128143A  24522 New Rochelle Branch      260 NORTH AVE.          NEW ROCHELLE          NY    10801 Westchester  128145A  24522 E. Yonkers Branch 778 YONKERS AVE.               YONKERS          NY    10704 Westchester  128151A  24522 S. Yonkers Branch 449 S. BROADWAY                YONKERS          NY    10705 Westchester  128152A  24522 North Avenue Branch      1300 NORTH AVENUE           NEW ROCHELLE          NY    10804 Westchester  128155A  24522 Chelsea Office       800 6TH AV          NEW YORK         NY          10001 New York    128638A  24522 Brickell        1441 Brickell Avenue, Suite 100                  MIAMI          FL      33131 Miami-Dade 128786A  24522 Washington D.C. Branch 1401 I Street, N.W.                    Washington  DC     20005 District of Columbia        129216A  24522 Las Olas Branch    350 EAST LAS OLAS BOUEVARD            FORT LAUDERDALE   FL      33301 Broward      130913A  24522 Rockville Centre Branch 330 SUNRISE HIGHWAY                  ROCKVILLE CENTRE  NY    11570 Nassau         132604A  24522 Fort Lee Office      2151 LEMOINE AVENUE                 FORT LEE   NJ      07024 Bergen         132663A  24522 Gramercy Branch  302 3RD AVENUE                   NEW YORK          NY    10010 New York    134403A  24522 City Center  1 CITY PLACE              WHITE PLAINS   NY          10601 Westchester  134608A  24522 Newport-Pavonia Branch 89 RIVER DRIVE          JERSEY CITY          NJ      07310 Hudson        136407A  24522 Rockville Branch   200C EAST MIDDLE LANE              ROCKVILLE        MD    20850 Montgomery          138446A  24522 Reston Office         11842 SPECTRUM CENTER            RESTON          VA     20190 Fairfax         138568A  24522 Bowling Green Branch    26 BROADWAY            NEW YORK          NY    10004 New York    127998A  24522 East Village Office 143 SECOND AVENUE          NEW YORK          NY    10003 New York    128001A  24522 Hillside Branch      147-02 HILLSIDE AVE.          JAMAICA          NY    11435 Queens        128051A  24522 Pomonok Branch   156-02 AGUILAR AVE.           FLUSHING          NY    11367 Queens        128052A  24522 Woodside     5120 NORTHERN BLVD.                 WOODSIDE          NY    11377 Queens        128053A  24522 Elmhurst East Branch      8703 QUEENS BLVD.              ELMHURST         NY    11373 Queens        128056A  24522 Glen Oaks Branch 257-15 UNION TPK                GLEN OAKS          NY    11004 Queens        128060A  24522 Arlington Office    4075 WILSON BOULEVARD            ARLINGTON       VA     22203 Arlington     139486A  24522 Frederick Douglass Boulevard Branch 2063 FREDERICK DOUGLASS BOULEVARD              NEW YORK         NY    10026          New York    142566A  24522 Bethesda Office     7637 OLD GEORGETOWN ROAD             BETHESDA          MD    20814 Montgomery          143620A  24522 Edison Branch       1819 STATE ROUTE 27          EDISON      NJ          08817 Middlesex    144070A  24522 River Road  10113 RIVER ROAD               POTOMAC MD          20854 Montgomery          147063A  24522 Bayside Branch     3415 FRANCIS LEWIS BLVD.                    FLUSHING NY    11358 Queens        128062A  24522 3rd Avenue & 40th Street 617 3rd Avenue              New York          NY    10158 New York    127983A  24522 Montague Street     174 Montague Street                 Brooklyn          NY    11201 Kings 127871A  24522 Coral Gables          2222 Ponce De Leon Boulevard, Suite 100             Coral Gables          FL      33134 Dade  127749A  24522 7th Avenue Branch 518 Fashion Avenue                 New York          NY    10018 New York    127964A  24522 Alexandria   1700 Diagonal Road                 Alexandria   VA          22314 Alexandria City     138631A  24522 Valley Stream        750 West Sunrise Highway, Space# 4110 (Green Acres Commons)          Valley Stream        NY    11582 Nassau          127954A  24522 Forest HIlls Branch         107-19 Continental Ave            Forest Hills   NY    11375 Queens        128068A  24522 Great neck   57 Middle Neck Road               Great Neck  NY          10023 Nassau         127955A  24522 Carle Place   857 East Gate Blvd                   Garden City NY          11530 Nassau         127940A  24522 Silver Springs        8252 Georgia Avenue               Silver Springs          MD    20910 Montgomery          209900A  24522 Avenue of the Americas   1133 Avenue of the Americas               New York    NY    10036 New York    127993A  24522 Northern Boulevard         144-01 Northern Boulevard                 Flushing      NY    11354 Queens        128061A  24522 Long Island City    24-15 Queens Plaza North                  Long Island City   NY    11101 Queens        210933A  24522 101 Delancey         101 Delancey Street                  New York          NY    10002 New York    210927A    

  The comment period should be extended; evidentiary hearings should be held; and on the current record, the application should not be approved.

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