CFA Signs Onto Amicus Brief in Support of Disparate Impact Rule

The Consumer Federation of America signed onto an amicus brief to the United States Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, urging the Court to uphold a lower court's decision in support of a disparate impact rule proposed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Discriminatory access to homeowners' insurance has perpetuated stark racial inequalities in housing. Historically, insurers explicitly refused to sell to people of color. This 2013 rule establishes a straightforward discriminatory effects framework: a policy that had a discriminatory effect on a protected class is unlawful if it is not necessary to achieve a substantial, legitimate, nondiscriminatory interest or if a less discriminatory alternative can also serve that interest.

This rule will help reduce unfair discrimination in homeowners insurance, and the Court should uphold it.