The City of Baltimore filed a federal lawsuit under the Federal Fair Housing Act on January 8 alleging that defendant Wells Fargo Bank intentionally targeted Baltimore’s African-American communities for predatory loans. The complaint further alleges that Wells Fargo’s “reverse redlining” practices have led to very high rates of foreclosure in the city’s African-American and other communities of color costing the city millions in lost revenues and resulting in further distressed and destabilized neighborhoods. The complaint sets forth startling statistics, e.g. a Wells Fargo loan in a predominantly African-American community in Baltimore is four times as likely to be in foreclosure as a Wells Fargo loan in a predominantly white community, and contains several maps to illustrate such disparities, among other thing. Civil rights firm Relman & Dane is representing the city. For recent press on the lawsuit, see Baltimore Is Suing Bank Over Foreclosure Crisis (NY Times, 1/8/08) and Suspect Foreclosures (Baltimore Sun, 1/10/08) or listen to/read National Public Radio’s Morning Edition report (1/11/08) (with links to more maps) Baltimore Blames Bank for Wave of Foreclosures.