by Matthew R. Lee, Patreon Substack
FEDERAL COURT, Oct 15 – In the Midwest, Busey Bank is trying to move into the Kansas City area via merger, with a disparate lending record. Fair Finance Watch with Inner City Press on the FOIA has filed a timely first comment on, the Applications
Van Dukeman, First Busey's CEO called it a "great fit from a cultural perspective." But consider Busey Bank's culture - including contempt for CRA, its disparate lending record:
First Busey's Busey Bank in Illinois in 2023 - data not yet included in any CRA exam - made 1163 mortgage loans to whites, and only 772 loans to African Americans. Meanwhile it denied only 216 applications from whites, and fully 24 from African Americans. Busey Bank should be referred to DOJ.
Busey Bank in Missouri in 2023 - data not yet included in any CRA exam - made 49 mortgage loans to whites, and onlyseven loans to African Americans. Meanwhile it denied only 21 applications from whites, and fully eight from African Americans
Busey Bank in Indiana in 2023 - data not yet included in any CRA exam - made 22 mortgage loans to whites, and only two loans to African Americans.
Busey Bank in Florida in 2023 - data not yet included in any CRA exam - made 80 mortgage loans to whites, and only ONE loan to an African American.
There is litigation, for example under the FCRA, here - dropped without explanation, presumable settled, the FRB should ask First Busey about all outstanding consumer litigation.
And there was the First Busey board member, Elisabeth Kimmel, caught in the college admissions scandal, here.
When the Fed provided the application, the banks had withheld their CRA data. So, "This is a formal FOIA request for the withheld exhibits to the First Busey / CrossFirst application, in particular "Confidential" Exhibits 9 ("First Busey Community Reinvestment Act Data") and 10 ("CrossFirst Community Reinvestment Act data"). This is presumptively public."
Rather than provide the CRA info, First Busey's Monica L. Bowe, Executive Vice President & Chief Risk Officer of First Busey Corporation - and of the Risk Management Association- submitted a letter saying CRA conditions are never attached - false, and telling. Watch this site.
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