News and Announcements

Federal Court Rules Lawsuit Alleging Lending Discrimination Against Immigrants by Wells Fargo Can Go Forward

Aug 4, 2017 / Press Release

An argument by Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. that federal law permits the bank to discriminate against certain immigrants was rejected by a federal judge, ruling in a lawsuit alleging that the financial giant illegally denied qualified applicants, including college students, loans because of their alienage or immigration status. The suit, brought by MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) and Outten & Golden LLP on behalf of six individuals who were granted status under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA, and the California League of United Latin American...

Student Sues Wells Fargo for Lending Discrimination

Feb 23, 2017 / Media Coverage

Please see attached pdf document below.

Wells Fargo Sued For Discriminatory Lending Practices Against Certain Immigrants

Feb 14, 2017 / Media Coverage

Wells Fargo & Co. illegally denied qualified applicants, including a college student, loans because of their immigration status, according to a federal lawsuit filed Monday. The suit, brought by MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) and Outten & Golden LLP on behalf of a college student who was granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA, and the California League of United Latin American Citizens, alleges Wells Fargo violated federal and state laws that prohibit discrimination based on alienage and immigration status. “All students should be treated...

An Undocumented Student Was Denied A Wells Fargo Loan And Now She's Suing

Feb 14, 2017 / Media Coverage

A UC Riverside student is accusing Wells Fargo of illegally denying private bank loans to young undocumented immigrants due to their citizenship status. Mitzie Perez, a third-year undergraduate student in UC Riverside, is enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, a program enacted by the Obama administration that lets some young undocumented immigrants remain in the US to study and work. When Perez attempted to apply for a student loan with Wells Fargo last August, the online application system required her to enter her citizenship status, according to the lawsuit filed...

Student aid options for unauthorized immigrants in California

Feb 9, 2017 / Media Coverage

UC Riverside student Mitzie Perez sued Wells Fargo last week for denying her a private student loan because she is not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. “As a result of Wells Fargo’s denial, Ms. Perez was forced to cover her entire tuition using various credit cards,” the lawsuit said. This makes it sound as if the only options for students who are unauthorized immigrants in California are private loans and credit cards. Although they are not eligible for federal grants, loans or work-study, those students in California who meet certain requirements have access to the same state aid...

Suit Challenges Denial of Education Loans to Unauthorized Immigrants

Feb 5, 2017 / Media Coverage

Student loan debt is not something most people covet, but for Mitzie Perez, a 25-year-old university student in California, borrowing money to cover her tuition bills would be a boon. Ms. Perez is an undocumented immigrant who was illegally brought to the United States from Guatemala in 1997, when she was 5 years old. She was sheltered from deportation by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, an Obama-era initiative that grants some protections to those who were brought here as children. But Ms. Perez, a junior majoring in gender and sexuality studies at the...

[Video] These immigrants can go to college, but blocked from student loans

Feb 2, 2017 / Media Coverage

Mitzie Perez is one of the 750,000 DREAMers who are allowed to legally go to college, but their status as temporary residents leaves them with few ways to pay for tuition. They're not eligible for federal grants or loans. And it's widely known among DREAMers that banks are turning them down for private loans, too. But for the first time, a bank is being challenged in court over this practice. Perez sued Wells Fargo in January for denying her a student loan. "I feel like I'm still kind of being criminalized. I just want to go to school," said Perez, who came to the U.S. from Guatemala at the...

MALDEF demanda a Wells Fargo por supuestamente negar préstamos a “soñadores”

Jan 31, 2017 / Media Coverage

El Fondo México Americano de Defensa Legal y Educación (MALDEF) demandó este lunes a la entidad financiera Wells Fargo por supuestamente negar prestamos a solicitantes calificados indocumentados. La querella presentada en una corte federal de San Francisco, alega que el banco violó las leyes que prohíben la discriminación en la prestación de servicios basada en el estatus migratorio de una persona. “ Creemos que hay muchos inmigrantes afectados, especialmente aquellos favorecidos por DACA que ya tienen un número de Seguro Social y un permiso de trabajo válido ”, detalló Víctor Viramontes,...

Acusan a Wells Fargo de discriminación a beneficiarios de DACA por negarles créditos estudiantiles

Jan 31, 2017 / Media Coverage

Mitzie Pérez, de 25 años, solicitó en la web de Wells Fargo un crédito para pagar la última parte de sus estudios de Género en la Universidad de California, Riverside. Introdujo sus datos, detalló sus estudios y respondió a la pregunta de si era ciudadana o residente permanente. El email de respuesta decía: "Basado en la información que usted proveyó, no tenemos una opción de crédito estudiantil que encaje con sus necesidades. Eso podría ser por la escuela que seleccionó, su campo de estudios y/o su estatus de ciudadanía". Préstamo denegado. Esta inmigrante, protegida por DACA y con permiso...

Lawsuit Claims Wells Fargo Denied Student Loans to ‘Dreamer’ Immigrants

Jan 31, 2017 / Media Coverage

Wells Fargo is under new pressure this week after a federal lawsuit was filed Monday accusing the bank of denying loans for immigrants who live, work and study in the U.S. legally. The Associated Press reports that the suit, filed by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) in Los Angeles, claims that Wells Fargo denied student loans to young immigrants enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, created by former President Barack Obama. The plaintiffs seek a court order deeming the policy discriminatory, and requiring Wells Fargo to grant...

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