The Fidelity Bank, based in North Carolina, entered into a HUD-approved conciliation agreement with Fair Housing Project/Legal Aid of North Carolina, Inc., on April 23, 2016. The agreement requires the bank to earmark $500,000 or more per year for two years and to use those funds to make investments and community development loans in majority/minority census tracts, with at least 40 percent for affordable housing.
On February 9, 2015, HUD received a complaint alleging discriminatory financing terms or conditions and otherwise denying or making housing unavailable because of race. The latest discriminatory act was alleged to have occurred in October, 2014. The process, from complaint to settlement, lasted approximately 14 months.