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United States of America and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v. BancorpSouth Bank

On April 23, 2025, the President issued Executive Order 14281 on “Restoring Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy,” which provides that “[i]t is the policy of the United States to eliminate the use of disparate-impact liability in all contexts to the maximum degree possible.” On April 22, 2026, the Bureau issued final amendments to the Equal Credit Opportunity Act’s (ECOA) implementing regulation, Regulation B, which state that ECOA does not authorize disparate-impact liability.

The CFPB and the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a joint action against BancorpSouth Bank for discriminatory mortgage lending practices that harmed African Americans and other minorities.  The complaint filed by the CFPB and DOJ alleges that BancorpSouth engaged in numerous discriminatory practices, including illegally redlining in Memphis; denying certain African Americans mortgage loans more often than similarly situated non-Hispanic white applicants; charging African-American customers for certain mortgage loans more than non-Hispanic white borrowers with similar loan qualifications; and implementing an explicitly discriminatory loan denial policy. Under the terms of the consent order, BancorpSouth will pay $4 million in direct loan subsidies in minority neighborhoods in Memphis, at least $800,000 for community programs, advertising, outreach, and credit repair, $2.78 million to African-American consumers who were unlawfully denied or overcharged for loans, and a $3 million penalty.

Related documents

Consent order

Complaint

Maps from the complaint

Order terminating consent order

Press Release

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau And Department Of Justice Action Requires Bancorpsouth To Pay $10.6 Million To Address Discriminatory Mortgage Lending Practices

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