Denied a Mortgage Because You’re a Suspected Terrorist

[Valerie S. Johnson]

By Valerie S. Johnson

You have hurdles to clear to get a mortgage or car loan. You need good credit and a consistent work history or source of income. However, according to a report by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, qualified candidates are being turned down for goods and services solely because of their names.

Is this illegal discrimination? No. The U.S. Treasury Department publishes a list of “specially designated nationals” including suspected terrorists and drug traffickers who are persona non grata for any transaction. If an American business such as a mortgage company, bank, car dealer, or even a corner vendor conducts business with a listed individual, they may be hit with penalties of up to $10 million and 10 to 30 years in prison.

So if your name is similar to one on the Office of Foreign Asset Control’s 262-page list, you could be denied credit, a job, or an apartment. You may have an OFAC alert on your credit report. The Lawyers’ Committee report gives examples of people who could potentially be flagged because of partial matches: Barack Hussein Obama; Alberto Gonzales; and Paula Abdul.

Check to see if your name is on the Treasury Department's OFAC list.

The report by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area entitled “The OFAC List: How a Treasury Department Terrorist Watchlist Ensnares Everyday Consumers” is available at http://www.lccr.com/news/html.

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[fairy74]

This is so, so sad to me. My ex-husband was from North Africa and was a US citizen and just got harrassed all the time. When he travelled I put flyers from the ACLU on top of all his luggage that stated he understood his rights as US citizen and would report any harrassment immediately. That cut down on the nonsense somewhat! You know honestly, it's just amazing where are the names of US born citizens who bomb abortion clinics and Klu Klux Klan members on this list???? Amazing, that innocent people will have a hard time getting loans and buying a house but our home grown terrorists operate with impunity because they tend to have Anglo surnames.

[PauletteGoddard]

I'm beginning to understand why I, a well-behaved permanent resident for ten years, a homeowner for eight years who's made timely payments, who paid off a car and scooter loan early, who has contributed to the economy and Social Security during her prime working years, who has three credit card accounts in good standing, who has retirement savings accounts and a six-digit figure net worth, was initially offered only a savings account at a credit union last month. Because I've wired my brother overseas his return from his student loans.

"Yuh kaint trust dem ferners: deys all tewwowists." OMG! Run in circles! Scream and shout!