Overview
- Mayor Brandon Scott directed the Law Department and the Office of Equity and Civil Rights to investigate possible Fair Housing Act violations linked to recent foreclosures.
- Officials say the investors focused on East and West Baltimore’s predominantly Black neighborhoods and relied on DSCR loans that allow rapid scaling with looser underwriting.
- The city will file actions to recover unpaid property taxes and municipal liens from the owners as the investigation proceeds.
- Reporting identifies the group as New York–based and says they at one point controlled about 704 homes via DSCR financing, with private lenders facing losses estimated near $100 million.
- The housing department flagged risks in June after analyzing Vacant Building Notices and code violations, and city leaders have described the conduct as fraudulent.