Nos. 19-675 & 19-688 IN THE BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION, et al., Petitioners, v. CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA, Respondent. WELLS FARGO & CO., et al., Petitioners, v. CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA, Respondent. On Petitions for Writs of Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for t he Eleventh Circuit BRIEF OF THE AMERICAN BANKERS ASSOCIATION, AMERICAN FINANCIAL SERVICES ASSOCIATION, BANK POLICY INSTITUTE, CONSUMER BANKERS ASSOCIATION, INDEPENDENT COMMUNITY BANKERS OF AMERICA, MORTGAGE BANKERS ASSOCIATION, CREDIT UNION NATIONAL ASSOCIATION AND NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FEDERALLY-INSURED CREDIT UNIONS AS AMICI CURIAE S UPPORT ING PETITIONERS Robert A. Long, Jr. Counsel of Record Jordan V. Hill COVINGTON & BURLING LLP One CityCenter 850 Tenth Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20001-4956 [email protected] (202) 662-6000 Counsel for Amici Curiae TABLE OF CONTENTS Page TABLE OF AUTHORITIES ....................................... ii INTEREST OF AMICI CURIAE ............................... 1 SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT .................................... 4 ARGUMENT .............................................................. 7 I. This Case Presents an Issue of Exceptional Importance That Warrants This Court’s Review. ........................................ 7 II. The Court of Appeals Failed to Heed This Court’s Decision. ............................................ 10 III. Other Plaintiffs Are Well-Positioned to Enforce the FHA ............................................ 13 CONCLUSION ......................................................... 17 i ii TABLE OF AUTHORITIES Page(s) Cases Associated Gen. Contractors of Cal., Inc. v. Carpenters, 459 U.S. 519 (1983) ................................ 6 Bank of America v. City of Miami, Florida, 137 S. Ct. 1296 (2017) ..................................... passim City of Miami Gardens, v. Bank of America Corp., No. 1:14-cv-22202 (S.D. Fla., filed June 13, 2014) ............................................................ 7 City of Miami Gardens v. Citigroup, Inc., No. 1:14-cv-22204 (S.D. Fla., filed June 13, 2014) ........................................................................... 7 City of Miami Gardens v. JPMorgan Chase & Co., No. 1:14-cv-22206 (S.D. Fla., filed June 13, 2014) ..................................................................... 7 City of Miami Gardens v. Wells Fargo & Co., No. 1:14-cv-22203 (S.D. Fla., filed June 13, 2014) ........................................................................... 7 City of Miami v. Bank of America Corp., 800 F.3d 1262 (11th Cir. 2015) ................................ 13 City of Miami v. Bank of America, Corp., No. 13-cv-24506 (S.D. Fla., filed Dec. 13, 2013) ........................................................................... 8 iii City of Miami v. Citigroup Inc., No. 1:13-cv- 24510 (S.D. Fla., filed Dec. 13, 2013) ........................ 8 City of Miami v. JPMorgan Chase & Co., No. 1:14-cv-22205 (S.D. Fla., filed June 13, 2014) ........................................................................... 8 City of Miami v. Wells Fargo & Co., No. 13-cv-24508 (S.D. Fla., filed Dec. 13, 2013) ........................................................................... 7 City of Oakland v. Wells Fargo & Co., No. 3:15-cv-04321 (N.D. Cal., filed Sept. 21, 2015) ........................................................................... 7 City of Sacramento v. Wells Fargo & Co., No. 2:18-cv-00416 (E.D. Cal., filed Feb. 23, 2018) ........................................................................... 7 Cnty. of Cook v. Bank of Am. Corp., 2015 WL 1303313 (N.D. Ill., filed Mar. 19, 2015)..................... 7 Cnty. of Cook v. HSBC N. Am. Holdings Inc., No. 1:14-cv-02031 (N.D. Ill., filed Sept. 30, 2015) ........................................................................... 7 Cnty. of Cook v. Wells Fargo & Co., No. 1:14-cv-09548 (N.D. Ill., filed Nov. 28, 2015) ........................................................................... 7 Cobb Cnty., DeKalb Cnty., & Fulton Cnty. v. Bank of Am. Corp., No. 1:15-cv-04081 (N.D. Ga., filed Nov. 20, 2015)............................................. 7 iv Cobb Cnty., DeKalb Cnty., & Fulton Cnty. v. HSBC N. Am. Holdings Inc., No. 1:12-cv-03640 (N.D. Ga., filed Oct. 18, 2012) ........................................................................... 7 Hemi Group, LLC v. City of New York, 559 U.S. 1 (2010) ...................................................... 11 Holmes v. Sec. Investor Prot. Corp., 503 U.S. 258 (1992) ............................................ 11, 14 Lexmark Int’l Inc. v. Static Control Components, Inc., 572 U.S. 118 (2014).................... 16 Maziarz v. Housing Auth., 281 F.R.D. 71 (D. Conn. 2012) ................................. 16 Prince George’s Cnty. & Montgomery Cnty. v. Bank of Am. Corp., No. 1:18-cv-03575 (D. Md., filed Nov. 20, 2018) ...................................... 7 Prince George’s Cnty. & Montgomery Cnty. v. Wells Fargo & Co., No. 8:18-cv-03576 (D. Md., filed Nov. 20, 2018) ...................................... 7 Trafficante v. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., 409 U.S. 205 (1972) .................................................. 14 Statutes 42 U.S.C. § 3610–3612 .................................................. 14 42 U.S.C. § 3613 ............................................................ 16 42 U.S.C. § 3614(d)(1) ................................................... 14 v Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988, Pub. L. No. 100-430, 102 Stat. 1619 (Sept. 13, 1988) .......... 14 Other Authorities Department of Justice, Recent Accomplishments of the Housing and Civil Enforcement Section (updated Dec. 3, 2019), https://www.justice.gov/crt/recent- accomplishments-housing-and-civil- enforcement-section ................................................. 15 Press Release, Department of Justice, Justice Department Reaches $335 Million Settlement to Resolve Allegations of Lending Discrimination by Countrywide Financial Corporation (Dec. 21, 2011), http://tinyurl.com/DOJCtywideSettle ..................... 15 Press Release, Department of Justice, Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Charter Bank to Resolve Allegations of Lending Discrimination (Sept. 28, 2016), https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice- department-reaches-settlement-charter- bank-resolve-allegations-lending- discrimination .......................................................... 15 Press Release, Department of Justice, Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Minnesota Bank to Resolve Allegations of Lending Discrimination (May 8, 2018), https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice- department-reaches-settlement-minnesota- bank-resolve-allegations-lending ............................ 15 vi Press Release, Department of Justice, Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Sage Bank to Resolve Allegations of Mortgage Lending Discrimination (Nov. 30, 2015), https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice- department-reaches-settlement-sage-bank- resolve-allegations-mortgage-lending ..................... 15 Press Release, Department of Justice, Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Wells Fargo Resulting in More Than $175 Million in Relief for Homeowners to Resolve Fair Lending Claims (July 12, 2012), http://tinyurl.com/DOJWFSettle ............................. 15 Press Release, Department of Justice, Justice Department Settles Suit Against Indiana Bank to Resolve Lending Discrimination Claims (June 13, 2019), https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice- department-settles-suit-against-indiana- bank-resolve-lending-discrimination-claims .......... 15 Fed. R. Civ. P. 23 ........................................................... 16 INTEREST OF AMICI CURIAE The American Bankers Association (“ABA”) is the principal national trade association of the financial services industry in the United States.1 Founded in 1875, the ABA is the voice for the nation’s $13 trillion banking industry and its million employees. ABA members are located in each of the fifty States and the District of Columbia, and include financial institutions of all sizes and types, both large and small. The ABA frequently submits amicus curiae briefs in state and federal courts in matters that significantly affect its members and the business of banking. Founded in 1916, the American Financial Services Association (“AFSA”) is the national trade association for the consumer credit industry, protecting access to credit and consumer choice. AFSA members provide consumers with many kinds of credit, including traditional installment loans, mortgages, direct and indirect vehicle financing, payment cards, and retail sales finance. The Bank Policy Institute (“BPI”) is a nonpartisan public policy, research and advocacy group, representing the nation’s leading banks and their customers. Our members include universal banks, 1 Pursuant to Rule 37.6, amici curiae affirm that no counsel for a party authored this brief in whole or in part, and that no person other than amici, their members, or their counsel made any monetary contributions intended to fund the preparation or submission of this brief. The parties were timely notified that amici curiae intended to file this brief and have consented to its filing. 1 2 regional banks, and the major foreign banks doing business in the United States. Collectively, they employ almost two million Americans, make nearly half of the nation’s small business loans, and are an engine for financial innovation and economic growth. The Consumer Bankers Association (“CBA”) is the only member-driven trade association focused exclusively on retail