Boarded up foreclosures

Implementing Ohio's New Anti-Predatory Lending Law

a conference on Senate Bill 185: Nov. 3, 2006

Conference Audio

Audio of the conference sessions can be opened with any media player by clicking the links below (.mp3).

Alternatively, the files are available as a podcast that can be saved to any computer: podcast (iTunes required).

Thanks to the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University for hosting the audio files, and to Morgan Harris for technical support.

Conference Agenda part I, part II (.pdf)


  1. Sen. John Roberts, co-sponsor of SB 185

    Sen. John Roberts, co-sponsor of SB 185

    Welcome; continued
    • Opening remarks from Marge Misak, Cuyahoga Community Land Trust; Tim Hagan, Cuyahoga County Commissioner; Jim Rokakis, Cuyahoga County Treasurer
  2. Plenary Session: State Laws Making a Difference Against Predatory Lending: The Ameriquest Settlement (following the welcome)
    • David Huey, Assistant Attorney General, Washington State
    • David Huey outlines the steps that the State of Washington took to investigate predatory lending cases against Ameriquest and Household Finance. This involved multimillion dollar national settlements for housing consumers in Ohio and forty-eight other states.
    • Ameriquest Multistate Settlement (.pdf)
  3. Panel: Implementation of SB 185; continued
    • Harold Williams, Legal Aid Society of Cleveland; Shaun Peterson, Assistant Attorney General, State of Ohio; Rachel Robinson, Equal Justice Foundation; Bill Faith, Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio
    • A comprehensive presentation by state-wide experts outlining the important protections offered by SB 185.
  4. Panel: Housing Counseling: Responding to Individuals in Crisis
    • Diana Woodbridge, Housing counseling expert; Paula Miller, Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Cleveland; Mark Wiseman, Cuyahoga County Foreclosure Prevention Program; Mark Seifert, East Side Organizing Project; Steve Wertheim, United Way 211/First Call For Help
    • A broad range of experts who employ different tactics to achieve the same goal of housing justice for their clients.
  5. Awards
    • Awards presented to Sen. John Roberts and Sen. Joy Padgett (in absentia) for their work in enacting SB 185
  6. John Relman, fair housing attorney, addresses the conference

    John Relman, fair housing attorney, addresses the conference

    Keynote Address (after conclusion of awards); continued
    • John Relman, fair housing attorney, Relman & Associates
    • One of the nation's preeminent plaintiff's attorneys walks participants through the logical process of putting the parts together for a predatory lending case. This presentation is especially helpful for municipal leaders who may seek legal redress against predatory lenders.
  7. Democratizing the Data: Expanding HMDA as a Key to Reinvestment (after the conclusion of John Relman's remarks)
    • Greg Squires, George Washington University
    • Squires discusses the passage of the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act and highlights the continuing racial disparities that pervade home lending in Cuyahoga County.
    • Tables: Race and Home Lending (.pdf)
  8. Remarks by Attorney General Marc Dann
    • Marc Dann, State of Ohio Attorney General
  9. Panel: covering the Crisis of Predatory Lending in Ohio: How the Media Made a Difference
    • Julie Rittenhouse, Sisters of Charity Foundation; Eddie Roth, Dayton Daily News; Geoff Dutton, Columbus Dispatch; Sheryl Harris, The Plain Dealer; Jill Riepenhoff, Columbus Dispatch
    • Media representatives from throughout Ohio provide insights into the challenges of covering the complex world of predatory lending.