Maxine Waters housing appraisal communications

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:

Dear Records Officer,

Pursuant the Freedom of Information Act, I request that a copy of the following documents be provided to me:

I want to request any copies of all communications from February 22, 2022 and the present between Department of Housing and Urban Development and the following people and institutions:
Congresswoman Maxine Waters
Alia Fierro, Deputy Director of Housing, Community Development and Insurance, alia.fierro@mail.house.gov
HUD secretary Marcia L. Fudge
Timothy Segerson, Appraisal Subcommittee Board Chairman Deputy Director, Office of Examination and Insurance, National Credit Union Administration
Jim Park, Appraisal Subcommittee
David S. Bunton, president, The Appraisal Foundation
Pledger M. Bishop, III, president, Appraisal Institute

On February 22, 2022, Maxine Waters sent a letter to HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge requesting "a systemic fair housing investigation into housing valuation discrimination." So this request would improve the public's understanding of the state of that inquiry. To help narrow the scope, I would like to include the following keyword search terms:
"racism"
"discrimination"
"appraisal"
"investigation"
"fair housing"
"housing valuation"
"race"
"racial bias"
"appraisal bias"
"appraisal misconduct"

Communications include any electronic (including metadata) or written form, such as correspondences, emails, documents, files, guidance, guidelines, evaluations, instructions, analyses, memoranda, agreements, notes, orders, policies, procedures, legal opinions, protocols, reports, rules, talking points, studies, or any other Record of any kind. Any electronic communications should include any responsive documents in electronic form that are attached to emails, including .doc, .pdf, .ppt, .xls, .csv and formats therein. If links or attachments include Google Drive documents, those should be included as well.

Please interpret the scope of this request in the broadest manner possible short of an interpretation that would lead to a conclusion that the request does not reasonably describe the records sought. If the request is considered too burdensome, I would consent to the documents being released on a rolling basis.

If there are any fees for searching or copying these records, please inform me before filling my request. I am willing to pay fees for this request up to a maximum of $100. If you estimate that the fees will exceed this limit, please inform me first. However the law allows you to impose a waiver or reduction of fees when information is sought in the public interest, as is the case for this request.

The request involves agreements with companies that violate people’s civil rights and liberties and therefore are of the public interest. Obtaining these documents would improve the public’s understanding of how HUD has investigated Waters' inquiry and what work the agency is doing to investigate discrimination in housing appraisals.

The release of the information is for non-commercial purposes. The Guardian US is a news organization based in locations around the US, whose mission is journalism in the public interest. I am a reporter at Guardian US, and this request is for newsgathering purposes. I, or my colleagues at the Guardian US, will use the records to inform the public through our reporting. I therefore request a waiver of all fees and charges.

If you deny any or all of this request, please cite each specific exemption you feel justifies the refusal to release the information and notify me of the appeal procedures available to me under the law.

As I am making this request as a journalist and this information is of timely value, I would appreciate that you communicate with me by email or telephone, rather than by mail, if you have questions regarding this request. I can be reached at 415-692-0856 and by email at edwin.rios@theguardian.com.

I look forward to hearing from you in writing within 20 days. I will also call your office to follow up. Thank you for your cooperation, and thank you for your consideration of this request.

Sincerely,

Eddie

Hey Alyaa,

How's it going? Edwin Rios, reporter for the Guardian here. Apologies I missed your note about clarifying my FOIA request. To further clarify and narrow the scope, I would like any email communications from February 22, 2022 and the present between Department of Housing and Urban Development staff with the @hud.gov and Alia Fierro, Deputy Director of Housing, Community Development and Insurance, alia.fierro@mail.house.gov. Please search the following terms:

You also requested the search include the following terms: "racism""discrimination""appraisal""investigation""fair housing" "housing valuation" "race""racial bias" "appraisal bias" "appraisal misconduct" "Timothy Segerson" "Jim Park" "Pledger Bishop III" "Segerson" "Bishop"

The request comes in response to a 2022 letter sent by Congresswoman Maxine Waters requesting an investigation into disparate appraisal practices in the US. https://buckleyfirm.com/sites/default/files/Buckley%20InfoBytes%20-%20House%20Financial%20Services%20Letter%20-%20Waters%20-%202022.02.22.pdf

Does that help? More than happy to narrow further upon talking.

Best,

Eddie

Edwin "Eddie" Rios

Senior reporter, racial equity | The Guardian US

Guardian News & Media

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