Santander Consumer USA Holdings, Inc., one of the largest U.S. auto lenders, said on Monday that regulators alleged the company violated fair-lending laws and the matter could be reviewed by the Justice Department.
In July, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau told Santander Consumer USA that it had notified the Justice Department of instances where it found the company overcharged "protected groups" of consumers on auto loans made through car dealerships, according to a regulatory filing Monday by the Dallas-based lender.
Under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, protected groups of consumers include racial or religious minorities, among others. A spokeswoman from the company, which is around 60%-owned by a unit of Spanish bank Banco Santander, declined to comment beyond the filing.
The action involving Santander Consumer USA is the latest flash point in regulators' efforts to curb discriminatory auto lending practices. Last month, the CFPB and the Justice Department reached an agreement with American Honda Finance Corp, the U.S. lending arm of Honda Motor Co., in which the company agreed to pay $24 million to African-American, Hispanic, Asian and Pacific Islander borrowers who were illegally charged higher interest rates on car loans.
Different parts of Santander Consumer USA's business have come under the scrutiny of federal and state enforcement agencies in recent months. Last year, the company said the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission were separately investigating Santander Consumer's auto lending and securitization practices.
In February, the company agreed to pay at least $9.35 million to resolve a Justice Department investigation into whether it inappropriately repossessed the cars of members of the U.S. military.
Write to Peter Rudegeair at peter.rudegeair@wsj.com
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
August 10, 2015 13:15 ET (17:15 GMT)