Following similar moves in other parts of the country, 15 Milwaukee residents have filed lawsuits contending auto financing companies discriminate against car buyers based on race. The five suits, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court against the financing companies of Ford, General Motors, Toyota, Honda and Nissan, allege that the lenders allow dealerships to inflate interest rates without telling consumers. Those extra costs are not based on credit rating and are higher for minorities, the suits claim.
Earlier this year, a judge in Tennessee ruled that Ford’s financing arm had discriminated against black customers there.