AFGE National President John Gage offered the following statement:

“Gonzales’ resignation was inevitable. It’s unfortunate that it took so long, and proved that he was not the right man for the job. He lacked proper judgment, and his outright refusal to be honest and upstanding was a disservice to the DoJ. His prior refusal to step down was an embarrassment to the federal government, a detriment to the work of DoJ employees and put the agency in poor standing with the American public.

“AFGE is cautiously optimistic that the next attorney general will be committed to resurrecting the longstanding, proud reputation of DoJ that was shattered by Gonzales and Bush’s political interference.

“It’s imperative to acknowledge former Deputy Attorney General James Comey and FBI Director Robert Mueller, both of whom refused to become pawns in the administration’s game. Their integrity and courage is what government service is about, and is what our members represent.

“AFGE — and the nation — will look to President Bush to appoint an Attorney General who can restore the agency to its once-proud standing as a fair and unbiased federal agency.”

AFGE is the largest federal employee union representing 600,000 workers in the federal government and the government of the District of Columbia.

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The Justice Department and Compass Bank reached a consent order, which was filed in conjunction with the complaint, in federal district court in Birmingham, Ala. Under the agreement, which remains subject to court approval, Compass Bank is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of marital status in any aspect of its automobile lending.

Compass Bank says that they have already implemented changes to its lending procedures that explicitly prohibit distinctions based on marital status, and it is required to maintain these changes under the agreement. In addition, Compass Bank will pay up to $1.75 million plus interest to non-spousal co-applicants who were charged higher interest rates, and it will provide enhanced equal credit opportunity training to its officers and employees who set rates for automobile loans.

The Federal Reserve Board referred this matter to the Justice Department for enforcement after its 2003 periodic examination gave the board reason to believe that Compass Bank’s loan pricing procedures and directives constituted a pattern or practice of discrimination. Compass Bank cooperated fully with both the Board’s and the Department’s investigations into its lending practices and agreed to settle this matter without contested litigation.

A copy of the consent order, as well as additional information about fair lending enforcement by the Justice Department, can be obtained from the Justice Department website at http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/housing.

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