From MSNBC.com: Banks are doing a much better job maintaining homes seized in foreclosures in predominantly white neighborhoods than in mostly black and Latino neighborhoods, according to an investigation by an advocacy group.

The National Fair Housing Alliance said it inspected more than 1,000 foreclosed properties in white and minority neighborhoods in nine major U.S. metro areas and found a wide disparity in the level of upkeep. Houses in white neighborhoods were generally well maintained while those in minority neighborhoods typically looked abandoned and were in various stages of disrepair, the report said.

The group, a consortium of more than 200 groups, agencies and individuals, said it plans to file complaints with federal housing authorities, alleging discrimination under the Fair Housing Act, against banks that are not maintaining properties. The group did not identify the banks.

“The blight that these neighborhoods have suffered from is all the responsibility of the banks who own and have an obligation to market and maintain these properties,” NFHA President and CEO Shanna Smith told reporters on a conference call to discuss the findings.

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