Wells Fargo Lawsuit Extended

BALTIMORE (AP) - A federal judge has given the city of Baltimore more time to file a lawsuit accusing Wells Fargo of discriminatory lending practices.

City attorneys filed a motion Thursday asking for an extension to April 9 "to permit the parties to undertake substantive communications." The motion was granted Friday.

A previous complaint was dismissed, but the judge left the door open to filing a narrower suit.

The city claims the mortgage giant targeted Baltimore's black neighborhoods for bad loans and the resulting foreclosures cost the city tens of millions of dollars.

Similar lawsuits in Cleveland and Birmingham, Ala., have also been dismissed.

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Information from: The Baltimore Sun, http://www.baltimoresun.com

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.