Bank offers home loans to illegal immigrants

JAN 27 - The fantasy world of video game street racing may have influenced two teenage boys accused of piloting real-life luxury cars in a high-speed contest that claimed the life of a Pakistani-Canadian taxi driver, reported a Toronto newspaper quoting GTA police.

A copy of Need for Speed, a game that allows players to select high-end cars and race them through crowded urban areas, was found on the front seat of one of the suspect's cars following the late-night crash in Scarborough, Ontario.

The game involves street racing, drag racing and pursuit racing, where players attempt to evade police. Police are reportedly exploring a connection between the accident and the game.

Meanwhile, the body of the 46-year-old Pakistani-Canadian taxi driver Tahir Khan who died in the car crash will be flown back to his hometown of Jhang in Punjab next week. His wife and two children live in Pakistan.

Police say Khan died after turning into the path of what police say was a street race involving two Mercedes Benzes driven by two high school teens.

Tahir Khan, a Diamond Taxi driver, was to receive his Canadian citizenship Friday when his Ford Crown Victoria was crushed against a utility pole Tuesday night.

Toronto police said two 18-year-old friends belonging to Ontario's elite private high school were racing their parents' Mercedes Benzes when one of them struck Tahir's cab as he attempted to make a left turn. The cars were traveling at up to 140 kilometers an hour in the 50 km/h zone.

The two men face charges of criminal negligence causing death in connection with the incident.

Police said one of the drivers later fled the scene, returning to the accident after parking his car a few blocks away and posing as a bystander, police said.

The two teens are being held in custody at a detention centre.

Friends and co-workers said Tahir Khan, who immigrated to the country six years ago, was a well-liked, quiet man who worked long hours to support his wife in Pakistan. He was hoping to bring her to Canada.

One of Mr. Khan's friends contacted family members in Pakistan on Wednesday to break the news. The consulate has also contacted Mr. Khan's brother to arrange the transportation of the body.

Diamond Taxi Association has established a trust fund for the family and will pay for Khan's funeral service, to be held at the Islamic Foundation of Toronto mosque in Scarborough.

The Immigration and Citizenship Canada would let Khan's wife apply to come to Canada on humanitarian grounds, if before his death, he had applied to sponsor her.

Scarborough MP Tom Wappel is encouraging the federal government to posthumously grant citizenship to Khan.

NEW JERSEY, JAN 26 - You don't have to be in the country legally to own a home for your family - its an American dream come true!

Wells Fargo is first US major bank to offer home loans to illegal immigrants, California's 10News reported.

The Bank has introduced the program in California. It is expected will soon be soon offered nationwide. There are an estimated 10.3 million illegal immigrants in USA.

"We're not required to ask the immigration status of any of our customers. That is the responsibility of the federal government," Wells Fargo bank representative Jerry Ruiz said.

The program is called "Celebrate Home" and Wells Fargo says it complies with all federal regulations, 10News reported.

Applicants do need a tax identification number issued by the Internal Revenue Service for people who do not have Social Security numbers.

Ruiz said the program is targeted to Wells Fargo customers who have been an account holder for at least six months and who can show proof of residency for two years in the United States -- along with proof that they have filed and reported income taxes using an individual taxpayer identification number.

Calironia is one of nation's fifth-largest foreign-born population states. Other high-immigration states are New York, New Jersey, Florida, Illinois and Massachusetts,

A bill is being introduced in Congress that would make it illegal to issue loans to illegal immigrants, according to 10News.

Top