DOJ press release, Justice Department Secures Agreement with Lakeland Bank to Address Discriminatory Redlining (Sept. 28, 2022)

The department’s own announcement of the settlement, the day the complaint was filed. Quotations checked against the archived capture.

The department’s own ranking: the resolution “is part of the Justice Department’s Combatting Redlining Initiative and represents the third-largest redlining settlement in department history.” Subhead: “Settlement Provides Over $13 Million to Ensure Equal Home Loan Opportunities.”

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland: “Financial institutions that refuse to provide mortgage lending services to communities of color not only contribute to the persistent racial wealth gap that exists in this country, but also violate federal law.”

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke: “Ending redlining is a critical step in our work to close the widening gaps in wealth between communities of color and others.”

The initiative: “In October 2021, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland launched the Justice Department’s Combatting Redlining Initiative, a coordinated enforcement effort to address this persistent form of discrimination against communities of color.”