The government secures a $9 million settlement with Ameris Bank over alleged redlining in Florida

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has secured a $9 million settlement with Ameris Bank over allegations it avoided underwriting mortgages in predominately Black and Latino communities in Jacksonville, Florida, and discouraged people there from getting home loans. It’s the government’s latest settlement over a practice known as redlining. The department says Ameris focused on  mostly white neighborhoods and has never operated a branch in a  Black and Hispanic neighborhood. The bank denies violating fair lending laws and says it wanted to avoid litigation by agreeing to the deal, which a judge must approve and doesn’t include civil monetary penalties. Federal officials say the bank has nearly $25 billion in assets and operates in nine states across the Southeast and mid-Atlantic.