Justice Department secures $9 million settlement with Ameris Bank over 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 federal government’s latest settlement over a practice known as redlining. The Justice Department says Ameris Bank focused on mostly white neighborhoods, and has never operated a branch in a Black and Hispanic neighborhood. The bank did not have immediate comment on the settlement, which a judge must approve. Federal officials say the bank has nearly $25 billion in assets and operates in nine states across the Southeast and mid-Atlantic.
