Justice Department Pledges a Crackdown on ‘Modern’ Redlining

The Justice Department will prioritize redlining investigations with Attorney General Merrick Garland pledging the crackdown on discriminatory lending would be unprecedented in its aggressiveness.

Speaking at a Friday press briefing, Garland framed the initiative as targeting “modern redlining.” Other watchdogs at the event said that would include the use of algorithms and online data that could violate fair housing laws. The attorney general said the government has several cases in the works and that it’s likely to open more probes into whether minorities are being denied loans.

“The initiative represents the department’s most aggressive and coordinated effort to address redlining,” ...