Black Woman Recovers from Life Support, Wins 2022 Miss Woman Entrepreneur International Title
by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

October 7, 2022

Black Woman Recovers from Life Support, Wins 2022 Miss Woman Entrepreneur International Title

Felicia Jeffries, founder and CEO of Moore Financial Services and the Biz Credit Movement, and her team have been busy helping entrepreneurs build their businesses and their business credit.

She was crowned Miss Woman Entrepreneur International in August 2022, but not without going through a trial that would test her very ability to stay alive.

Felicia recalls the situation that led to her being on life support in June 2022. “During the pandemic, I did my best to take care of myself by taking my herbs and medicine, but I ended up slacking on taking my herbs and contracted COVID. People with autoimmune issues are not supposed to get sick,” she states.

“I felt my system shutting down part by part until I couldn’t breathe. My chest felt like it had 50 pounds of pressure on it, and I remember wishing this experience on no one.”

“I was blessed to be released on July 4. That was my Independence Day.”

“I received the crown as Miss Woman Entrepreneur International 2022.”

Felicia’s message is simple, “Take care of your health. Advocate for yourself because you know your body better than anyone. Entrepreneurs have added stress; they must maintain a healthy business. It is kind of difficult to do that when you have health issues, even though it’s possible.”

“I deal with many entrepreneurs who have health problems.”

She continued, “Some of them are new to business and disabled. They want businesses but are afraid to have a business for fear they will lose their disability. She recalls recently working with a former NFL player for the Green Bay Packers who was in this situation. He needed help making sure his business was set up properly so that he didn’t risk losing his NFL disability.”

“Our team works together with the client, an in-network attorney as well as an accountant to set their businesses up for them to be able to maintain their disability payments. They don’t have to hide their income. They work as an employee for that company and maintain compliance with disability regulations.”

Felicia plans to use the title of Miss Woman Entrepreneur International to help spread a message of comfort and hope to those who need it.

“During this next year, I want to be a light and a source of encouragement to business owners and others who are disabled and suffer chronic health disorders.”

“They need to see that anything is possible with belief and actions. Those with Myasthenia Gravis and other autoimmune disorders don’t have to feel helpless. A lot of what we go through can be controlled by having a strong mental disposition and faith.” Usually, people may perceive those with health issues as weak but in many cases, it’s just the opposite, and that’s why Felicia doesn’t mind sharing her ordeal and journey with others.

To celebrate this title, Felicia has opened up the opportunity to purchase the remaining copies of Get Grants For Your Small Business – How to Apply and Win, Includes a List of over 50 Grants to Apply for Your Business. Her book guides entrepreneurs on how to properly apply for grant money. There are billions of dollars of this money that doesn’t have to be paid back, and Felicia wants to help entrepreneurs access it without the need of hiring a grant writer. It can be purchased for half-off the retail price at FeliciaJeffries.club. The availability of the book has been very limited because the website closes to the ability to purchase this book in rounds.

She comments, “I want to put the buyers in the mindset of what it takes to obtain a grant. Grants are released in rounds and have deadlines to apply, and that’s how I’m releasing this book. Once it’s sold out, I plan on putting it in the Metaverse. With the purchase, a certificate of authenticity is provided with your book. It’s a very special book that is packed with valuable information. You want to grab this book before the 200 copies are sold out.”

Apart from being a beauty queen and business credibility specialist, Felicia is also an award-winning artist, an author, a certified grant writer, and a business and bankruptcy paralegal. She also received certification in Global Entrepreneurship through UCLA and has been working with business owners for over 10 years. She resides with her family in Texas.

This article first appeared on Blackbusiness.com.

Rochester Family Receives Historic $12 Million Settlement After Family Member Dies in Police Custody
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

October 7, 2022

Rochester Family Receives Historic $12 Million Settlement After Family Member Dies in Police Custody

The family of Daniel Prude will receive a $12 million settlement from the City of Rochester, New York, nearly three years after Prude died after being restrained by police officers while experiencing a mental health episode.

“Given the costs of continued litigation, this settlement was the best decision. It would have cost taxpayers even more to litigate and would have placed a painful toll on our community,” Rochester Mayor Malik Evans said in a written statement. “It is now time to look forward so we may work together and focus our efforts on Rochester’s future.”

The settlement is believed to the be the largest issued in the city’s history.

NBC News reported that on March 23, 2020 Joe Prude, Daniel’s brother, called the police after Daniel, 41, was having a mental health episode. When police officers arrived at the residence, Daniel was nude. They instructed him to get on the ground and place his hands behind his back; he promptly complied.

Based on a video that was released by the Prude family, Daniel is speaking incoherently and requesting that cops give him a gun. During the incident, he is seen sitting up in handcuffs but the police officers push him back to the ground. One of the officers places his knee on Prude’s back.

The video also reveals that the police officers laughing and joking with the paramedics on the scene. After realizing that Prude was limp and nonresponsive, they call the paramedics, who start CPR.

Daniel Prude died several days later at the hospital.

Monroe County Medical Examiner Nadia Granger, in an autopsy report, stated that Prude died of “complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint,” with the drug PCP listed as a contributing factor.

Prude’s son Nathaniel McFarland sued the City of Rochester and six police officers in federal court, citing allegations of wrongful death and civil rights violations. The settlement will be distributed to Prude’s five children, according to court records.

“Nothing can ever truly compensate me and my siblings for the killing of our father by the Rochester police,” McFarland said in a statement. “Resolving this case is a step in the right direction. My family needs to heal, and communities need to know that there will be at least some accountability when police kill people like my dad, whose only crime was needing help.”

‘Lovepreneurs’ Demetrius and Dhayany Walker’s 5 Tips On How To Keep it Professional Amidst Infidelity
by Stacy Jackson

October 7, 2022

‘Lovepreneurs’ Demetrius and Dhayany Walker’s 5 Tips On How To Keep it Professional Amidst Infidelity

Everyday, couples decide to go their separate ways after experiencing infidelity.

Recently, actress Nia Long dominated the headlines after her fiance, Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka, had an affair with a woman within the organization.

Infidelity is nothing new, of course. For decades, the world has witnessed celebrity relationship scandals like Udoka’s cause their marriages to fall by the wayside. For some couples, ending a marriage is an easy and swift decision. For others, business ties play a major factor beyond the personal partnership.

“Lovepreneurs” Demetrius and Dhayany Walker have created a platform to coach entrepreneurial couples on the importance of having both net worth and love worth. The millionaire couple developed the patented formula to provide their community with success in relationships.

The Walkers target entrepreneurship and love through business techniques, networking relationships, key systems and strategies for maintaining a business through personal conflicts. The Walkers are experienced professionals in the relationship industry and 88% of the married couples with memberships are presently involved in successful, forward-moving partnerships.

BLACK ENTERPRISE spoke with the Lovepreneurs about their story and their 5 key tips on how to maintain a business relationship with your partner after experiencing personal betrayal.

(Photo: epiMediaGroup, LLC)

Tell us about your love story.

In 2001, we met through a mutual friend that insisted we were perfect for each other. Although we were both attracted to each other, we remained friends for years. Coincidentally, in 2007, we both were going through a breakup. We saw each other at a famous lounge in Philadelphia and have been inseparable ever since.

At the time, I just graduated from Temple University and was a consultant for a huge Fortune 500 company. My husband, Demetrius, was an entrepreneur, real estate investor, a used car dealer, and owned an auto body shop.

I was intrigued by the fact that Demetrius had the freedom to create and work on his own time. So, I wanted to learn more about entrepreneurship, and he was willing to teach me. One da,y I remember overhearing an investment opportunity he had for flipping cars and I wanted to be a part. Therefore, I decided to invest $10,000 into his business. This decision took faith because we were still just dating at the time. All I knew was that I could build with him. I loved his business savviness. Of course, he was shocked when I told him I wanted in, but that’s what lead us to become “Lovepreneurs.”

How did your concept of ‘Lovepreneurs’ come about?

The concept of “Lovepreneur” emerged out of conflict. It was no easy task trying to merge two strong individuals. We realized that we needed support to succeed together. In our quest to learn and grow in the community of love and business, we fell short of finding that support group. We recognized that we weren’t the only couples having these challenges. In 2012, two years after Demetrius and I got married, we realized we had to take the initiative to build that community of love and business couples. We started with research and connecting with other couples. We’ve had hundreds of couples in our community where we’ve been able to follow their journey and gather case studies. Then it was more of an exclusive community for entrepreneurial couples. In 2016, we had our first “Love and Business: Is It Worth It” conference.

How do you balance work and personal life?

We believe in systems and principles that we both agree upon. Those principles help make this love and business dynamic work. One of our standards is “one vision, different positions.” We divide and conquer our roles based on our strengths and weaknesses. We live our ‘lovepreneurship’ as a realistic lifestyle, not a fad or a trend. We focus on our family and business goals. We exercise teamwork and practice healthy communication. We realize our time is our currency, so we make time management a priority. Although we have a lot on our plate raising a family, building businesses, and growing in our marriage, we realize that we cannot sacrifice our quality time and intimacy with each other.

What are your 5 key tips on how entrepreneurial couples can keep it professional amidst infidelity?

  1. Revisit your personal and relationship standards and make this season a teachable an trainable moment.
  2. Make counseling a lifestyle. Counseling will educate you further on your set standards for yourself personally and in your relationship.
  3. Find a village for accountability. Commitment lasts longer in community. Hence why over 88% of our ‘Lovepreneur’ members are still growing rich together.
  4. The couple must submit to the mission. The mission must be greater than your emotions, but never larger than your standards.
  5. You must forgive and let go. Forgiveness should be about the self and not about the other person. Forgiveness grants you the freedom to think and love freely.

Bonus:

  • Healthy, productive, intentional communication with each other should be the standard to keep the relationship respectful and professional. Create small challenges for each other that cultivate change.
  • Growth and change [doesn’t] happen just by what you say, but rather by what you do.

Is it fair to say that getting lost in business can play a role leading up to a couple experiencing infidelity?

Absolutely.

There will be opportunities where there is no intimacy. If there is no intimacy in a specific area of the business or relationship, infidelity in some cases fills the vacancies within the relationship. If one partner is more ingrained in the business than the other, resentment and negative thoughts can begin to overpower your partner.

This is one of the reasons why we teach our “Lovepreneurs” how to combine their goals into ONE mission. That way, both partners are a part of the same vision which helps avoid DI-VISION. Both parties must be invested so that no one feels inadequate or lonely. Jealousy about success can make your partner feel left out. However, let’s be clear, infidelity and betrayal are actions done to fill a self-void or desire. That self-void stems from their past or an outside influence. Oftentimes, this type of behavior is deep-rooted from trauma that has never been addressed and carried into the current relationship. A lot of infidelities could be avoided if there is open communication and if both partners make it a priority.

What advice can you give for couples to rebuild their business and marriage after infidelity?

Create standards for your relationship. We created the “Lovepreneur” Grow Rich Devotional to help power couples establish standards in their love and business journey. After agreeing to those standards, you must forgive. Forgiveness must be an action, not just a promise. The offender must ask for forgiveness, show regret, and accept responsibility for their actions. The offender must be willing to pay the price for their infidelity and the offended will name the terms. The terms must promote change on both sides, trust, and healthy communication. The rebuilding season will not be easy. Nevertheless, in a community that helps promote commitment, the journey will be worth it. Some things turn out stronger than the original once it’s rebuilt.

What helps to re-establish trust?

  1. Forgiveness
  2. Not [being] a repeat offender
  3. Healthy communication
Visit the Lovepreneurs’ website, LoveGrowRich.com and find them on Instagram and Facebook (@Lovepreneur). Follow Dhayany (@Dhayany) and Demetrius (@meettheemperor) as well.
Buying the Block: Reality TV Star Latrice Rogers Acquires 4,000 Sq. Ft. Commercial Building, Fulfills Mission to Help Entrepreneurs Level Up
by Julaiza Alvarez

October 7, 2022

Buying the Block: Reality TV Star Latrice Rogers Acquires 4,000 Sq. Ft. Commercial Building, Fulfills Mission to Help Entrepreneurs Level Up

Serial entrepreneur, TV personality, and founder of Goddess Lengths, Latrice Rogers, is expanding her beauty empire and elevating other entrepreneurs at the same time with the acquisition of her new building Goddess Lengths Beauty Supply & Suites.

The brand new, two-story 4,000 square-foot complex is not only a testament of faith and hard work, but it is Latrice’s crown jewel.

“I’m a black woman, I’m a young entrepreneur, and I believe in ownership and building wealth,” Rogers tells BLACK ENTERPRISE. 

“So that’s something that I’m getting into, like, you know, I want to be able to leave a legacy. Even though I don’t have kids, but I have nieces and nephews, like, I just want to leave a legacy to somebody because I know where I come from. And if I can lead them on that path, then you know, I feel like, hey, life will be better.” 

(Illustration courtesy of Vito Canizaro)

The luxury beauty supply front will be located on the bottom floor of the building and on the top floor is where Rogers is planning to provide state-of-the-art workspaces. 

“Most times we rent from people who don’t look like us, because we don’t think to go out to buy real estate or anything like that, or, you know…your credit has to be a certain score, or you have to make a certain amount of money.”

“And let’s face it, like in Black America, we have successful people, but we lack the knowledge,” she says. “So it’s harder for us to achieve what you know, white America has [in business],” Latrice said.

The reality star is also communicating with Black-owned vendors to stock her shelves in an effort to emphasize the importance of buying Black and investing in the community.

 

“I definitely wanted to give people that opportunity to you know…to get that yes, where others would say no…you know that stop that made it for me because I had so many doors closed in my face, like I remember numerous nights crying and praying to God, fasting, meditating, and just nothing went right.”

“So you know, I always tell God if you put me in a position then my gift back will be to help others as you helped me.”

“You know I have this thing in my head. God provided for me, so it’s my duty because I promised him that I will give back and that, you know, this is my mission,” Rogers says. 

 

Next season, viewers will have the opportunity to see the building process and the hard work it took to obtain the property as Rogers stars in Belle Collective on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

October 7, 2022

Keke Wyatt Is a Powerhouse Singer About Her Business — But Twerking Her Cakes, Takes the Cake

Powerhouse vocalist Keke Wyatt could surely shatter a glass window with her range, but in this instance, she shattered folks’ timelines with a twerking video that went viral.

The mother of 11 was back in action and recently performing at the Macon Music Festival with Anthony Hamilton and Carl Thomas when she made headlines — and not for her impressive singing skills. Instead, Keke’s cakes were on full display and had many singing her praises for all the wrong reasons.

The reactions were equally hilarious.

It’s good to see Wyatt doing her thing.

Recently she announced that her infant son who was diagnosed with a genetic condition was back in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit. Wyatt shares Ke’Zyah Jean Darring with her husband Zackariah Darring.

Wyatt revealed the news via Instagram on September 20 with the caption, “In the ICU again but still making it. 13 weeks old and doing GREAT!!! #GODISGOOD. #Ke’ZyahJean #babyboy #mommyanddaddysbaby. We love u so much!!!”

Ke’Zyah was diagnosed with Trisomy 13 or Patau Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes severe intellectual disabilities and physical defects, while Wyatt was pregnant. The mother of 11 has been open about her son’s condition and shared that she was told to terminate the pregnancy.

“My husband Zackariah & I are grateful to GOD to announce the birth of our miracle baby Boy…. Ke’Zyah Jean Darring Born May 27, 2022,” she wrote.

Let Keke live and twerk to her little heart’s content!

 

 

GroupM North America CEO Kirk McDonald To Be Honored At Black Enterprise’s Black Men Xcel Summit
by Derek Major

October 7, 2022

GroupM North America CEO Kirk McDonald To Be Honored At Black Enterprise’s Black Men Xcel Summit

GroupM North America CEO Kirk McDonald will be among those honored at BLACK ENTERPRISE‘s 2022 Black Men Xcel summit which will be held October 12 through 14 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, in National Harbor, Maryland.

McDonald leads more than 6,000 people dedicated to the next era of media where advertising better serves people. The City College of New York graduate is a key player in GroupM’s strategy to provide more powerful and effective solutions for clients through technology-enabled solutions.

Before starting GroupM, McDonald served as the chief marketing officer and chief business officer at Xandr  and spent almost a decade at CNet and Time Inc. GroupM currently has more than $17.6 billion in media investment billings across the U.S. and Canada.

McDonald believes in GroupM and its client’s desire to make real changes across the industry to find a new balance of making advertising less interruptive and a valued part of the media experience.

McDonald has received numerous awards due to his notable career including Ebony Magazine’s Power 100 list in 2018, Adweek’s 2014 “12 Stars of Ad Tech Who are Building the Future of the Industry Right Now” list and Business Insider’s 2014 “The 46 Most Important African-Americans in Technology” list.

The CEO is also a founding member of the  Black Executive CMO alliance (BECA) and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Elanco and is a member of the Executive Leadership Council (ELC).

The Black Men Xcel Summit is the nation’s No. 1 conference focused on celebrating and refining Black men with the tools to advance their professional development from entry-level management to C-suite executive.

The three-day leadership and career development conference will host more than 700 executive men of color who will have the opportunity to connect with other CEOs, boardroom executives, and representatives of Fortune 500 companies.

The BMX Summit will feature roundtable discussions and panels on Black men in business, entrepreneurship, technology, and much more.

Other notable figures attending the Black Enterprise BMX Summit include civil rights attorney Ben Crump, mental health expert Jay Barnett, journalist Ed Gordon, and OneTen CEO Maurice Jones.

Brothers, this is an event you can’t miss! Tickets are available here.

 

Black Enterprise and American Airlines Bring Together Students From 25 HBCUs for its Annual Hackathon
by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

October 7, 2022

Black Enterprise and American Airlines Bring Together Students From 25 HBCUs for its Annual Hackathon

BLACK ENTEPRISE’s 6th Annual BE Smart Hackathon, hosted by American Airlines, will produce its first in-person tech competition since 2019.

This year’s hack, with the theme “Homecoming 2022: All Code, No Switch!,” brings together teams of some 125 students, from 25 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), to compete for prizes from American Airlines and other leading technology partners supporting the event.

The BE Smart Hackathon provides HBCU students with valuable opportunities to network and build relationships, gain mentorship, engage in career preparation and add meaningful experience to their resumes in anticipation of pursuing employment in a tech industry seeking to recruit more diverse talent. Students will also benefit from virtual workshops on the latest technologies, including artificial intelligence, data analytics and natural language processing from Mastercard, Etsy and other Tech companies.

“For decades, technology companies have lamented their ineffectiveness at finding and recruiting African American talent,” says BLACK ENTERPRISE President and CEO Earl “Butch” Graves Jr.

“HBCUs have been the source of top-notch talent in practically every industry. Our annual BE Smart Hackathon, in partnership with American Airlines, not only identifies and showcases promising Black talent, but provides for platforms for those companies to recruit them for internships and jobs.”

In addition to the competition, BLACK ENTERPRISE and American airlines will host a special town hall session – “Developing Top Tech Talent At HBCUs” – focusing on how HBCUs can build corporate partnerships, overcome barriers and identify new opportunities develop and advance students and graduates who can participate in the evolving IT space across tech, aviation/transportation, hospitality, finance and other sectors.

Each year, BE Smart Hackathon participants are recruited for internships and full-time job opportunities at American Airlines and its technology partners. American Airlines will team up their technical staff to mentor each team during the 24-hour hackathon. The mentor will help remove any roadblocks and give advice to the team on preparing and giving their presentation to the judges.

Here are the HBCUs featured at this year’s Hackathon:

Dillard University
Morgan State
North Carolina A&T
Grambling
Alabama A&M University
Benedict College
Tuskegee
Jackson State University
Xavier Univerity of Louisiana
Bowie State University
Lincoln University
Johnson C. Smith
Clark Atlanta
Delaware State University
Morehouse College
Florida A&M University
Southern University
Bethune-Cokman University
Fisk University 

BLACK ENTERPRISE, your ultimate source to build Wealth for Life, is the premier business, investing, and wealth-building resource for African Americans. Since 1970, BE has provided essential business information and advice to professionals, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and decision-makers. A multimedia company, BE also produces video programming, business and lifestyle events, Web content, and digital media. Visit www.blackenterprise.com for more information.

SOURCE Black Enterprise

Related Links

www.blackenterprise.com

 

You Won’t Find This Prism Drive Secure Cloud On Amazon!
by Black Enterprise Shop

October 7, 2022

You Won’t Find This Prism Drive Secure Cloud On Amazon!

Cloud computing has revolutionized the way we store data. It’s also changed the way companies have utilized the additional server space to further boost their online presence and profile.

On a personal level, cloud computing means you don’t have to clog up your devices’ onboard memory. The ability to send photos, videos and large files to an invisible cloud means you can save some money by passing on that larger-storage cell phone or laptop.

Over the years, Prism Drive Secure Cloud Storage has established itself among the best in the cloud computing space. And with this special price courtesy of Deal Days, you can purchase a lifetime subscription to 2TB of Prism Cloud Storage for just $39.99. Deal Days is our answer to Prime Days. You can purchase these hot-ticket Deal Days products until 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 12.

Prism allows you to store all of your files in one place along with the ability to access them from any of your devices. Whether it’s XLS, PPT, MP4 or JPEG format, Prism has the capability to upload your files.

You can create links to share with friends or co-workers, and you can preview files inline, eliminating the need to download them for viewing. Drag and drop options for files are ideal for uploading, selecting and moving your files or folders. You won’t have to worry about accidentally losing files or folders, either, as trash recovery features allow you to retrieve them for up to 30 days.

Forty verified purchasers have rated this product 4.5 stars.

“Easy to download and use. I bought 2TB for one year and this will help keep all my data safe in one location and give me the easy access I need to use it,” writes verified purchaser Amir Khulad.

Your files and data will have the backing of a secure storage system that’s fully compliant with privacy laws and offers the strongest available transfer encryption. Prism Drive Secure Storage can be accessed via web browser, iOS 10 or later and Android 4.1 or later.

Purchase this low-priced, Deal Days item today and unclutter your devices.

Prices subject to change.

Mother of 3 Fatally Shot in Front of Kid After Posting Domestic Violence Video of Abusive Husband Beating Her
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

October 6, 2022

Mother of 3 Fatally Shot in Front of Kid After Posting Domestic Violence Video of Abusive Husband Beating Her

Buffalo police are investigating the details surrounding the gruesome fatal shooting of a mother of three who had been trying to escape her abusive husband.

Keaira Hudson, 40, was fatally shot in her SUV on Wednesday morning, WKBW reports. Hudson’s sister, Montaysha Jeter, recalls Hudson posting a video to social media that showed her being abused by her husband.

“She’s just been trying to get help,” Jeter said.

“I’ve been with her going to police stations, she’s been texting me, sending me videos, giving me her phone password just in case.” “She’s been staying at my mom’s house for the last couple of days and she was going to go to court today because he was trying to get custody [of the children],” Jeter explained.

Hudson reportedly left her mother’s home on Wednesday morning to drop her children off at school and even wore a bulletproof vest before leaving the house. Allegedly, when her mom asked why she needed the vest, Hudson told her mom, “because mom he’s going to kill me you don’t understand.”

Jeter said as soon as Hudson drove around the corner, her husband “smashed into the front of her car and got out of the car with a shotgun, shot her, and pulled off.” Hudson’s ex-boyfriend and father of one of her children, Andrew Hodge, said the husband had just been arrested for domestic violence a few days before the murder.

“I know he was arrested a couple of days ago for domestic violence,” Hodge said.

Reportedly, Hodge’s daughter was inside the car at the time of Hudson’s murder. Hodge says Hudson was trying to protect her family from her abusive spouse. “She would call and ask questions saying ‘what should I do?’ When the video was posted on Facebook, everybody saw it,” Hodge said. “Everybody was trying to help her and this is what happens.”

New Jersey Bank Agrees to $13 Million Settlement With US Department of Justice for ‘Redlining’ Loans to Black Borrowers
by Jeffrey McKinney

October 6, 2022

New Jersey Bank Agrees to $13 Million Settlement With US Department of Justice for ‘Redlining’ Loans to Black Borrowers

A New Jersey bank has agreed to pay over $13 million to settle claims from the U.S. Department of Justice that the bank was not supplying loans to predominantly Black and Hispanic customers.

The DOJ announced last week that it secured an agreement with Lakeland Bank to resolve allegations that the bank engaged in a pattern or practice of lending discrimination by “redlining” in some neighborhoods in the Newark metro area, based on a news release.

The settlement is part of an extensive national effort by the DOJ to fight discriminatory lending practices and marks the third-largest redlining settlement in the department’s history.

Redlining is banned, and it essentially includes lenders not offering credit services to individuals living in select communities and is based mainly on race, color, or national origin. Among other things, the federal court complaint alleges that all the bank’s branches were located in primarily white neighborhoods.

The proposed consent order, subject to court approval in New Jersey, calls for Lakeland to take many actions. They include: “invest at least $12 million in a loan subsidy fund for residents of Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in the Newark area; $750,000 for advertising, outreach, and consumer education; and $400,000 for development of community partnerships to provide services that increase access to residential mortgage credit.” The bank is also called to “Open two new branches in neighborhoods of color.”

According to MSN, comments from Philip Sellinger, U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey, included that the bank “engaged in redlining practices from 2015 to 2021, with none of its 40 branches in predominantly Black or Hispanic neighborhoods.” He added other banks generated about five times more mortgages in those neighborhoods than Lakeland.

His office estimated that $120 million in loans would have been made by the bank if it had pursued all borrowers.

“There were qualified borrowers, but Lakeland just didn’t service them,” Sellinger stated.

“Lakeland knew about the redlining conduct in 2015 but did nothing meaningful to stop it.”

For its part, the Lakeland location based in Oak Ridge, N.J., did not admit any wrongdoing. The DOJ stated Lakeland “has agreed to settle the matter without contested litigation and worked cooperatively with the department to remedy the redlining concerns that were identified.”

“While we strongly disagree with any suggestion we have acted improperly, Lakeland Bank has fully cooperated throughout this process and remains confident that we have been fully compliant with all fair lending laws,” Lakeland CEO Thomas J. Shara said in a statement.

He added, “This resolution avoids the distraction of protracted litigation and allows us to focus our time, expertise, and resources towards achieving a shared goal of meeting the credit needs of all residents within our communities, including those who historically have been underserved.”

Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general in the DOJ’s civil rights division, said the federal case against Lakeland was the fourth major settlement in the past year to fight redlining nationwide, per MSN. All told, settlements in Houston, Memphis, and Philadelphia reportedly racked up $25 million in loan subsidy funds.

“We hope this sends a strong message to the financial industry that we will not stand for discriminatory and unlawful barriers,” Clarke stated in a video call with reporters.

William Michael Cunningham, CEO of Creative Investment Research in Washington, D.C., and a banking analyst, says it is a positive sign that the DOJ uncovered this illegal, racist, discriminatory behavior. However, he said, Lakeland Bank made over $331 million from 2018 through the second quarter of this year based on its annual reports.

“This means that the settlement should have been far larger than the $13 million the DOJ negotiated.”

The settlement comes as Provident Financial Services and Lakeland Bank last week announced a $1.3 billion merger agreement. Federal authorities have supposedly indicated the terms of the settlement agreement would bind the new entity.

Cunningham says until Lakeland admits to acting improperly, it should not be allowed to complete the merger.

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