June 6, 2025

NEWARK, NJ – Fair housing organizations took action to oppose the U.S. Department of Justice’s motion to prematurely terminate a federal Consent Order that holds Lakeland Bank (now part of Provident Bank) accountable for years of alleged discriminatory lending practices in Black and Latino neighborhoods across the Newark metro area.  

The Consent Order requires Lakeland Bank to take corrective actions to remedy alleged redlining, including by opening a bank brank in a historically excluded Newark neighborhood, investing $12 million in home loan subsidies, and conducting outreach and education in those affected communities. 

The United States’ motion to terminate the Consent Order was unopposed, without any explanation of the governing legal standards for terminating an order of this kind, let alone an analysis of whether that standard has been met. Believing the motion to be deficient, the Public Interest Law Center on behalf of New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund, Housing Equality Center of Pennsylvania, and the National Fair Housing Alliance, took action, submitting a proposed amicus brief to assist the U.S. District Court.  

The proposed brief explains that the United States must demonstrate their attempted termination of the Consent Order is in the public interest, and then argues – including with on-the-ground facts from the City of Newark – that the United States has failed to meet that standard, and the motion to terminate the Consent Order should therefore be denied.  

The Department of Justice’s motion comes in the wake of an April 2025 executive order by the Trump administration that directs federal agencies to roll back enforcement efforts based on “disparate impact” liability. This executive order, which attempts to dismantle protections for communities harmed by systemic discrimination, directed all agencies to evaluate consent orders that rely on disparate impact and “take appropriate action.” The DOJ has now begun to file motions seeking to terminate fair lending consent orders such as the one to which Lakeland previously agreed. 

Under the current terms, the Lakeland Consent Order remains in effect until September 2027. The Law Center and our clients are calling on the Court to deny the DOJ’s motion and uphold the original agreement to ensure lasting investment and accountability in Newark communities. 

Download Case Documents from 6/1/2025 below or see up to date filings on Courtlistener

10-4 Declaration

10-3 Proposed Brief

10-2 Memo of Law

10 Motion for Leave to Participate as Amici