Oklahoma bank and the Justice Department propose settlement of redlining allegations around Tulsa

The U.S. Department of Justice and an Oklahoma bank have announced a proposed agreement to settle claims that the bank discriminated in lending to Blacks and Hispanics. The Justice Department says the American Bank of Oklahoma used redlining in majority-Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in the Tulsa area, including the area of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. The Justice Department says the agreement calls for the bank to provide $1.15 million in credit opportunities in neighborhoods of color in that area. The agreement is pending court approval. The bank has denied the allegations but said it agreed to the proposal to avoid the cost and distraction of lengthy litigation.