In a letter addressed to Bank of America CEO Brian T. Moynihan, a group of fifteen Republican attorneys general accused the banking giant of “conditioning access to its services on customers having the bank’s preferred religious or political views.”
Led by Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, the coalition asserted that such alleged discriminatory behavior poses “a serious threat to free speech and religious freedom, is potentially illegal, and is causing political and regulatory backlash.”
The attorneys general cited reports suggesting that Bank of America has denied services to various entities, including gun manufacturers, fossil-fuel producers, and contractors for U.S.
Bank of America is making mistakes in debanking Christians and others. Several states join in on fixing this: https://t.co/qtge17TTDP
— Dr. David Keuss (@DavidKeuss) April 16, 2024
They also pointed to recent allegations that the bank cooperated with federal agencies to profile conservative and religious Americans as potential domestic terrorists.
Kobach told Fox News Digital, “Bank of America’s practice of canceling the bank accounts of conservatives and even turning over information about customer’s purchases to federal law enforcement undermines free speech, religious freedom, and the right to privacy. It’s discriminatory and likely illegal.”
The letter further referenced a report from the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Weaponization of the Federal Government, which claimed Bank of America “willingly participated in financial surveillance” and shared confidential customer information without a warrant or notifying its customers.
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In response to these allegations, Bank of America spokesperson Bill Halldin denied that religious beliefs play a role in account-closing decisions, stating, “We are proud to provide banking services to non-profit organizations affiliated with diverse faith communities throughout the United States.”
The bank also maintained that it followed all applicable laws in its interactions with the Trump Administration’s Treasury Department and law enforcement.
The attorneys general, representing states such as Mississippi, Idaho, Iowa, Alabama, and Texas, expressed their commitment to protecting free speech within their borders.
Bank of America accused of religious and political ‘discrimination’ by ‘debanking’ or refusing to provide services Trump supporters, Christian churches and Republican-led states want answers: A dozen Republican-led states plan to… https://t.co/1jRzC0dW14 #US #accused #America
— WhatsNew2Day (@whatsn2day) April 15, 2024
They emphasized the significant influence Bank of America wields as the second-largest bank in the country, holding nearly 15% of all domestic deposits.
The coalition has requested that Bank of America provide a written report within 30 days detailing its account-cancellation policies and practices, particularly concerning terms such as “risk tolerance,” “reputational risk,” “hate,” and “intolerance.”
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They also called for the bank to update its terms of service to explicitly state that it does not discriminate against customers based on their religious or political views or speech and to support shareholder proposals protecting religious and political diversity.
