Attorney General Knudsen demands action from Bank of America to correct debanking practices

HELENA - Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen joined a coalition of 15 attorneys general in demanding action from Bank of America to correct the company's debanking policies and discriminatory behavior toward conservative and religious Americans.

In a letter sent to Bank of America's chairman and CEO Monday, the attorneys general ask the nation's second largest bank to provide a written report about its account policies and practices, update its terms of service to state that it doesn't discriminate against customers for their religious or political views or speech, and remove prohibitions on "intolerance" and "hate" from its online banking service agreement.

Bank of America has a record of discriminating against groups for political and religious reasons. The nation's second largest bank has denied services to gun manufacturers, fossil fuel producers, and contractors for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It also canceled the accounts of Christian ministry groups for "operating a business type we have chosen not to service." The bank also voluntarily cooperated with the FBI and U.S. Treasury to profile conservative and religious Americans as potential domestic terrorists.

"Unfortunately, Bank of America appears to be conditioning access to its services on customers having the bank's preferred religious or political views," the attorneys general wrote in the letter. "Your discriminatory behavior is a serious threat to free speech and religious freedom, is potentially illegal, and is causing political and regulatory backlash. Your bank needs to be transparent with and assure us, its shareholders, and others that it will not continue to de-bank customers for their speech or religious exercise."

The letter warns that Bank of America's actions are exposing it and its shareholders to legal liability under consumer protection and antidiscrimination laws. It contends that the bank is using its power to punish conservative and religious customers.

The attorneys general asked for the following to occur within thirty days:

1. Provide us a written report about your account-cancellation policies and practices, particularly regarding "risk tolerance," "reputational risk," "hate," "intolerance," and similar terms, and whether Bank of America considers a customer's speech or religious exercise-or public perception or other groups' perception of them-as a component of those policies;
2. Update your terms of service to state that you do not discriminate against customers for their religious or political views or speech;
3. Participate in the Viewpoint Diversity Score's Business Index; and
4. Support shareholder proposals protecting religious and political diversity.

Attorneys general from Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Virginia also joined the letter led by Kansas.

Click here to read the letter.

Attorney General Knudsen sent a letter last month to Wells Fargo demanding answers from the bank for their debanking policies, which appear to extend the Biden administration's woke agenda.

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