DES MOINES, Iowa — Attorney General of Iowa Brenna Bird on Thursday joined a 15-state coalition in a letter to Bank of America, demanding that it stop shutting down bank accounts for those it disagrees with.
Bank of America, the nation’s second largest bank, has denied services to gun manufacturers, fossil fuel producers, and contractors for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Bird’s office states that the bank also voluntarily cooperated with the FBI and U.S. Treasury Department to label conservative and religious Americans as potential domestic terrorists.
The letter demands that Bank of America explain its debanking practices and prohibit discrimination against customers for their religious or political views.
“No American should lose access to their bank account because banks want to play woke politics,” Bird said. “It is nearly impossible to function in today’s society without access to bank accounts, credit cards, or loans. Families depend on them. For Bank of America to discriminate against Americans for their religion or politics and deny them banking services is wrong and fundamentally un-American. I am glad to push back and hold big banks to the law.”
The States make the case that Bank of America is violating the federal Equal Credit Opportunity Act and Fair Housing Act, which bar religious discrimination for credit applications and home loans. They also argue that debanking also violates state and federal consumer protection laws and imposes on Americans’ rights of free speech and religious liberty.
Iowa joined the Kansas-led letter, along with Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.
Read the full letter below:
Bank-of-America-Letter
