OCC finds nine major banks restricted customers over beliefs

• The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency found all nine major banks reviewed had policies that could restrict customers based on political, religious or lawful business activities.
• The review covered practices between 2020 and September 2025 and examined nearly 100,000 complaints and approximately 420,000 pages of bank documents.
• The regulator is considering further supervisory changes to reduce the risk of discriminatory banking practices returning.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) found all nine major banks reviewed had policies linked to debanking customers over beliefs or lawful activities.

The review covered JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citibank, Wells Fargo, U.S. Bank, Capital One, PNC Bank, TD Bank and BMO Bank.

“Americans should have access to financial services regardless of their beliefs, affiliations, or political views,” Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan V. Gould said in a statement.

The OCC found broad reputation-risk policies lacked clear standards and objective, risk-based criteria, potentially disadvantaging customers over political, religious or social views.

The report also identified restrictions affecting sectors including oil and gas, coal, firearms, detention facilities, tobacco and digital asset activities.

Investigators reviewed nearly 100,000 complaints and received about 50,000 documents, spanning approximately 420,000 pages of bank policies and customer decisions.

The OCC has already removed reputation risk from bank examinations and is considering further changes to its supervisory framework.

The report puts fair access to banking services back at the centre of US regulatory oversight, including for lawful digital asset businesses.