Should Banks Be Able To Close Accounts If They Do Not Like Your Opinion

Maybe the bank was concerned about the origin of the money which had been paid into Farage’s accounts. They would have more insight into that than we do, and they have anti-money laundering duties.
Can you post a link about the vicar?

As usual I think there is more to this story than meets the eye. We will never know the true facts but I am sure the bank in question did not close the accounts without good reason, especially someone as wealthy as Farage.

And as mouthy!

Banks have a legal duty to monitor bank accounts.

We only have a very dodgy spiv type’s word for it and frankly I don’t believe a word he says.

dragonfly46

As usual I think there is more to this story than meets the eye. We will never know the true facts but I am sure the bank in question did not close the accounts without good reason, especially someone as wealthy as Farage.

So you didn't hear about underpants Bryant, cowardly, under Parliamentary privilege, accusing Farage of taking money from the Russians. He wouldn't repeat it outside of course, as he would have been sued. All of you chuckling about this, innuendos, unproven, it could happen to you, and is an affront to our personal freedoms of our political beliefs.
Believe China is big on this, shutting accounts to stifle political beliefs. No they should not be able to do this, without proof of any misdemeanor. Yorkshire Bank did this to me, computer glitch they said, and for 1 month was unable to pay bills etc. The pifling amount they gave me as compensation, hardly covered my rent, and it took me a long me to get rid of the debt caused by this. Really not funny. Black Belt Barrister, on you tube, has a lot to say about this appalling situation .

Banks should not be able to close customer accounts summarily without giving a valid reason; citing a customer as being rude, abusive , violent or discriminatory without any evidence and without any warning, is not sufficient. It seems driven by employees' personal opinions.

Jeremy Hunt is said to be deeply concerned that overzealous banks are closing accounts because they disagree with customer' opinions, and has asked the City Minister to investigate.
There are comments on the thread about GB News, but they deal more with a poster's opinion of Nigel Farage than with the validity of the Bank's actions.

I was asked for links about the Vicar’s bank closure, so here are two

anglicanmainstream.org/vicar-accuses-yorkshire-building-society-of-bullying-for-closing-his-account-over-his-trans-protest/

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/building-society-closed-vicar-s-account-after-trans-protest-d0p7vmrbm

Re WWM2. It seems that newspapers, govt statements, radio,stations and social media are worried that banks can close your account if they do not like you political opinion. The government says it will act to stop this practice,
I am not a Farage supporter but I find this is a dangerous precedent. If Farage,took money in large,amounts then the Member for Swansea should make his allegation in public. Using parliamentary privilege to accuse anyone of dirty dealing but not be prepared to say so publicly is sheer cowardice and uncertainty. Will the banks treat those on the left in the same way?
P

I can't post a link, but 'the Rev. Richard Fothergill has claimed that his Yorkshire Building Society account was shuttered days after he wrote to the bank to complain about its public messaging during Pride month. A spokesman for YBS said the company never closes accounts based on opinions or beliefs, only if the customer is rude, abusive, violent or discriminates in any way.' DT. 3.7.2023.( I believe he filled in a customer satisfaction survey online)
So...evidence?

I can't say I'm losing any sleep over this.

I'd be interested to know just what he said in his 'two paragraphs'.

But banks have no legal obligation to accept or maintain accounts.

Farage is a different matter. His views have been well known for a long, long time. I doubt that they bothered his bank to any great extent. They will have suspended his accounts because they suspected there was something dodgy about them. We will probably never know the reason, but it won't be the one he is shouting about.

MaizieD you would lose sleep over this if it were your own account.
Am no fan of Nigel Farage in general but there is more to this whole affair than him.
Banks closing accounts for piffling reasons is a real concern.

If it was dodgy I doubt he would have drawn it to public attention. It coincides with this happening other people ; Dominic Lawson said a grandchild was refused an account because his grandfather was Nigel Lawson; Christina Jordan, an MEP has had her account closed but was told the reason was business-sensitive, and some Christian groups had their Paypal accounts closed or suspended a few weeks ago.
Someone or some group is behind this and able to exert considerable influence, and it needs to be identified and the claims verified.

One bank closed an account for what people think is a piffling reason. So now there's panic on Gnet...

eazybee

If it was dodgy I doubt he would have drawn it to public attention. It coincides with this happening other people ; Dominic Lawson said a grandchild was refused an account because his grandfather was Nigel Lawson; Christina Jordan, an MEP has had her account closed but was told the reason was business-sensitive, and some Christian groups had their Paypal accounts closed or suspended a few weeks ago.
Someone or some group is behind this and able to exert considerable influence, and it needs to be identified and the claims verified.

Ooooh a conspiracy I do believe😄😄

MaizieD

One bank closed an account for what people think is a piffling reason. So now there's panic on Gnet...

It’s more than one

This is on Martin Lewis’s Twitter feed

I strongly suspect that if this matter was about somebody who you approved of Whitewavemark2 instead of somebody you seem to have a real hangup about, then your comments would be wildly different.
Also, as others are saying on here, it’s likely to be a bit more widespread than we get to hear about, if banks are closing accounts when they don’t like what customers are telling them, I think it’s def a concern for all.

If this had happened to me I would a) feel guilty because it must be my fault, and b) not tell people because the reaction would be exactly what we are seeing here: oh a dodgy character.
Now it is being exposed more people are opening up about their experiences and querying why it is happening.
Banks have the right to choose their customers, but their former customers equally have the right to a rational explanation as to why their account is being closed.
Otherwise, perfectly respectable people will have their reputations destroyed.

MaizieD

One bank closed an account for what people think is a piffling reason. So now there's panic on Gnet...

What would you think if the situation became a little more widespread?

fancythat

MaizieD

One bank closed an account for what people think is a piffling reason. So now there's panic on Gnet...

What would you think if the situation became a little more widespread?

According to Martin Lewis there are currently approximately one million people who have been unbanked

I trust him to know what he is talking about…

How do people with no bank account manage in the modern world? Unbanking looks like a weapon of social engineering to me.

In Farage’s case I read in the broadsheets that if he cannot bank in UK then he will be forced to live overseas. In todays Times and Telegraph the Government will act to stop the practice of banks closing accounts without any good financial reason. I am disappointed that even one person here would not care about this. I am sure that person would be up in arms if a bank closed the accounts of anyone in authority in the SNP. For me this is a matter of principle. One bank PayPal ( and I am a customer) closed the account of Toby Young, who founded the Free Speech Union but many of us stopped using our PayPal accounts and we managed to get Toby Young’s account reopened. Ofcourse, criminal activity is a good reason to close an acco7nt but the bank should not act on an accusation made in Parliament by an MP who could not stand up his smear in public. He knew he would be sued. I do not have to support the politics of a person who is unbanked but I believe strongly that I will be able to express a lawful point of view without fearing my bank account will be closed!!!

eazybee

I can't post a link, but 'the Rev. Richard Fothergill has claimed that his Yorkshire Building Society account was shuttered days after he wrote to the bank to complain about its public messaging during Pride month. A spokesman for YBS said the company never closes accounts based on opinions or beliefs, only if the customer is rude, abusive, violent or discriminates in any way.' DT. 3.7.2023.( I believe he filled in a customer satisfaction survey online)
So...evidence?

he didn’t write to the Bank. He completed a questionnaire that they sent him asking him to tell them how they are doing. We all get these and sometimes we fill them in, sometimes we don’t have time.

There are already countless comments about this on the “I love GB News” thread.

It’s not just Nigel Farage, others are coming forward to say it has happened to them. Dominic Lawson has said the bank refused to give his daughter who has Down’s syndrome an account because of her grandfather, the late MP, Nigel Lawson.

It is disgraceful and sinister and I believe each account holder who is refused an account or has theirs stopped should be told in writing why this is so.

Where’s this going to end?

On news at one there was a long piece on this subject.
One MP said he knows of 3 MPs that this has happened too.