The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) published findings on October 14 from its review of debanking activities at the nine largest national banks it supervises. The OCC said all nine had policies that, between 2020 and September 2025, could influence decisions to deny or limit financial services based on customers’ political or religious beliefs or lawful business activities. The regulator found that broad reputation-risk policies lacking clear standards and objective, risk-based criteria disadvantaged some Americans. It also identified policies restricting services to certain sectors, including digital assets, firearms and coal. The review examined nearly 100,000 complaints and about 50,000 bank documents, comprising approximately 420,000 pages. The OCC said it is considering further action and potential changes to its supervisory framework.

Why it matters

  • The findings put banks’ customer-access policies and decision criteria under regulatory scrutiny.
  • The OCC says it is considering further measures to address the practices it identified.