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Bank Five Connect Bank Five, Bank 5 Blatant discrimination in violation of Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) Fall River MA
I applied twice online to open a checking account. Both times, I was denied. Bank Five gave me reason that "unable to verify identity based on Equifax consumer credit report agency". So, I called Equifax. But Equifax confirmed that they received no inquiry from Bank Five to very any information. Equifax further reviewed my file and confirmed that there is no reason why I should be denied a checking account.
When I called Bank Five and seek an explanation of what is going on and why they lied to me that they contacted Equifax, when in fact, they never did... Bank Five simply refused to answer me because they cannot verify my identity. They cannot give me any specific reason why they denied me credit.
Bank Five connect, a division of Bank Five MHC based out of MA, essentially found a loop hole to discriminate people based on national origin and perceived race. It is unfortunate that Bank Five does not feel comfortable doing business with someone like me, who is not from their preferred race and national origin. While the government specifically enacted laws such as Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) to prohibit such discrimination, Bank Five found a clever loop hole.
According to this scheme, Bank Five can simply deny credit to undesirable races and national origins simply by pointing out that they could not verify identity based on Equifax credit reporting agency. They can use the same excuse to deny giving any specific reason. The fact is that they never really check consumer's Equifax credit file.
I am well aware of the corporate environment where Bank Five cannot respond to each and every complaint, there is nothing they can do and they are always right and never wrong. Regardless of what they believe, the reality is that customers suffer because of their discrimination. Anybody reading this should steer clear of Bank Five and Bank Five Connect.
6 Updates & Rebuttals
Striderq
Columbia,South Carolina,
Clarification...
#7General Comment
Thu, July 03, 2014
You stated that the bank would not open the checking account you wanted. You then stated that the bank denied you credit. No, they didn't. A checking account is NOT credit so thereorfe their decision to not open the account does not require them to give you the same information as them declining you for a credit product such as a loan.
MRMR
New York,New York,
You already have proof, please check with your boss
#7Author of original report
Thu, July 03, 2014
You already have proof. I am not going to post letters from Bank with my personal information. Please check internally with Bank's online division. Yes, government agencies and courts will laugh at consumers because they don't have money or motivation. That is why, I posted here. Why are you so pissed off at my report? Its just a report.. it's not like it makes any difference, not for at least another 50-60 years. (Do you even know what EEOC does?)
MRMR
New York,New York,
Thank you for reading...but
#7Author of original report
Thu, July 03, 2014
Thank you for reading but...I know, from the timing, that all of you are hired by Bank Five.
Yes, anybody can deny bank account.
Bank Five Connect is an online division. You can visit their website, fill an application etc to open a checking account.
From the application, the bank knows who is applying. Based on name alone, one can tell if the applicant is black, white etc. Also, they can tell if the applicant is born in the USA or abroad.
The Bank sent me letters that claim falsely that they checked my credit report with Equifax. Yes, I have the proof. No, I will not post them here. Equifax confirmed that Bank Five never asked them any information about me and they accordingly never supplied any info about me in the process of opening account.
I realize that Bank Five is created mainly to serve the community in MA, predominantly white, and I have no issues with that. It is what it is. I have issue if they start an online division to do business across state boarders.
For what it is worth, I posted report here ONLY after Bank Five refused to resolve issue with me. In fact, they don't even believe there is any issue. They treated me as a scammer and idiot for applying for an account. Please read ECOA (Equal Credit Opportunity Act), so you will understand that banks cannot deny credit based on race, national origin etc.
If anybody confronts Bank Five with all the evidence, their answer would be: "It is not discrimination. It is done automatically by our computer system as a security precaution". Of course, they will not take responsibility. They will act like they are innocent and their computers have full control over their lives.
I hope FBI or other govt agency ultimately seizes their computers and other equipment that they are using in their risk monitoring and other schemes to discriminate. It is laughable for Bank Five cannot even extend the smallest credit (In this case, Bank Five wants to make sure that I will pay all fees, because it is only checking acct without overdraft) to certain people that they consider undesirable. Can this Bank really sell bigger products such as loans, mortgage etc to all eligible applicants without discrimination? I doubt it.
Thank you for rebutting. I hope you keep your job / gig with Bank Five.
PS: At the time of application, Bank Five convinced me to enter login info for my current bank. Now, I am afraid that Bank Five will facilitate some fraudulent activity with that login information.
Stacey
Texas,Please
#7Consumer Comment
Thu, July 03, 2014
Provide positive proof that you were denied an account because of your ethnicity or any other reason. I have never heard of applying for a bank account online. Did you visit one of their banks?? I am not getting the reason for this report and NO I do not work for them or any other bank.
Robert
Irvine,California,
The only thing blatent is your blatent lack of any proof of your claim
#7Consumer Comment
Thu, July 03, 2014
No where in this report do you give anything that could remotely considered some form of discrimination. The only discrimination going on seems to be all in your head and you having some strange desire to pull the "race card".
One has to wonder why if you were having problems opening the account on-line because they couldn't verify your identity. How come you didn't go into a branch to open one up in person?
Well in trying to find this bank I found the reason why. They have 12 branches in one part of Massachusetts. Which now becomes very interesting why a person from New York would want to open an account at a bank of this size in a totally different state.
So I attempted to open an account on-line using a New York City Zip Code(10007 - Manhattan). Do you know what happened...it would not let me even continue with the application because I do not live in an area they service.
So one has to ask..Umm...how did this person who lives in New York City get to the point of being denied due to what is in their credit report?
The answer is so simple it is almost laughable. You are in fact probably lying. You most likely put in a fake zip code in MA in the beginning to get to the application. Of course since you put in the fake zip code where you don't live...any further verification will fail.
There is another option. Perhaps they didn't even get past that first screen either and are just mad that they can't open an account because of where they live.
But I figure I would try one more thing...let's put in a valid zip code(01701). I did and guess what in the entire application I saw nothing about a person's race...Umm....So just how would they know what race you are from your application?
Ken
Colorado,All your B.S. aside a bank can deny accounts to ANYONE...
#7Consumer Comment
Thu, July 03, 2014
All they need is a reason to feel uneasy about opening said accounts with you or anyone else. The rest of your "reason" they're doing this to you are just your sour grapes and rampant speculation with NO proof. Send your "facts" of this "illegal" abuse to your states banking commission and the EEOC. They need a good laugh.