JPMorgan Chase’s decision to reverse a controversial rule that targeted conservatives was greeted with joy by Christians.
Using its WePay service, JPMorgan Chase, the largest bank in the US, unbanked several conservative individuals and nonprofits.
WePay banned merchants from using the service for anything deemed to be related to “social risk issues.”
The bank defined a social risk issue as anything “subject to allegations and impacts related to hate groups, systematic racism, sexual harassment and corporate culture.”
This month, the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a conservative Christian legal advocacy group, discovered that the clause had been removed from WePay’s terms of service, marking a major victory for the organization.
Using its WePay service, JPMorgan Chase, the largest bank in the US, was able to unbank several conservative individuals and non-profit organizations.
“Chase has used this policy to discriminate based on viewpoint,” said Jeremy Tedesco, senior attorney for the ADF. In March, Tedesco testified before Congress about the use of the federal government as a weapon against Christian groups.
In a statement to FoxA JPMorgan Chase spokesperson said the bank supports all customers, regardless of their ideologies or beliefs.
“We support clients around the world and in every US state, across all industries, religions and political affiliations.”
However, the ADF said JPMorgan Chase had effectively used the WePay service to target certain customers.
“Chase has used this policy to discriminate based on viewpoint,” said Jeremy Tedesco, senior attorney for the ADF.
“The policy is a risk for everyone who uses WePay and Chase, the largest bank in the United States.”
Tedesco further noted that there are millions of people facing the “threat of being denied or losing payment processing.”
WePay banned merchants from using the service for anything deemed to be related to “social risk issues.” The bank defined a social risk issue as anything “subject to allegations and impacts related to hate groups, systematic racism, sexual harassment and corporate culture.”
Daniel E. Pinto is the current president of JPMorgan Chase, which has been accused of attacking Christian groups.
“It’s significant that they’ve eliminated that policy,” he said, before declaring that the bank needs to enshrine a policy “not to discriminate against people based on their religious or political views.”
In March, Tedesco testified before Congress about the use of the federal government as a weapon against Christian groups.
“JPMorgan Chase unseated the Arkansas Family Council for being high risk,” Tedesco told committee members.
He then noted that the bank had “never provided a credible reason for canceling the account of former U.S. Senator Samuel Brownback’s organization, the National Committee for Religious Freedom.”
Missouri State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick protested Chase’s decision to retain his services at a conservative event.
In recent years, Chase and other influential banks have abruptly removed people from their services without offering their former customers even an explanation.
“Americans should not fear losing access to their bank accounts or payment processing because of their religious and political beliefs,” Tedesco said. Fox.
“We think it’s significant that Chase has taken this step.”
In 2021, WePay retained its services at a Republican event organized by the nonprofit group Defense of Liberty, which featured Donald Trump Jr.
WePay explained its decision by invoking policies against serving events associated with “hatred, racial intolerance or items or activities that encourage, promote, facilitate or instruct others about the same.”
After Missouri State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick condemned the bank’s action and threatened to reconsider the state’s business relationship with Chase, the company reversed its decision.
“We think it’s significant that Chase has taken this step,” Tedesco said of Chase’s decision to change the language of its WePay policy.
JPMorgan Chase later admitted that the event did not “violate its terms of service.”
To ensure that private companies respect the principles of freedom of expression, the ADF has created a Business Index that evaluates companies based on compliance with their own policies.
According to the ADF, more than 90 percent of companies in the index rely “on divisive concepts like Critical Race Theory in their employee training materials.”
Forty percent of employees surveyed in the 2023 Workplace Freedom Survey said this policy tends to divide rather than unite colleagues.
