A leading building society has revealed that it closes customers’ accounts if they engage in “rude” or “discriminatory” behaviour. The Telegraph has the story.
The Yorkshire Building Society made the admission after claims that it severed ties with a client who questioned the use of Pride flags in their branches.
It comes amid a growing row over whether banks are targeting people for their political beliefs after Nigel Farage revealed his account was recently shuttered.
Writing for the Telegraph, the former Brexit Party leader said he was then rejected by seven other banks when he approached them to become a customer.
The Yorkshire Building Society, which has three million customers, said that it does “not close savings accounts based on different opinions regarding beliefs”.
In a statement it added: “We would only make the difficult decision to close a savings account if a customer is rude, abusive, violent or discriminates in any way, based on the specific facts and behaviour in each case.”
Mr. Farage revealed on Thursday that the high-end banking group that he has used since 1980 told him recently that it is closing his account.
Social credit is here it seems, and it’s woke.
Worth reading in full.
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Well it has one less customer from today
Same here. Not alot in the account but they have lost it.
Good luck finding a bank that’s not as woke as YBS. If you do post on here and I’m sure lots of people will switch to it. The focus is currently on YBS but most major banks have changed their logo to rainbow colours for pride month so I bet they’re closing accounts of anyone who isn’t on the woke bandwagon.
Rather than close the account (and do the work for them) why not complain and say you don’t agree with this member (note they use the word “client” which is factually incorrect, you are a member and part owner of a BS) being thrown out. Then they will have to read the letter and have a meeting to decide what to do and if they decide to do the same to you you could raise a complaint at with the ombudsman etc etc. Creating work for these drones is one useful way to stop this behaviour.
The banality of evil.
A quick search for a definition of ‘discriminate’ finds this from Wordnik:
The first and third of the three definitions are worthy and what I understood the word to mean. The second definition has, I think, emerged by association with racial discrimination leading to unfairness in some way. It has been reinforced by reports of racially motivated criminal violence in society, ‘affirmative action’, and segregation (often self-imposed).
YBS clearly use the second meaning to justify their action but it seems completely at odds with their previous statement that it does “not close savings accounts based on different opinions regarding beliefs”.
Beliefs being distinct from facts, presumably. The vicar’s belief vs YBS’ belief that there are 72 genders.
I don’t know how the vicar expressed himself in the comment that YBS invited. However, the few vicars I’ve known tend to be less sweary than other people.
If they’re closing accounts in Yorkshire for people who are blunt, they’ll go bankrupt pretty quickly.
Aye thas right love they can pack it in and anyhow we’ve tekken us few bob aht long time ago
Yorkshire Building Society will close accounts to people who are blunt. Maybe not a commercially sound policy considering their geographical base.
Go woke go broke!
THIS IS WHY EVERYONE SHOULD USE CASH WHENEVER POSSIBLE. Using a card instead may be convenient, but if cash is abolished, we become totally at the mercy of the banks and the state. China has virtually abolished cash. Consequently mobile phones there are used to track all transactions, and if your behaviour is deemed disruptive, your access to money can be restricted. This is the social credit system referred to in Will’s last sentence. You will be forced to conform.
In the meantime, if you have an account with YBS, consider moving your money to another institution.
Here here
Define rude or discriminatory. There is the problem. There are probably KPIs for flagging issues related to ESG. Basically not being in full support of the latest edict flags you as a troublemaker.
Just like East Germany 1965.
Does anyone know if any of the building societies offering personal accounts are not part of some larger banking group – a real old fashioned mutual?
I think in the UK Nationwide are a mutual society.
All BS are.
The definition of a Building Society is that it is a banking and loan organisation owned by the members, so anyone calling themselves a building society should not be a “client” as the letter said but a member.
From the Nottingham BS page “What’s the difference between a building society and a bank?A building society is a financial institution that is owned by its members as a mutual organisation. This means that it isn’t a commercial business and isn’t responsible for making a profit for its shareholders, and if you have an account with us, you become a member and have certain rights to vote on how the society works – which is why we prefer to call you members rather than customers, as we value your input in how the society is run. “
How long before affiliation by subscription payments be deemed suitable for bank account closures? Not long I fear as there are so few grown ups left running the show.
What I find most irritating about Diversity is that is is in no way Diverse. Examples of the meaning of the term Diverse include:
“very different from each other: We hold very diverse views on the topic.”
Today, Diversity means “We hold this set of views on this topic anything diverse from these views is to be dismissed and punished” to companies such a Yorkshire Building Society. How can a persons view, a groups view, being diverse from, let’s say, Pride’s Diverse view be wrong?
By definition these people such as YBS are Bigots not Diverse. They are so far from Diverse it is laughable.
Someone has a different view to them so they close his accounts is Bigotry. Diversity, by definition, means they accept his view. a Bigot never accepts someone elses view.
We live in this bizarre world where the Bigots call the non-bigots Bigots and the non-Diverse call the Diverse non-believers! What the hell happened to using the English language?
It’s Orwellian double-speak.
Uniformity = Diversity
Move your accounts folks.
Don’t give your money to people who hate you.
#WarOnWoke
The problem is that it’s a cartel with no bank outside of it.
So there is no bank to take your money to.
I’m not sure people are fully understanding this.
As Richard Tice said on GBN, if wealthy conservatives wanted to start their own bank, the regulatory authorities would find ways to block it. Think OFCOM and GBN.
This isn’t a Bank, it is a building society which is owned by the members. A very different thing
Complain and if they kick you out complain to the ombudsman on the grounds of discrimination. I believe you will win. Don’t do the work for them, let them have to stand up at the AGM and answer questions about why they’ve kicked out 1000 customers for having non-woke views.
“Brexit Party leader said he was then rejected by seven other banks when he approached them to become a customer.”
So,they’re all at it. To which bank do I transfer my account? Must it be offshore? Or do I have to set up my own bank?
If he was rejected by 7 other banks it implies there is some secret blacklist, who is drawing up these lists? why are they secret? Refusing someone a bank account is a serious punishment with dire consequences, these decisions mean that these banks are acting as courts, outside the law and outside the principles of the Magna Carta. A secret court with no cross examination, secret evidence and no principles of law applied and no judicial summary before sentence is passed.
The banks may be private companies but they have huge establishment status, position and help, I understand part of Nigel Farage’s bank is still taxpayer owned. Consequently the banks should be obliged to be open about this, publish their blacklists and publish the evidence from these diabolical witch hunts. Why are our politicians silent on this issue? shame on them all!
Who is making these decisions to cancel customers? Surely, if you’re the CEO of a company, you want to make money. Do you believe all this clap-trap or are you allowing yourself to get pressured by some 25-yo assistant or shadowy outsiders? Is there that much fear in the business world?
If the shadowy outsiders are a hedge fund that has invested billions in your bank, and has a mission to punish the companies not complying with its message, then they’re a piper able to call a very loud tune.
A building society is a mutual society, the members own the business and can vote to kick people out if they do things they don’t like. People need to turn up at the AGM and kick these people out.
Some of us have long memories…..
“After being charged £20 for a £10 overdraft, 30 year old Michael Howard of Leeds changed his name by deed poll to ‘Yorkshire Bank Plc are Fascist Bastards’. The bank has now asked him to close his account, and Mr Bastards has asked them to repay the 69p balance by cheque, made out in his new name.”
The Guardian
https://www.marketingweek.com/yorkshire-bank-loses-its-good-name/
plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose…..
Not sure if Yorkshire Bank & Yorkshire BS are the same entity……
No they are not but that’s a very funny story.
I bank with YBS. I have just messaged them:
If I question the use of Pride flags in your branches, would you close my account?
Please let us know the response!
From 2014 but still – YBS fined £4.1 million over mortgages and £1.4 million over misleading marketing. Let he who is without sin, etc…
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-29817714
https://www.fca.org.uk/news/press-releases/financial-conduct-authority-fines-credit-suisse-and-yorkshire-building-society
Yorkshire Bank are the Bud Light of Banking
Not Yorkshire Bank, which is part of Virgin Money. I have already moved my personal account, but not before I took the CEO apart.
ESG———They all want to be stakeholders in the Social and Environmental Governance. This is why you see the Woke Capitalism of Bud Light, Unilever, Nike etc all making sure they are socially aware and score ESG brownie points so they don’t get cut out of the global market place. They may lose business in the short term, but they all want to be on the long term globalist bus.
I was sent a survey by M&S following a shop there. One of the questions was did I think it was an inclusive place to shop.
I commented that I didn’t care whether it was inclusive and diverse – I just wanted to be left in peace to shop.
I expect I will be blackballed soon. Mind you, the Sparks card is rubbish and I get absolutely no benefits whatsoever. Occasionally they toss me an offer like a free bag of Percy Pigs, which I would never take in a million years.
Take your money out and defund these idiots
“We would only make the difficult decision to close a savings account if a customer is rude, abusive, violent or discriminates in any way”
Irony meter goes bang.