OCC debanking report

News · Heat 1.0 / 10 · 2 shows · 9m airtime

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency released a report on October 14, 2026, finding that reputational risk and ESG policies drove debanking of conservative and religious customers. The investigation examined nearly 100,000 complaints and named nine banks, and the OCC says it is considering new rules and guidance. Banks deny political or religious discrimination, citing anti-money laundering laws and past examiner pressure. The open question is what legal basis regulators have to act.

How 2 podcasts covered it

1. WSJ What's News, 2026-10-14 (4:32 to 8:30)
   Walks through the OCC's debanking findings
   WSJ reporter Dylan Tokar walks through the OCC's debanking report: reputational risk and ESG policies as the two drivers, industries from coal to tobacco, and the banks' denial of political or religious bias. Notes the unresolved legal question of what rules banks actually broke.
   New angle: The OCC's year-long debanking investigation names reputational risk and ESG policies as the two drivers of account closures.
2. Morning Wire, 2026-10-15 (9:02 to 13:39)
   Interviews Tedesco on the debanking report
   Interviews Alliance Defending Freedom's Jeremy Tedesco on the OCC report, adding the scale of the review (nearly 100,000 complaints), the count of nine named banks, and the agency's statement that it is considering additional rules and guidance.
   New angle: The OCC examined nearly 100,000 complaints and named nine banks; it says it is considering new rules and guidance.