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Citibank Cancels Bank Account of Objectionable Blogger

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the there's-gotta-be-more-to-this dept.

Keith found this story about Citibank blocking a website's bank account after deciding that the site's blog contained questionable content. I guess it's up to a bank to decide whom to do business with, but this is pretty crazy.

15 of 265 comments (clear)

  1. Because it's a gay site? Or is it because... by spun · · Score: 1, Interesting

    The guy runs an online business without having any real world contact information available? It's pretty common for sites lacking this information to fail a bank's compliance check.

    --
    - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    1. Re:Because it's a gay site? Or is it because... by NeutronCowboy · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Then the comment from the citi employees should have been"We're terminating your account because your business fails the following compliance checks:
      1) blah
      2) reblah
      3) reblahblah"

      Instead, they said: your site is objectionable. There is a huge, huge difference here. I don't think citi has a policy of discriminating against gays (hooray class action lawsuit if they do), so the only thing left is that there are some stupidly moronic people at citi who don't understand how to be professional. Considering how many of those people I have met while working in different places.... I'd say that's a fair assessment.

      --
      Those who can, do. Those who can't, sue.
    2. Re:Because it's a gay site? Or is it because... by spun · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Really? Expressing honest skepticism makes you a troll these days? I've made it VERY CLEAR that this is all simply my idle speculation, why do you have a problem with that?

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    3. Re:Because it's a gay site? Or is it because... by Patch86 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I'm interested- if I click "contact us" on Amazon, what will I see?

      Will it be a "customerservice@amazon.co.uk", or something along those lines? Actually, you don't even get that, only an embedded comment system. I've just had a quick look and I can't find anywhere that says Amazon's office address, or phone number, and I also can't find any names of any executives, founders, board members, or anyone else. I presume I could find all that information elsewhere on the internet, but it isn't on their main website.

      What, basically, is your point?

    4. Re:Because it's a gay site? Or is it because... by sleigher · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Well it is not that far off track for Citibank. In the 90's I showed up at a branch and wanted to open a savings account. The teller called over the branch manager and he told me that they would not open a savings account for me. I didn't know why I couldn't have a savings account so I asked, the answer was a little shocking. "It's a character issue." I guess unfortunately for me long hair and slayer t-shirts are not a protected class under the Constitution. Anyways, now they always want to gimme credit cards and whatnot but they lost my business for life.

      --
      All points of time and space are connected.
    5. Re:Because it's a gay site? Or is it because... by dcollins · · Score: 2, Interesting

      "While you may be right, the end result of all of this is a very large amount of publicity for this site. Call me cynical, but anytime I see some website whining about some supposed injustice done to them, I think 'shameless self promotion.'"

      You seem to be spending an inordinate amount of time today, with many many posts, trying to knock this guy down. IMO, the site seems reputable and my sense is that he's probably telling the truth (at the high-end of the bar for most such blogger complaints). To counter that today, Slashdot has rabid-insane conspiracy theories like, "Maybe a friend at Citibank decided to take a dive, sacrifice his job, and give this social site a publicity stunt". That's raving nuts.

      As much as I truly hate to say it, the odor here today says, "Homophobia".

      --
      We know where leadership by an anti-intellectual "strongman" who scapegoats minorities and likes boisterous rallies goes
    6. Re:Because it's a gay site? Or is it because... by dissy · · Score: 2, Interesting

      You've never owned an online business, have you? Banks have had this policy towards online sites for over a decade.

      Three of them over the past almost twelve years, only one currently still in operation.

      However the first of those was started ~12 years ago, so will grant the decade part.
      The second was started only 5 years ago, and I had no such issues with either business checking or merchant accounts.

      The 3rd doesn't count for this, as I'm using the same business checking account for that, and don't take credit cards.
      But only had to file a change of doing business as with the bank to have the company name/address changed with them.

      I must have just been lucky with my choice of banks, or they screwed up in my favor. (Key bank for first account, Huntington for the second/third)

      I've just never heard of anyone else having to do that.

      I'll also grant that most of the people I know that have started online businesses are on the tech side more than the legal side, so it's also quite possible they were just breaking the rules unknowingly and nothing resulted. Which seems more likely then.

    7. Re:Because it's a gay site? Or is it because... by spun · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Except I'm an out bisexual, and nothing I've written here today smells anything like homophobia. I'm not trying to knock the guy down, either. I've just seen too many people try to trump up some kind of story to publicize their web site, and I'm not giving this guy a free pass just because he's gay. I am treating him, his site, and this story the same as I would any other. The reason I've posted so many responses is that I've gotten a bunch of reactionary, knee jerk attacks against my suposed homophobia, and I've felt it necessary to explain my reasoning.

      This fellow is not really a blogger, he's the CEO of a gay dating site that will be opening to the public in a few weeks. He happens to have a blog on his corporate site.

      Do you see why I'm a bit suspicious?

      Now, no one is claiming anything like the insane straw man argument you put out. No friend at city bank. Just a standard check of a brand new online business, leading to a bank account being put on hold for a short while, and a lot of hearsay.

      Now, if you still want to make ad hominem attacks suggesting I am homophobic, please explain how anything I've written is actually, in any way homophobic.

      Go on. I'll wait.

      And no, sorry, but "I don't like what you've written and you should be more sympathetic to this guy 'cause he's gay" does not make what I've written homophobic.

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    8. Re:Because it's a gay site? Or is it because... by dangitman · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I am treating him, his site, and this story the same as I would any other.

      So, you automatically jump to the defense of large corporations, by pulling out obscure arguments that you have no evidence of? You could have simply said you were skeptical of the claims, but instead you made the argument that this was definitely about "compliance checks" even though you had no evidence of that whatsoever.

      So, why are you skeptical about the website owner, but not equally skeptical of the bank? In fact, you were not just un-skeptical about the bank, you went out of your way to make positive arguments for them, that even the bank never made. It's really weird.

      --
      ... and then they built the supercollider.
  2. What a shock by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Isn't CitiBank the bunch who decided they can freeze anybodies account for seven days, anytime they decide to?

    Fine fellows to do business with.

    1. Re:What a shock by L3370 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Citibank is the bunch that *can* require seven days time for you to CLOSE out the account. They did not say they freeze accounts and anytime.
      Argh why am i responding to Anon...

  3. When you give money to a bank, it's not your money by Colin+Smith · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Any more.

    Interestingly. The UK courts many many years ago decided you were loaning the money to them and therefore was theirs to do with as they wished. What the bank does is create a book keeping entry and assigns that to you. I guess you could try to describe that as your money.

     

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    Deleted
  4. Re:Shut up by Wyatt+Earp · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I quit going to credit unions because I got the worst service at the three I've tried. Terrible customer service, even with medium sized accounts (20-60k), terrible people working there, few ATMs, etc.

    I find I get way better service at big banks like Wells Fargo or US Bank.

  5. Conspiracy theory nut...inside job? by Em+Ellel · · Score: 2, Interesting

    If you do not want to do business with someone there are better ways of handling this than locking someone's account without telling them.

    The conspiracy theory nut in me wonders if there was the company CEO's buddy in CitiBank who was willing to part with their job in exchange for doing this. I mean, this is a godsend to a yet another social network site doomed to failure - to create news outrage among its target audience weeks before launch - you bet every gay rights group will be talking about this. You can't pay enough for this sort of a publicity.

    -Em

    --
    RelevantElephants: A Somatic WebComic...
  6. Is it because it's a gay site, or... by Fished · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Assuming that the problem is even real, or even related to content (I have my doubts, because this seems like a great marketing ploy)... Is it because it's a gay site or because it's a "hookup" site? As i read the front page, this is about meeting someone for a "hookup". From what I've heard, postings in such forums are often deceptive and/or fronts for other sorts of "opportunities". If that's the case, Citibank might legitimately wonder whether this is a good business for them to be involved with, if only because of the opportunity for chargebacks.

    --
    "He who would learn astronomy, and other recondite arts, let him go elsewhere. " -- John Calvin, commenting on Genesis 1