Discrimination At The Bank
Today, my co-worker and I went with one of the men from the residence to help him create an account with BankNorth. For the sake of his privacy, I'll call him Jay. Between the unfamiliar setting and people staring at him and having to wait and sit in a chair and face bankers, Jay started moaning. He escalated the longer he was there. He held a hand to the side of his face as he growled and bit the collar of his shirt. Meanwhile, his face turned shades of pink and red. My co-worker kept telling him firmly to stop. Jay complied initially, but would start up with the moaning again shortly thereafter. Then the biting and growling would also return.

The bankers behind the counter told my co-worker that Jay couldn't set up an account without a co-signer. We argued with them, but they insisted. I guess I shouldn't be surprised how this branch of BankNorth behaves; I've encountered this before when they refused to allow a female resident to open an account without her social security card but let her roommate do so without hers. From my spot in line, I made a remark about their policies changing all the time.

"It's not a new policy," one of the bankers replied. Apparently, they didn't note my sarcasm.

Jay is 22 years old, he's an adult, and he can sign his own name independently. Have you ever heard of an adult needing a co-signer on a bank account? Doesn't make a shred of sense to me. So, of course, I had to write to them:



I am writing to you in regards to the unethical business practices that have taken place at your branch in the Hannaford Supermarket on Drum Hill in Chelmsford, Massachusetts. Two weeks ago, I visited that branch with an autistic, nonverbal 22-year-old woman to assist her in setting up an account. Just the week before, her roommate created an account with a photo ID, her social security number, and $29; however, this woman was denied an account because she did not have her social security card with her and was also told she needed at least $100 to start an account. The next day, she and I went to another branch in Tewksbury, where we were allowed to set up an account without the card. In fact, while her roommate was required to bring the balance up to $100 within the first month, this woman was told she would not be fined for not maintaining that minimum. I questioned the fact that different policies were presented to each of these women at the same bank and branch, but I gave Bank North the benefit of the doubt. I considered that perhaps these occurances were mainly a fluke in procedure.

After what happened today, I have a hard time viewing a now triple standards as sheerly coincidental. This evening, another resident was denied a bank account at the Bank North branch within the Hannaford grocery store. The individual who wanted to set up an account is also 22 years old and autistic, but while the two women require hand-over-hand assistance to sign their names, this man can independently pen his signature. Yet he was told by Bank North employee Beth that he could not open his own account without having a co-signer. This policy was not required of the two individuals I've assisted in the recent past, and it is definitely not required of the general population. What happened this evening is nothing short of discrimination.

Because of these incidents, this man will open an account with another bank - one that will allow him to have his own account. The other residents who do not have accounts as of yet will likely follow suit.

I felt that it was important to bring these matters to the attention of Bank North. Discriminatory behaviour not only hurts your business; more importantly, it hurts these folks who deserve to be treated fairly and with dignity. I am asking that something be done to bring this errant branch in line with ethical procedures as soon as possible.


I wish there were something else I could do besides write a letter that would actually stop this discrimination. It just isn't right!

~ deej