Bank Of America Branch In California Reportedly Refuses To Allow Protesters To Close Accounts (VIDEO)

Should people who are tired of paying extra fees be allowed to close their bank accounts in protest? One Bank of America official reportedly doesn't think so.

According to Addicting Info, two women involved with the Occupy Santa Cruz movement in California walked into a Bank of America branch earlier this week and attempted to close their bank accounts. In response, the bank manager threatened to lock the doors and call the police on them. Her reasoning? You can't be a customer and a protester at the same time, the manager said.

Central Coast News contacted Bank of America about the incident and received a response from the company:

Central Coast News has contacted Bank of America to get their side of the story. In an email Colleen Haggerty with Bank of America released this statement to Central Coast News. "It is our responsibility to ensure a safe environment for customers to conduct financial transactions. So, due to the disruptive nature of protests lately and the potential for safety or security issues, we do not allow protestors inside of our banking centers. If a customer who is participating in a protest wishes to conduct bank business, including close an account, we ask them to come back when they are not protesting or they may also conduct their bank business at a nearby branch away from protest activities."

Haggerty also said that Bank of Ameica, "respect everyone's ability to exercise their first amendment rights, however we also have to balance safety and business needs for all customers."

According to Central Coast News, "The women said that they would return to Bank of America the next day, sans signs, and close their accounts taking their 'money away from the banking elite and into a local credit union.'"

WATCH VIDEO OF THE ENCOUNTER ABOVE

Comments

[tmhiong]

01:21 AM on 11/05/2011

I think they have the right to close their account. Really, why are they not allowed?
http://www.makemillions.com/purchase-book/

[bhaines213]

05:54 PM on 10/25/2011

Move your money. “Too big to fail is too big to exist.”

http://moveyourmoneyproject.org/

[m362000]

12:35 PM on 10/25/2011

MONEY IS JUST LENT TO US ,WE MUST PAY TO HAVE IT EVEN AFTER PAYING WITH OUR LABOR! THIS IS A DIFFERNT WORLD AND I AM NOT SURE I WANT TO BE A PART OF IT ANYMORE, MY FATHER DID NOT RAISE SLAVES!

[m362000]

12:34 PM on 10/25/2011

Did you really think your money is your money! You may be able to pay bills but the rest is in control of the banks and the government! A little story for you all!> About a year ago , I would get paid and go to bank to cash my payck, it was ok for a wile , and then it started, the tellers would ask ,,do you have an account with BOA? My answer was always no, and as time went on the pressure mounted for me to open one! I did resist and it even got to the point that I was asked to sit aside and wait to talk to a branch finance person, I told them NO I just want the money I earned this happened for 5 pay periods , then I became sick of this and told the person in the bank I will stand here in line till they cash my check! All of a sudden a very big armed man look at me with fire in his eyes and demanded I go and go now! Once outside the door he told me I am not welcome back! This man was not talking arrest he was talking business!!! I am a 56 year old clean cut man , work 40 hours a week , and have the right to be paid on top of all you must pay the Bank 6 dollars to cash your pay check drawn on the same bank!

[BJHenton]

12:33 AM on 10/23/2011

So first they demand a fee for using your own money.Then they won't let you close your account unless you do it exactly as they say. B of A can kick rocks. I will be closing my account and opening a new one at a credit union!

[itsclean]

10:00 PM on 11/05/2011

Banks charge fees for you to use their services, not to use your money. Community banks and credit unions offer fewer services than national banks, so they're cheaper. It's not rocket science. No one's forcing you to stay with a big bank, and you do have a legitimate choice. Just don't expect same-day foreign currency exchange, international affiliate banking, wealth management services, mobile apps, or at-home remote deposit features, or thousands of fee-free ATMs from a credit union.

You pay money to rent a PO box even though the air inside it is free and the mail is your own, because they maintain the box for you. This is no different. If you want unlimited access to your own money free of charge, you can put it under your mattress.

[DinVT]

12:17 PM on 10/21/2011

Because those two women were so menacing and obviously out-of-control when they calmly walked in and asked to close their accounts. I call a total BS move on BoA.

[teaksmama]

12:31 PM on 10/20/2011

lawsuit

[ciearamw]

09:43 PM on 10/19/2011

Why does this say "reportedly"? We just watched this happen with our own eyes.

[Janey Doe]

06:03 PM on 10/19/2011

Join a credit union, you own your money!

[Wally Cleaver]

07:23 AM on 10/19/2011

This video is somewhat misleading as earlier (and days prior) the Occupy Santa Cruz protesters had gone to all the banks in the downtown area pounding on the windows and screaming at the people inside.

[false1one]

10:22 AM on 10/19/2011

I have been killed here for sticking up for this branch manager, even though I've repeatedly said that I support and applaud their right to protest and their commitment to go close their accounts and move their money. I have only taken issue with the fact that they, in spite of their better judgment as evidenced in their own recording, took protest signs and cameras into the store to do it. I've been saying here that we have NO idea if these same protesters or others had caused problems prior to this little organized youtube moment. I'd say I'd hope that this information would open some people's eyes a bit, but everyone here is worked up into such a lather it probably won't matter. Just curious though... do you have a link that states this? Thank you for sharing information. Sadly, you should expect it to fall on deaf ears.

[Divainlaw]

09:21 AM on 10/21/2011

I do agree they were wrong to bring a camera into the bank. you are not allowed to record in a bank because of privacy. not everyone tells the world which bank they bank with and they have the right to that privacy. also confidential conversations could have been picked up. So for that reason I agree. Right idea, wrong execution.

[ONLYGRAYCLOUDS]

05:18 AM on 10/20/2011

HA HA HA HA LMAO ! very funny comment

[Bryan Boru]

03:03 AM on 10/19/2011

The B of A branch I was in today was eerily quiet at 11am. 2 tellers and no customers. Very unusual for that branch.

[WILLJLA]

01:28 AM on 10/19/2011

Looks like the dirty lying taxpayer money stealing banksters are getting scared PERFECT !!!!!!

[false1one]

10:19 AM on 10/19/2011

Yeah, that's the spirit! Let's scare some people that are just doing their jobs! I want that branch manager to be absolutely humiliated by a viral video. I want her to lose sleep, her appetite, let's bring on the stress and health problems!

WTF?? I'd be willing to be big money that branch managers pays her taxes, and doesn't steal yours or anyone elses. I'm confident she doesn't own a yacht, or have an exorbitant salary. Why on earth would you want her or anyone else at a local branch to be scared?? This mentality is a sickness, get some help.

[NoBlueDogs]

02:19 AM on 10/21/2011

Then sign me up for that mental sickness. I say customers should do a mass run on Bank of America and Wells Fargo and the rest of them, shut them down, then let's come back and see what you have to say then. This is war, take no prisoners. Shut them down and send a message to all capitalists: we're going to hit you where it hurts, and there's nowhere to run or hide. You can't stop the green tide. Starve the Plutocracy.

[WILLJLA]

11:48 PM on 10/25/2011

wow lots silly words to defend the failing dead status quo, good luck to you- you will need it !

[Khalid Nurredin]

12:57 AM on 10/19/2011

I used to work for BOFA. When we had a sales meeting and I complained about the poor quality of our investment vehicles for clients ,a Vice-President told me that didn't matter because customers would stay with BOFA "because they loved us". That's the type of delusional mindset that is rampant throughout the entire organization. They actually believe their own B.S.

[ONLYGRAYCLOUDS]

07:36 PM on 10/18/2011

Banks shouldnt be allowed to do this ! they want you to put your money in the bank and now they dont want to let protesters close their accounts ? thats ridiculous ! its their money and they should be able to close their accounts anytime they want, that should make people ask questions to why they wont let them close their accounts .There is something wrong with that, and it makes you think is this really a free country.

[false1one]

01:06 AM on 10/19/2011

You're doing it wrong.

Protesters can close their accounts. They just can't do it while in the process of trying to protest in the bank. Does that help?

[ONLYGRAYCLOUDS]

01:36 AM on 10/19/2011

Who said they were trying to protest in the bank ? lmao !

[VegasDealer]

07:36 PM on 10/18/2011

"you can't be a protestor and a customer at the same time". Duh! Okay then, they chose to close their accounts thus no longer making them a customer. And when I really think about it, when a bank is holding MY money, "who" is really the "customer"? Wouldn't the bank be the "customer" as it is the depositor who has the product that the bank is seeking?

[itsclean]

10:11 PM on 11/05/2011

Not that clever. The bank provides the services for which the customer pays. I suppose the bank should pay you a fee for holding the money that you've deposited with them, and pay you fees each time you use the ATMs they've purchased and installed, pay you more fees when you use the tellers and bankers they've hired and trained, and pay you fees when you use the credit cards that they process. Yeah, that makes sense.