Christian Employers Need Banking They Can Trust

A Christian employer should be able to publish its statement of faith without wondering whether its bank will consider that a liability. Employees should never have to wonder whether their next paycheck depends on a financial institution approving of their employer’s beliefs.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s October 14 report gives employers reason for concern. Its review of nine major national banks found policies that could influence decisions to restrict financial services because of customers’ political or religious beliefs or lawful business activities.

For Christian Employers Alliance, this is a religious liberty issue with immediate business consequences. Employers need banking services to meet payroll, pay suppliers and serve customers. Denying those services because of an owner’s convictions can threaten the entire organization and the livelihoods it supports.

Consider one example documented by the OCC. In 2021, PNC declined a media company’s request for a line of credit after employees raised concerns about its owners’ conservative views and support for Christian conservative organizations. The relationship manager had described the company as growing and performing financially. One employee questioned serving owners whose opinions were “very contrary to PNC’s beliefs/values.

That reasoning should trouble every business owner. It gives a financial institution influence over which convictions an employer can afford to express.

The pressure can begin before an account closes. An owner who fears losing access to banking may hesitate to support a ministry publicly or explain the biblical principles behind the business. Religious freedom suffers when employers feel compelled to hide their faith to protect their employees.

The standard must apply consistently. The OCC also documented denials involving organizations supporting abortion access. We can oppose their mission while defending their access to financial services under objective standards. That same principle protects Christian employers.

Banks must assess creditworthiness, prevent fraud and manage financial risk. Those responsibilities require evidence about a customer’s conduct and financial circumstances. Disagreement with an owner’s faith should never substitute for that assessment.

Customers deserve meaningful explanations and an opportunity to correct errors or challenge decisions, subject to legitimate confidentiality requirements. Where lawful and feasible, reasonable notice should help employers protect payroll and avoid unnecessary disruption.

At CEA, we evaluate policy through our Five Freedoms framework. Debanking connects religious liberty directly to economic and operational freedom. The ability to live out one’s faith depends, in practical ways, on the ability to keep a business functioning. Christian employers accept responsibility for honoring contracts, supporting families and serving their communities. They should be able to fulfill those responsibilities openly as Christians, with banking decisions based on objective risk rather than the popularity of their beliefs.