Darryl Howland
New member
Citibank kills
firearms policy
Gun businesses to be treated
like others, says spokesman
By Jon E. Dougherty
© 2000 WorldNetDaily.com
After intense public pressure and a threatened
boycott, following a series of WorldNetDaily
reports exposing Citibank's practice of denying banking services to firearms business, the global financial giant has now reversed its "longstanding" policy.
Yesterday, Mark Rodgers, a public relations
specialist for the New York-based
mega-banking firm told WND the corporation
"went out and looked at our policies across (all Citibank branches) and found that (they) were inconsistent."
After reviewing several policy "areas," Rodgerssaid, "we decided we must have uniform
policies across the U.S." Consequently, he said, Citibank "decided that moving forward the practice of assessing a small business account will apply uniformly in small businesses," including those "engaged in the manufacture or sale of small firearms."
Rodgers said the firm would rate firearms
businesses "the same as any other small
business, using the same standards such as
creditworthiness, the number of years in
business, and so on."
Rodgers faxed a confirmation copy of the new
policy to WorldNetDaily.
The policy reversal comes on the heels of a
controversy that began Feb. 7, when a Las Vegas
branch of Citibank closed a three-day-old
checking account opened by the Nevada Pistol
Academy, a local shooting club. At that time,
local area branch managers told the academy's
director, Chris Lorenzo, in a letter, "Due to
Citibank not maintaining accounts for
businesses that deal in weapons," the account would have to be closed.
Lorenzo, who spoke with WorldNetDaily after
the closure, said that while the corporate
banking giant was "free to do business with
whomever they choose," he also felt it was
important to let other gun-business owners
"know where they stand."
Lorenzo could not be reached for comment
Monday.
However, the Second Amendment Foundation,
a Washington state-based pro-gun group, is
calling the decision a "sweet victory for all
law-abiding gun owners." The group had called
for a nationwide boycott of Citibank because of the policy.
Alan Gottlieb, the group's founder, said the
decision "ends more than a decade of silent
discrimination" against lawfully licensed
firearms-related businesses.
"I couldn't be more pleased," Gottlieb said.
In the early 1980s, Rodgers said, Citibank began buying a large number of independent banks all over the country, noting, "for many years, they operated pretty much independently, with their
own policies, services and products."
In the past few years, he said, "we've been
bringing those together so that we are consistent
and uniform across the business units and
geography" at all Citibank branches.
What the treatment of the Nevada Pistol
Academy proved, Rodgers said, "is that we had an inconsistency in the policy in business units, so we moved to bring those together so that they were in agreement."
On Feb. 24, WND reported a major
inconsistency in Citibank's policy in that the firm conducts business with and has close
corporate ties to major military contractors that produce jet fighters and other defense
equipment, while refusing -- until now -- to offer services to small gun businesses.
firearms policy
Gun businesses to be treated
like others, says spokesman
By Jon E. Dougherty
© 2000 WorldNetDaily.com
After intense public pressure and a threatened
boycott, following a series of WorldNetDaily
reports exposing Citibank's practice of denying banking services to firearms business, the global financial giant has now reversed its "longstanding" policy.
Yesterday, Mark Rodgers, a public relations
specialist for the New York-based
mega-banking firm told WND the corporation
"went out and looked at our policies across (all Citibank branches) and found that (they) were inconsistent."
After reviewing several policy "areas," Rodgerssaid, "we decided we must have uniform
policies across the U.S." Consequently, he said, Citibank "decided that moving forward the practice of assessing a small business account will apply uniformly in small businesses," including those "engaged in the manufacture or sale of small firearms."
Rodgers said the firm would rate firearms
businesses "the same as any other small
business, using the same standards such as
creditworthiness, the number of years in
business, and so on."
Rodgers faxed a confirmation copy of the new
policy to WorldNetDaily.
The policy reversal comes on the heels of a
controversy that began Feb. 7, when a Las Vegas
branch of Citibank closed a three-day-old
checking account opened by the Nevada Pistol
Academy, a local shooting club. At that time,
local area branch managers told the academy's
director, Chris Lorenzo, in a letter, "Due to
Citibank not maintaining accounts for
businesses that deal in weapons," the account would have to be closed.
Lorenzo, who spoke with WorldNetDaily after
the closure, said that while the corporate
banking giant was "free to do business with
whomever they choose," he also felt it was
important to let other gun-business owners
"know where they stand."
Lorenzo could not be reached for comment
Monday.
However, the Second Amendment Foundation,
a Washington state-based pro-gun group, is
calling the decision a "sweet victory for all
law-abiding gun owners." The group had called
for a nationwide boycott of Citibank because of the policy.
Alan Gottlieb, the group's founder, said the
decision "ends more than a decade of silent
discrimination" against lawfully licensed
firearms-related businesses.
"I couldn't be more pleased," Gottlieb said.
In the early 1980s, Rodgers said, Citibank began buying a large number of independent banks all over the country, noting, "for many years, they operated pretty much independently, with their
own policies, services and products."
In the past few years, he said, "we've been
bringing those together so that we are consistent
and uniform across the business units and
geography" at all Citibank branches.
What the treatment of the Nevada Pistol
Academy proved, Rodgers said, "is that we had an inconsistency in the policy in business units, so we moved to bring those together so that they were in agreement."
On Feb. 24, WND reported a major
inconsistency in Citibank's policy in that the firm conducts business with and has close
corporate ties to major military contractors that produce jet fighters and other defense
equipment, while refusing -- until now -- to offer services to small gun businesses.
