In a significant victory for religious liberty advocates, JPMorgan Chase, the nation’s largest bank, has made notable changes to its policies following pressure from Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), shareholders, elected officials, and other religious freedom organizations after a series of controversial account closures and service denials to conservative and religious groups.
What is Alliance Defending Freedom?
Alliance Defending Freedom is a non-profit legal organization dedicated to building alliances and safeguarding vital rights, including religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, marriage and family, and the sanctity of life.
Alliance Defending Freedom Church & Ministry Alliance, a specialized branch of Alliance Defending Freedom, focuses on safeguarding the legal rights of religious organizations. This division, dedicated to supporting ministries, offers legal guidance and advocacy for churches and faith-based groups. Its mission is to ensure these religious institutions can practice their beliefs freely, without facing unjustified interference or restrictions from external entities.
The “Debanking” controversy began in 2022 when Chase canceled the account of the National Committee for Religious Freedom (NCRF), led by former U.S. Ambassador Sam Brownback.
Despite repeated requests for reinstatement, Chase initially demanded that NCRF disclose confidential donor information, offering multiple contradictory explanations for the account’s closure over the course of a year.
This incident was not isolated. Other organizations, including the Christian charity Indigenous Advance, which serves widows and orphans in Uganda, have faced similar issues with financial institutions.
In response to these concerns, Alliance Defending Freedom developed the Viewpoint Diversity Score Business Index. This benchmark aims to measure corporate respect for free speech and religious freedom.
According to the 2023 index, 76 percent of the 85 tech and financial services companies scored have vague or subjective policies that could potentially threaten customers with cancellation or punishment based on their views.
Alliance Defending Freedom, along with other stakeholders, launched a campaign to engage Chase leadership on these issues. The effort included a high-profile shareholder proposal from Christian financial adviser David Bahnsen, which reached the ballot after Alliance Defending Freedom and Boyden Gray PLLC successfully challenged Chase’s attempt to block it at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
The campaign gained further traction when 19 state attorneys general and 14 state financial officers wrote to Chase expressing concerns over de-banking practices, attracting national media attention.
By fall 2023, Chase’s payment processor WePay removed its controversial “social risk” policy, which had previously banned “hate” and “intolerance,” labels that had been applied against conservative groups.
Additionally, Chase’s 2023 Climate Report now explicitly states that the company provides financial services “regardless of political, social, or religious viewpoints.”
In 2024, Chase officials agreed to meet with Bahnsen and Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys to discuss improving respect for viewpoint diversity in its policies and actions.
Despite these positive steps, Chase scored just 9 percent out of a possible 100 percent on the Business Index, tied for second lowest among 29 commercial banks. The index revealed that 76 percent of scored companies, including all 21 digital service providers, have vague or subjective terms of service that could threaten customers with cancellation or punishment based on their views.
In a statement from Alliance Defending Freedom Media, ADF Senior Counsel Jeremiah Galus expressed that Oregon state officials are penalizing 71Five for being a Christian ministry that reasonably requests its volunteers and staff to adhere to Christian beliefs.
“By withdrawing funding from 71Five, Oregon is forcing religious ministries into an untenable position: either hire individuals who do not share their beliefs to access funding available to others or forgo that funding altogether. We will urge the 9th Circuit to adhere to U.S. Supreme Court precedent that protects the First Amendment rights of faith-based organizations to hire individuals who align with their values,” Galus stated.