• snacks@feddit.uk
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    1 year ago

    if HSBC can have accounts in billions of dollars for mexican drug cartels, pretty much anyone who wants one should be allowed a basic bank account. Banks having any scruples at all is hilarious to me

    • Jackthelad@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Nigel Farage didn’t align with Coutts “values”, but obviously the mafia bosses they have on their books do. 🤷

      • david@feddit.uk
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        1 year ago

        The mafia bosses clearly don’t go on the telly annoying other wealthy customers. Farage is reputational damage to Coutts and I bet they profoundly regret ever having anything to do with him. Very much less so the mafia bosses, I’m sure.

        • Jackthelad@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Did anyone know he had a Coutts account before they kicked him out though?

          Can’t do reputational damage if no one knows about it, surely?

          • david@feddit.uk
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            1 year ago

            I think Coutts is all about cultivating the Right Sort of customers. “The Queen’s bankers.” Upper Class.

            Farage was rather gauche and has become clearly less wealthy than when he lived off the EU, whereupon he’s lost any redeeming features whatsoever to Coutts.

            It’s clearly OK for Coutts customers to be a bit of an embarrassment but wealthy, or to be unmistakably of high pedigree but fallen on a bit of a rough patch recently, but if you’re a beer-swilling affectation-loving pugnacious racist with no great wealth, you’re just absolutely the Wrong Sort and Coutts want nothing to do with you whatsoever.

            It’s 100% about reputation. Be rich or be posh, preferably both. Coutts doesn’t want you in its world if you’re neither.

            Farage hated being chucked out because it represented his rejection by the establishment, and he’s a bit sensitive when it comes to being rejected.

            He is taking revenge on the same territory: reputation, and using his favourite weapon: the fears and insecurities of the Conservative Party of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, which allows him to dictate British policy depute having lost something like seven elections trying to get into Parliament.

      • Borkingheck@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        The nail that sticks out gets hammered. If you want to do dodgy shit financially, all you have to do is avoiding sticking out. See the panama papers.

        Farage on a crusade about banks but didnt do the same when the Panama papers scandal happened. This is just more Farage grift fuel.

        • Jackthelad@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          This story is nothing to do with Farage or Coutts. That is completely missing the point.

          It’s just brought the story of people being refused bank accounts or being kicked out of their accounts into the forefront. If it means banks can’t get away with closing people’s accounts for spurious reasons as a result of this, then great.

    • mackwinston@feddit.uk
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      1 year ago

      I think all UK citizens have a right to a basic bank account in the UK.

      Banks (and most big businesses) are completely amoral - they will only do what is going to have a return on investment and is not forbidden by law (and if it is, that they can’t get away with).