Until we sued Suruga Bank, the discriminatory bank kept an insidious policy that seriously undermined minorities’ access to basic bank services, including a bank account. The policy leaves open the possibility that — based on race, ethnicity or nationality — individuals can be denied access to a bank account. It also permits Suruga Bank to gather sensitive personal information insidiously. And it expands existing laws by permitting Suruga Bank to deny just a depository account if the illegal bank does not obtain a wider range of IDs unnecessary to open a bank account.
