ALEXANDRIA, Va.—The U.S. Attorney for Easter Virginia has announced the creation of the Eastern District of Virginia Equal Access to Banking Task Force it said will investigate allegations of “debunking,” which is where a financial institution “unjustifiably denies its customers credit or other financial services.”

The task force will seek civil relief against banking institutions in federal or state court for debanked people in Virginia, the U.S. Attorney said. 

“Access to banking services is essential in today’s modern economy, and unlawful debanking practices prevent citizens from achieving financial security,” U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert said in a statement. “My office, along with our partners in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice and the Virginia Office of the Attorney General, is dedicated to eliminating these unlawful actions and ensuring that all Virginians can realize their own personal American dream.”

‘Right to Fair Access’

Added Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon in a statement, “All Americans have the right to fair access to banking. No customer should be refused credit or other financial services for discriminatory or unlawful reasons. The Justice Department will work together with our federal and state partners to vigorously enforce these rights and protections to the fullest extent of the law.”

Fed Regulatory Agencies Involved

According to the U.S. Attorney, the task force will collaborate with federal financial regulatory agencies to “systematically address and combat unlawful debanking” and will “convene regulatory partners to leverage the full power of the federal government on this issue.”