ING apologizes to customers for discriminating anti-money laundering approach
In a letter to customers on Tuesday, ING apologized for years of discrimination in the bank’s anti-money laundering and terrorism financing policy. The bank says the discrimination was unintentional, but promised to ask fewer questions to customers, at least when it comes to things the bank already knows, NOS reports.
Research from a year ago revealed that many customers feel discriminated against by their bank. Banks asked an excessive number of questions when they wanted to open an account or transfer money. For example, banks asked Muslims to explain the money they transfer to family abroad every year during Ramadan, churches had to account for every cent churchgoers put in the collection basket, and house doctors had to explain payments from patients abroad.
According to ING, these are not just “nonsense questions” asked for no reason. “But I understand that people also feel they are being discriminated against,” Peter Jacobs, CEO of ING Nederland, told the broadcaster.
Following last year’s study, ING asked its customers how they experience contact with the bank. “This showed that people with a religious background or of foreign origin, in particular, feel strongly discriminated against by us,” Jacobs said. “They make international payments more often. We also often do not have sufficient insight into the cultural habits of these customers. For example, if you don’t know when Ramadan is, you don’t know that more money is transferred then.”
The bank also found that customers experienced the bank’s questions as too distrustful. “People get quite nervous when the bank comes to ask for explanations. Then we have to be very careful not to ask things when we actually already have the information. And we do not provide context. So why do we come to ask something, and what do we do with the answer?”
ING promised to adjust its “official, impersonal, and suspiciously perceived” way of communicating and will set up a team to teach customer service employees more about different religions and cultures.
