The bank explained its decision falls under a policy to comply with anti-money laundering law
A Canadian rapper has received notice from a major US bank informing him that his account will be closed due to his mother being a federal MP.
Dirk Murray “Baba” Brinkman Jr., who is well-known for penning rap music and plays that educate audiences about literature and science, is the son of Vancouver Quadra Liberal MP Joyce Murray, reported Huffington Post Canada. First elected to the House of Commons in 2008, Murray also serves as a parliamentary secretary to Treasury Board President Scott Brison.
On Friday, Brinkman tweeted an excerpt of a letter he received from Chase, which said that it was closing his bank account on November 12.
Got a letter from @chase saying they are shutting down my account, first bank account I opened when moving to the US over seven years ago. The stated reason? Because my mom is a member of parliament in Canada. pic.twitter.com/71F1c9LuDu
— Baba Brinkman (@BabaBrinkman) October 12, 2018
“After careful consideration, we have decided we will no longer offer personal and business banking account to current or former non-U.S. officials, their immediate families or close associates,” the letter read.
Brinkman first moved to the US in 2011, and has lived there full time ever since. He currently resides on Long Island, New York.
“It just seems weird and unfair to punish family members of politicians, who of course didn't choose those affiliations and don't necessarily benefit from them," he told the Huffington Post. “It's not like my mom uses her political influence to sway US monetary policy or banking regulations.”
According to Chase spokeswoman Elizabeth Seymour, the policy has actually been in place since 2014. She told the publication that the bank implemented the policy to be compliant with anti-money laundering law, adding that part of that involved closing accounts belonging to “non-domestic politically exposed persons.”
“We made the decision to exit personal and business banking accounts to current or former senior non-US officials, their immediate families or close associates,” Seymour said in an email. “This policy applies to all countries except the United States – it is not specific to one or select countries.”
While the US treasury department offers no clear guidance on who counts as a “politically exposed person,” the government of Canada defines them as people “entrusted with a prominent position that typically comes with the opportunity to influence decisions and the ability to control resources.”
Chase has accounts for 61 million consumer households and four million small businesses in the US; it said that “a very small percentage” of non-US customers have been affected by its policy. According to Seymour, it was estimated that “3,500 or more” foreign accounts would likely be impacted by the policy when it was first implemented.
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