Why might a church be de-banked?

Despite perceptions of persecution discussed in our last article, the real reasons behind churches being de-banked* are more likely to be rooted in regulatory and risk management issues.

Money laundering and terrorism finance will rarely be discussed in church trustee or PCC meetings. However, they now dominate the mandatory account due diligence processes undertaken by UK banks in the 2020s. While being utterly alien to churches, it is these behind-the-scenes processes which are driving a swathe of the banks’ programme of account closures.

Let's explore the primary factors contributing to this friction between a fictional church called Emmanuel Church and their bank.