Bank of America: It's Bank Policy!*

Abstract:

When Steve Valdez went to a Bank of America branch to encash a check, he was denied service. The bank policy stipulated that if a person did not have an account with the bank s/he had to provide a thumbprint to have a check encashed. Valdez did not have a thumb but the bank still refused to serve him, citing bank policy.

Issues: » Ethics » Compliance policy » Disciplinary actions. Introduction In 2009, when Steve Valdez (Valdez) went to a Bank of America (BoA) branch in the Tampa area in Florida to cash a check, he was in for a shock. The bank refused to serve him unless he provided a thumbprint. And this, despite Valdez having a compelling reason for not complying with the demand - he was born without hands and wore prosthetic arms...

Questions for Discussion:

1. Discuss the ethical issues related to this case. Analyze the roles of each of the people involved and the bank.
2. "Human beings have an ethical obligation not to stick to [policies] when they result in outrageous consequences to others, and there is no counterbalancing benefit to be gained by doing so, other than not varying from the policy." Discuss.

Key words:
Ethics, Policy, Compliance policy, Disciplinary action, KeyBank

More ICMR India Case Studies

Business Environment	Business Ethics	Business Reports	Business Strategy
Corporate Governance	Economics	Enterprise Risk Management	Finance
HRM	Innovation	Insurance	IT and Systems
Leadership and Entrepreneurship	Marketing	Miscellaneous	Operations
Project Management	Short Case Studies	Cases in other Languages	Free Case Studies

* This caselet is intended for use only in class discussions.
** More comprehensive case studies are priced at Rs.200 to Rs.700 (US $5 to US $16) per copy.