Lesbian Couple Featured In Bank's Viral Ad

3.7 million views in one week.

Rachel Maddow Mocks Franklin Graham

"I love this story so much I want to take it to Franklin Graham's new bank and marry it. If it's a lady."

AFA Launches Wells Fargo Boycott

From the American Family Association:

In 2003, AFA warned that Wells Fargo was beginning to show public support for homosexuality. They were one of the first companies in America to do so. In 2005, Dr. James Dobson and Focus on the Family announced it was withdrawing funds from Wells Fargo after the company threw its support behind homosexual activist organizations.In May, 2015, Wells Fargo released a one-minute commercial video featuring two lesbians adopting a little girl. This week, AFA joins Franklin Graham, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan's Purse, in calling on Christians to close their Wells Fargo bank accounts in support of God’s laws and His standards. If you have an account with Wells Fargo, we urge you to close your account as your way of letting the company know you support God's standards, not theirs. Even if you're not a customer, contact Wells Fargo to show your disapproval of their business practices. We have provided email, phone and social media contact information, including a sample letter.

Here is their suggested email to Wells Fargo: "I stand with American Family Association in opposing the cultural acceptance of homosexuality. Your latest commercial is where I draw the line with your company. God’s plan for marriage and family does not include the promotion of sin. Unfortunately, Wells Fargo has chosen to advance immorality and unhealthy lifestyles. Add me to those who are calling on Wells Fargo customers to close their accounts in support of biblical truth."

Franklin Graham Won't Do Business With Bank That "Promotes Sin" - Moves All Accounts To Bank Sponsoring Gay Pride

Brian Tashman writes at Right Wing Watch:

Graham spoke with Craig James of the Family Research Council, which is cheering on Graham’s announcement, on yesterday’s edition of “Washington Watch,” where he explained that he will be switching to BB&T, another North Carolina-based bank. Graham may not have done much research, as BB&T has received an 80 percent score in the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index and this year is the sponsor of the Miami Beach Gay Pride Parade, along with the chief sponsor of Miami Beach Gay Pride’s “Legacy Couples” program, which celebrates same-sex couples in “committed relationships of 10 years or longer.” A bank spokesman said the company hopes to “support the individuals and organizations that broaden our perspectives and strengthen the diverse fabric of our communities. That’s why BB&T is proud to be a part of this day of pride and celebration of the 2015 Legacy Couples.” In fact, BB&T hosted a same-sex couple’s wedding reception earlier this year “in a makeshift chapel at event sponsor BB&T Bank South Beach branch.”

MORE: From a Miami Beach Pride press release:

BB&T Bank, in partnership with Miami Beach Gay Pride, will host a fundraising reception to honor the popular “Legacy Couples” program established during the first Miami Beach Gay Pride in 2009 and held every year since. Legacy Couples are featured guests of the Miami Beach Gay Pride parade and are celebrated for their committed relationships of 10 years or longer. Special guests at the event will be Frank Petrole and Marc Rudick, together for 55 years, and Mary Maguire and Jackie Emmett, together for 53 years. “For more than 140 years, BB&T has supported the goals of our clients, friends and neighbors by sharing financial knowledge and guidance,” said Arthur Costa, BB&T Regional Multicultural Markets Officer. “We also support the individuals and organizations that broaden our perspectives and strengthen the diverse fabric of our communities. That’s why BB&T is proud to be a part of this day of pride and celebration of the 2015 Legacy Couples.”

Wall Street To SCOTUS: Yes On Marriage

Via CNN:

Wall Street's leading banks have signed a "friend of the court" brief pressing the Supreme Court to back same-sex marriage. Major financial firms including AIG, Bank of America, BlackRock, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs JPMorgan, UBS and Wells Fargo signed the brief that will be filed on Thursday. Spokespeople at each of the companies confirmed to CNN that they are named in the brief. Other signatories include a range of small and large companies in a variety of sectors including technology, healthcare and retail. "The brief argues that the existing confused legal landscape places significant burdens on employers and their employees—making it increasingly hard to conduct business," said Elliott Frieder, a spokesman for Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, the law firm that will file the brief on behalf of the firms.

A similar banking coalition filed a DOMA brief in 2013.

Investment Banker: Vladimir Putin Has Stolen $200B, Is World's Richest Man

Via Business Insider:

Hedge fund manager Bill Browder, once the largest foreign investor in Russia, estimates Russian President Vladimir Putin's wealth at $200 billion — which would make him by far the richest man in the world. When asked to estimate his net worth by Fareed Zakaria of CNN, Browder said: "I believe that it is $200 billion. "After 14 years in power of Russia, and the amount of money that the country has made, and the amount of money that hasn't been spent on schools and roads and hospitals and so on — all that money is in property, Swiss bank accounts, shares, [and] hedge funds managed for Putin and his cronies." Bill Gates is considered the world's richest man with a net worth of $79 billion.

Browder claims Putin's stealing began the moment he became prime minister in 1999.

Report: Credit Card Hack At Home Depot

Multiple banks are reporting that hackers have accessed the credit cards of millions of Home Depot customers.

The credit card information was offered for sale Tuesday on an underground site that traffics in stolen financial information, journalist Brian Krebs reported on his blog. The breach could have begun in late April or early May of this year, Krebs reported. If that is true, this incident could dwarf the Target breach, in which 40 million credit and debit accounts were compromised over a three-week period. "This latest batch of cards is for sale from the same underground store that sold cards from P.F. Chang's and Target," said Trey Ford, a security strategist at Rapid7, a Boston-based computer security company. Home Depot spokeswoman Paula Drake said she could only "confirm that we're looking into some unusual activity, and we are working with our banking partners and law enforcement to investigate." The data put up for sale were labeled "American Sanctions."

Target's CEO resigned in May after their data breach.

NOM: Boycott Chase Bank

"Dear Joe, This is the smoking gun. NOM has obtained new evidence that shows Chase bank not only violated its employees' privacy with invasive and inappropriate questions on an employee survey aimed at pushing an LGBT agenda, but that the company has lied to consumers and its own employees about the now infamous questions. Today, NOM is launching an international petition and boycott at www.VoidChase.com to send the message that this kind of invasiveness and dishonesty is unacceptable and will not go unchallenged. I urge you to read on to get the facts for yourself, and then head over to www.VoidChase.com to join this important effort.

"The news about this survey has already been reported far and wide. But after NOM called on our members to contact Chase and demand answers about the invasive question to employees about whether they were 'allies of the LGBT community'—and answers about how this information was to be used—the bank's leadership went on defense. Several of you forwarded me responses received from Patricia A. Wexler, a Chase spokesperson, who said that, 'The news report is not correct. These surveys are anonymous and voluntary.' Another Chase spokesperson, Jaclyn D'Aversa, reiterated to the Heritage Foundation's Daily Signal that the survey was 'completely voluntary and anonymous.'

"That the survey was administered, and contained the offensive question, is simply beyond doubt. This screenshot, published Friday by Breitbart News, has finally laid all such questions to rest—even though, as the Breitbart piece notes, several liberal media elites had been claiming that the survey didn't even exist. We must spread this story far and wide. Many of you have been following this story, but many more still need to know about it so that they can join in action with others from around the globe in this historic protest. JP Morgan Chase is the largest bank in America, with assets over $2.4 trillion — they should be busy with the business of banking, not thought-policing and harassing their employees and lying to the public. They must be held accountable." - Hate group leader Brian Brown, via email. Hit the link for a similar version of the above on NOM's blog.

New $100 Bill Launches Today

$3.5B worth of the redesigned $100 bill is being distributed to banks today.

The bill redesign, the first for the $100 bill since March 1996, will still have Benjamin Franklin on the front and Philadelphia's Independence Hall on the back. It will also have a number of new features that will definitely turn heads. There is a disappearing Liberty Bell in an ink well and a bright blue three-dimensional security ribbon with images that move in the opposite direction from the way the bill is being tilted. "The 3-D security ribbon is magic. It is made up of hundreds of thousands of micro-lenses in each note," said Larry Felix, the director of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. "This is the most complex note the United States has ever produced." The $100 bill is the last bill to get a make-over in a process that began in 2003 with the $20 bill. The government redesigned the greenbacks with subtle colors and other security features to make it harder for counterfeiters. The $100 bill, which is the most commonly counterfeited note outside of the United States, was redesigned with even more complex security features.

NEW YORK CITY: Activists Demand "Robin Hood Tax" On Financial Institutions

Yesterday about a thousand activists marched on the United Nations, demanding the creation of a so-called "Robin Hood Tax" on Wall Street and financial institutions around the world. Forbes posted a press release:

To commemorate the 2nd Anniversary of Occupy Wall Street, the Robin Hood tax coalition that consists of two hundred million supporters around the world including Occupy Wall Street, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, The Vatican, The AFL-CIO, Lawrence Summers, Nancy Pelosi, Nobel Prize Laureates Desmond Tutu, Al Gore, Joseph Stigliz and Paul Krugman will rally to support H.R. 1579, the Inclusive Prosperity Act, a financial transaction tax of 0.5% that will raise hundreds of billions of dollars a year that puts people before profit and helps stabilize the financial markets. Dozens of major economies have already implemented this tax. 11 countries including Germany and France will begin to implement the tax on January 1.

From the Robin Hood Tax website:

This small tax of less than ½ of 1% on Wall Street transactions can generate hundreds of billions of dollars each year in the US alone. Enough to protect American schools, housing, local governments and hospitals. Enough to pay for lifesaving AIDS medicines. Enough to support people and communities around the world – and deal with the climate challenges we're facing. It won't affect ordinary Americans, their personal savings, or every day consumer activity, such as ATMs or debit cards. It's easy to enforce and tough to evade. This is a tax on Wall Street, which created the greatest economic crisis in our nation, and globally, since the Great Depression. The same people who have returned to record profits and bonuses while ordinary Americans, the 99%, continue to pay the price of their crisis.

Gothamist has posted a slideshow from yesterday and notes that among those arrested was openly gay New York state Sen. Bray Hoylman, seen below.

Pay With Your Face

Minority Report. It's here. In Finland, at least.

Finland-based company Uniqul is preparing to release a payment system that uses facial recognition software to link a customer with his or her bank account. Instead of swiping a credit card to purchase goods (which is so painfully last-century), now you can just gaze into a camera.  A Uniqul tablet at check-out stations would take the customer’s photo as they approach. Within seconds the tablet processes biometrical data to locate the individual’s account within the database, which can be registered with any major credit card, Uniqul says. All the customer needs to do is confirm the payment by pressing the “OK” button. The system is supposed to reduce payment transaction time from an average of 30 seconds to less than 5 seconds.

Headline Of The Day

Details. I'd have blamed the cat.

SPAIN: Flamenco Flash Mob

The BBC reports:

Flamenco flash mobs - seemingly spontaneous dance and song performances - have been taking place in banks not just in Seville, but all over Andalusia, causing short, if amusing disruptions to the working day. Some involve just one or two dancers, performing silently in front of bemused customers and clerks. Others can be made up of several dozen bailaores clicking their fingers and stomping their feet to recorded music. The flash mobs are staged by an anti-capitalist group known as Flo6x8 to express anger and frustration at the economic crisis.

(Tipped by JMG reader Buxton)

Paul Singer Gives $250K To MD Marriage

Hedge fund mogul Paul Singer has donated $250K to Marylanders for Marriage Equality.   HRC reacts via press release:

"Paul's leadership on marriage equality continues to amaze and sets an example for other fair-minded members of the Republican Party," said Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, a founder of Marylanders for Marriage Equality. “His investment in the equality and dignity of Marylanders reflects the growing bipartisan support to get Question 6 over the finish line in these critical final weeks." On the November ballot is Question 6 that calls for civil marriage licenses for gay and lesbian couples. It also protects religious freedom. About 30 percent of Romney voters in Maryland support the measure, according to polling by Hart Research

Greece May Leave Euro Zone

It appears that Greece may leave the Euro Zone and return to a national currency by June 18th, a move that may spark banking panic in other nations where only the first 100,000 Euros on deposit are insured.

"Preventing bank runs in Italy, Spain and Portugal should be the top priority," said Berenberg Bank economist Holger Schmieding. "Policymakers need to make sure that the potential Greek precedent of a forced conversion of domestic euro deposits into a weak new currency would not spark a run on banks ... elsewhere." The ECB is pressing the euro zone to set up a fund that would prevent this dangerous ripple effect, a message reinforced by ECB policymaker Joerg Asmussen last week. "The recapitalization of a troubled bank by its government may lead to a deterioration of the government's fiscal position," Asmussen said. "The deteriorating fiscal position in turn further weakens banks' balance sheets, through their holdings of sovereign bonds.

JPMorgan Melts Down

At Yesterday's NYC May Day March

More photos.

Jesus Is Preapproved

If you want mythological figures on your Capital One card, there are dozens of preapproved images to select from. But you want the simple stylized letter "A" that signals atheism, that's against the rules. Consumerist has more. (Tipped by JMG reader Kevin)

Petition: Banks Should Condemn Uganda

Over 170,000 people have signed a petition demanding that two major international banks issue condemnations of Uganda's pending "kill the gays" bill.

With the “Kill the Gays” bill looming in Uganda’s parliament, Citibank and Barclays have unique and necessary voices that could help stop this bill in its tracks. Their presence in Uganda is significant, and their voices in opposition to the Anti-Homosexuality Bill could have a profound impact in keeping LGBT people safe in Uganda. Ask Citibank and Barclays to publicly condemn Uganda’s “Kill the Gays” bill, and send a loud message to Ugandan legislators that criminalizing homosexuality with lifetime prison sentences and the death penalty won’t be supported by major international businesses.

Wall Street Backs Romney

In order to thwart legislation intended to prevent a repeat of the 2008 financial meltdown, Wall Street firms have donated twice as much to the Romney campaign as they've given to Obama.

The financial services industry is poised to set records in one arena in 2012: politics. The beleaguered sector is pumping tens of millions of dollars into campaigns and newly dominant super PACS as one of Wall Street’s own seeks the White House and the industry looks to roll back key parts of the Dodd-Frank financial reforms. The goal is to oust a president and some members of Congress whom many bankers view as openly hostile toward them. Employees of securities and investment firms have already given $52.8 million to candidates and party committees in the 2012 cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. That makes it the No. 1 industry, up from fourth place in 2010 and third in the 2008 campaign.

The biggest donors are a who's who of hedge funds and banking giants.