In a significant development, JPMorgan Chase, the largest bank in the U.S., has rolled back its WePay service policy that led to the de-banking of several conservative individuals and nonprofit organizations in recent years. The move has been applauded by the Alliance for Defending Freedom (ADF), a Christian law firm.

The controversial policy required merchants using WePay to refrain from accepting payments or engaging in activities related to "social risk issues," which the bank defined as anything "subject to allegation and impacts related to hate groups, systemic racism, sexual harassment, and corporate culture." However, this language has now been removed from the company's WePay terms of service, as discovered by the ADF earlier this month.

A spokesperson for JPMorgan Chase stated, "We support clients around the globe and in every state in the U.S., across industries, religions, and political affiliations." The removal of the policy has been welcomed by ADF senior counsel Jeremy Tedesco, who believes that the policy itself posed a risk to every person using WePay and Chase. "There's millions of people where it's a threat to them being denied or losing payment processing," Tedesco highlighted, emphasizing the significance of eliminating the policy.

Tedesco further called on Chase to incorporate their commitment to not discriminate against individuals based on their religious or political views into their customer policies. This step would reinforce the bank's stand against viewpoint discrimination.

The rollback comes as a relief for those who have faced account closures and service denials in recent years without proper explanation. The National Committee for Religious Freedom (NCRF), a political nonprofit, had its Chase account closed in 2022, while former U.S. Ambassador Sam Brownback's National Committee for Religious Freedom also had its account abruptly terminated that year. These incidents are not isolated, as Chase and other major banking chains have been accused of "de-banking" conservatives without clear justifications.

In 2021, WePay denied ticket-payment processing services for a Republican event hosted by the nonprofit organization Defense of Liberty. Initially, WePay cited policies against providing services connected to "hate... racial intolerance... or items or activities that encourage, promote, facilitate, or instruct others regarding the same." However, after Missouri State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick raised concerns about ideological discrimination and threatened to reconsider doing business with the bank, JPMorgan Chase reversed its decision, stating that the group did not violate the terms of service.

To promote freedom of speech in private companies, the ADF has launched a Business Index that ranks companies based on their policies. According to ADF, over 90% of businesses on the index rely on divisive concepts like Critical Race Theory in their employee training materials, which has been found to divide colleagues and erode trust.

Chase's rollback of its controversial policy is a positive step towards ensuring that Americans are not discriminated against based on their religious and political beliefs. It aligns with the efforts of GOP attorneys general from 13 states, who issued a warning to Bank of America last month for its alleged practices of "politicized de-banking" targeting conservatives.

The ADF's support and ongoing monitoring of private companies' policies aim to encourage businesses to uphold freedom of speech and avoid discriminatory practices.