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by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack

SDNY / SOUTH BRONX, Jan 23– JPMorgan Chase's apparent enabling of sex trafficking by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as its "debanking," have been formally raised by Fair Finance Watch on November 24 to the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, opposing JPMC's applications including to open eight branches while closing in low and moderate income communities. 

   As the US bank regulators including the OCC under Comptroller Jonathan V. Gould move to limit public notice and participation in review of banks' applications for approvals, and purport to take seriously debanking and even banks' enabling of sex trafficking, this was a test.

On December 2, the test was failed. The OCC wrote: " Dear Mr. Lee: The OCC has decided not to extend the public comment period. Your request for a public hearing did not appropriately describe the nature of issues or facts to be presented in such a hearing. Therefore, your request for a public hearing was denied."

 Now on January 23, FFW has filed:

 Re: Timely Comment on Branch Applications and JPM Chase & debanking (second comment after Nov 2025) 

To Comptroller Gould and To Whom it May Concern at the OCC:   

 On behalf of Fair Finance Watch and in my personal capacity there are timely comments opposing JPMorgan Chase NA's branch applications listed below, all submitted this month and having comment periods running through today January 23 or later. These comments are timely.  

  First, note that in November FFW commented to one including about JPM Chase's debanking. The OCC's response on December 2 was to say that no hearing was necessary - and to do nothing.    Today we are putting into the record before the OCC the complaint against Chase and its CEO for debanking filed in Florida including as to Plaintiff 401 MEZZ VENTURE, LLC is a limited liability company organized in Delaware with its principal place of business in Florida. 4. Plaintiff 401 NORTH WABASH VENTURE, LLC is a limited liability company organized in Delaware with its principal place of business in Florida. 5. Plaintiff THC MIAMI RESTAURANT HOSPITALITY, LLC is a limited liability company organized in Delaware with its principal place of business in Florida.    We are re-requesting a hearing.  Here are the pending branch applications we are commenting on

  Also for the record on these and all other JPM Chase applications before the OCC, now and until at least the end of the year: JPM Chase has been exposed as having enabled sex traffickers Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, including a current Congressional inquiry into Suspicious Activity Reports it should have filed by didn't.    

Also, on the issue of debanking which the OCC (and Comptroller) have said they take so seriously, for the record on these and all other JPM Chase applications, consider:  "Strike CEO Jack Mallers said JPMorgan Chase closed his bank accounts without a proper explanation last month, prompting concerns of debanking of crypto CEOs. "Last month, J.P. Morgan Chase threw me out of the bank," Mallers wrote on social media platform X on Sunday. "It was bizarre. My dad has been a private client there for 30+ years." When Mallers inquired why his accounts were closed, he said JPMorgan’s only response was: "We aren’t allowed to tell you.'"

See,  American Banker, BankThink: "The FDIC is taking the 'community' out of CRA enforcement," by Matthew R. Lee, here.

   Again, the only enforcement mechanism of CRA is its consideration on applications for deposit facilities: branches.  A hearing is requested, timely opposition made.

Thank you for your attention, /s/ Matthew Lee, Esq. Executive Director Fair Finance Watch

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