JPMorgan Chase closes National Committee for Religious Freedom account and requests donor list
In late spring 2022, JPMorgan Chase closed the bank account of the National Committee for Religious Freedom (NCRF), a 501(c)(4) nonprofit chaired by former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom and Kansas Governor Sam Brownback. According to Brownback, Chase later told the group that it could provide a donor list and other information for review — a demand NCRF declined. The episode was disclosed publicly in October 2022 and prompted a March 2023 letter from 19 state attorneys general to JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon.
Dates: Account closed spring 2022; publicly disclosed October 2022; state AGs' letter March 23, 2023; JPMorgan letter to Congress denying religious motivation reported August 2025. Parties: National Committee for Religious Freedom; Sam Brownback (chair); JPMorgan Chase; Alliance Defending Freedom (counsel and testimony); 19 state attorneys general. What happened: Chase closed NCRF's account without prior written explanation. When NCRF sought reinstatement, the bank requested donor information and details about the group's activities, which NCRF declined to provide on First Amendment associational grounds. Brownback publicly disclosed the closure on Family Research Council's Washington Watch program. The Arkansas Family Council, a conservative Christian nonprofit, said Chase had closed its own account in a similar manner approximately two years earlier. NCRF's allegations: Religious and viewpoint-based discrimination; concern that the donor-list request would chill First Amendment associational rights. Bank's stated reasons: Chase did not publicly provide an explanation at the time. In an August 2025 letter to Congress reported by Reuters, JPMorgan denied that NCRF's religious mission was the basis for the closure but provided no further detail on the operative reason. Outcome: ADF attorney Jeremy Tedesco testified before the House Judiciary Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government (March 2024), citing this case. 19 state AGs sent a March 23, 2023 letter to Jamie Dimon demanding answers. The case was cited at the Senate Banking Committee's February 2025 debanking hearing. Chase has not publicly reversed the decision.