This article originally ran in the June 2015 issue of AVN magazine. Click here to see the magazine online.
Getting screwed over by Chase Bank … sounds familiar. Oh, yes—it is familiar. A couple years back, JPMorgan Chase denied a loan to softcore producer Marc L. Greenberg, a long-time customer of the bank, and even though Greenberg had assets of $10 million—more than enough to allow him to sue the bank in 2013. And then in May of 2014 Chase canceled the accounts of dozens of adult performers, including Teagan Presley and Dakota Skye.
Now, a year later, Chase is up to its old tricks. Adult boutique owner Roylin Downs shared this open letter she penned to her bank, which closed her account as of May 29:
“My husband Lee and I had been banking with Washington Mutual for 20 years when it transitioned to Chase Bank a number of years ago. It was the local bank, and when I decided to open a discreet and classy online sensual products store, in 2009, Chase was there for me, as it has been for the last six years! We transitioned from an online-only shop to a lovely brick and mortar, with a high-end lingerie shop and separate ‘by appointment’ boutique. The content of my business was never a secret and Chase and its employees even supported it—I made deliveries to the bank for a previous bank manager of some lovely honey dusting powder.
Unfortunately, we were compelled to change our name. We became Trystology in October 2014, and when I went to Chase, with all the proper paperwork, they welcomed me. I had made an appointment to insure it was done quickly, only to have the manager come over to me and gently hold my arm and say, ‘I’m sorry, Roylin, you know we really like you; however, we can no longer serve your type of business.’
“It was shocking to me, as she had been the one encouraging me to get the new account opened. I asked, ‘What kind of business is that? I’ve been banking here for six years, and Chase has been my only business bank!’ She declared that since I sold ‘marital aids’ Chase could no longer open a new account for me. The ‘banking guidelines’ had changed. She said she had gone to the top, but there was no way. They would allow me to keep my old account, as I was ‘legacy,’ but not open a new one.
“I protested and said that we carried high-end lingerie, and that we were classy, when she asked me, ‘What percentage of your sales is marital aids?’ I was astounded and knew it didn’t matter what I sold or how classy my store or customers were. The fact that I carried ‘marital aids’ was enough to not allow me to open a new account in my new brand’s name. I was allowed to keep my old account, even though that company doesn’t exist any longer—until April 21, when I received a ‘Your Chase business account(s) will be closed’ letter from a Chase Senior VP.
“So here’s the thing, Chase. What happens in my bedroom, or the bedroom of any of my respectable clients’ homes, is none of your business. Target sells marital aids. Brookstone sells marital aids. All drugstores sell marital aids, and yes, lingerie shops almost all sell marital aids. Are you going after every business, manufacture and shop that works to improve the love life of your customers? Are you making a moral judgment on how individuals improve their bond as a couple?
“As you said in your letter to me, it has nothing to do with the way I handle my business or my account. This is clear, as I have few to no chargebacks or bad checks, so it can’t be my customer base, or my classy, discreet approach to the products I sell. We don’t carry any vulgar or demeaning products. Only discreet sensual products for passionate play. It’s true—we promote intimacy, passion and love between partners. And in my opinion, there’s nothing wrong with that. What is wrong is that banks are making judgments, and excluding support for reputable businesses like mine, simply because they don’t agree with their product mix!
“So, Chase, and all the other banks out there that are going after female-friendly, couple-friendly, sex-positive stores that are trying to improve the lives of couples …
“Get out of our bedrooms! And get back to the business of supporting small businesses.”
Roylin Downs (above; image by Fancy Free Photography) can be reached at Trystology, 451 E. Main Street, #3 & #6, Ventura, CA; [email protected] or (888) 801-8952.
