Homepage / News

Bank's Policy Causes Confusion Over Flags

Flag Policy Misunderstood, Banks Says

POSTED: 9:36 am EDT September 18, 2009
UPDATED: 11:51 am EDT September 18, 2009

Some residents in Gaffney said that a Bank of America removed flags that were placed on the property to honor a fallen Marine.

Lance Cpl. Christopher Fowlkes died on Sept. 10 at a military hospital in Germany after an attack in Afghanistan. His body returned to the Upstate on Wednesday.

American flags were placed along the route the procession for Fowlkes would take through Gaffney, including Floyd Baker Boulevard.

Brenda Earls said that when she went to check on the flags she had placed, she found that the ones on the property of Bank of America had been removed. She said that she was told by a bank employee told her that she could not put the flags there because of bank policy.

“I just couldn’t believe in this small town that we would encounter something like this,” Earls said. “This is unconscionable to me. To know that we are such a united country and to have somebody say we couldn’t put flags on their property because it was a policy of a bank. I’m shocked.”

Bank of America released a statement to FOX Carolina on Thursday calling the issue a “misunderstanding” about the policy. It reads:

“We want to ensure the community knows how deeply proud we are of the men and women who have sacrificed so much in service to our country. The bank does fly the American flag at our locations throughout the country, and flags were displayed in front of our banking center in Gaffney the evening prior to our dedicated Marine returning home.”

When FOX Carolina visited the Bank of America location at the center of the controversy, American flags were found on the lawn and hanging from a bank entrance sign.

Earls admitted that she did not ask permission to place the flags on the property, but said she did not think it would be a problem. She said that she has since closed her accounts with the bank because she was so upset by the ordeal.

Links We Like
Sponsored Content
Feeling bloated or uncomfortable after eating? Try these five recipes and find out why they are so good for digestion. More

Find out what a sputtering economy and an increasingly difficult to crack job market means to you. More

Embellish an empty abode with these easy, inexpensive projects and make your home feel more like home. More

Check out some of the most notorious police car chase scenes ever caught on tape. Don’t try this at home. More

Sponsored Links

E-Mail News Alerts
Get breaking news and daily headlines.
Browse all e-mail newsletters

Most Popular

Consumer Info


Sponsored Content Provided by ARA