Santander Announces New Account Opening Screening Process

BOSTON, Feb. 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Santander Bank, N.A. announced today that it has reached an agreement with the New York Attorney General's office on the process it will use to screen people who want to open a checking or savings account with the Bank.

Under the agreement, Santander will change its screening process and use a third party vendor to screen applicants for prior fraudulent behavior and will not turn consumers away for such things as unpaid overdrafts at other banks. Santander will implement this new policy in September 2015.

"We are pleased to have reached an agreement with the Attorney General's office," said Maria Tedesco, managing director of retail banking for Santander Bank. "We believe this change to the screening process for new account openings will make it easier for consumers who might have been denied services based on their banking history the ability to open checking or savings accounts at Santander."

About Santander

Santander Bank, N.A. is one of the largest retail banks in the United States by deposits.  Its main corporate offices are in Boston and it operates principally in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. Santander's 9,703 employees serve its 1.8 million customers through the Bank's 703 branches, 2,092 ATMs, call centers, website and mobile app. Supervised by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Santander in the United States is a wholly-owned, financially autonomous subsidiary of Banco Santander SAN, a global commercial and retail bank. For more information about Santander, visit www.santanderbank.com or call 877-768-2265.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Nancy Orlando
Public Relations Manager
nancy.orlando@santander.us
617.757.5765

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SOURCE Santander Bank, N.A.