PANews reported on March 21, according to journalist Eleanor Terrett, that one of the key factors leading to 'debanking' in the past has been regulatory agencies requiring banks to consider so-called 'reputational risk' when assessing whether customers can access financial services. The Federal Reserve had previously instructed employees to pay attention to whether bank executives made 'controversial statements', but Fed Chair Powell pledged last month to remove that clause.

Recent developments show that the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has officially removed 'reputational risk' from its bank examination standards, emphasizing a future focus on more transparent areas of risk.