Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Black Businesswoman Says Bank Teller Refused Withdrawal Because She Didn't 'Feel Comfortable' Giving It To Her

Black Businesswoman Says Bank Teller Refused Withdrawal Because She Didn't 'Feel Comfortable' Giving It To Her
WFSB 3/YouTube

We are in 2021, aren't we?

We should be putting racism... behind us... Right?


But that's not how Gwen Samuel, a successful, Black businesswoman in Connecticut felt a few weeks ago.

While visiting the TD Bank in Southington, Connecticut, where she has been a customer for more than 16 years, Samuel attempted to complete a simple task: to withdraw some of the funds that had recently come into her account. After completing an event, Samuel went to her local bank to withdraw $1,000 to pay one of the vendors in attendance.

But a simple transaction turned out to be not so simple.

You can see local news coverage here:

youtu.be

Samuel confirmed her identity as she usually would.

"I go inside, I had my TD Bank card and my license."
"They were cordial. I'm not even gonna say they were rude."

But that was when she ran into problems.

"[The teller] hands me my license and she says, 'I don't feel comfortable giving you the money'."
"So, I got confused, so I said, 'You don't feel comfortable giving me the money?'"
"[The teller] said, 'Well you just deposited the check yesterday'."

But along with her identity, the teller already confirmed Samuel's check cleared the day before.

Apparently, that wasn't the teller's concern.

"She said, 'Oh yeah, it cleared. The money is available. I just don't feel comfortable giving it to you'."

The teller left it at that and did not explain her reasoning.

Samuel reflected:

"I was so hurt and I didn't want to start crying."

Samuel then confirmed for herself her available balance wasn't the core issue.

She proceeded to withdraw a little bit of money, right outside TD Bank's front door by using their ATM machine instead. Samuel experienced no complications when doing this.

To acquire the rest of the money she needed to pay the vendor, Samuel also visited another branch of the TD Bank and was able to withdraw the funds with no objections from the second teller.

This culmination of events led Samuel to believe her engagement with the first teller was an issue of racial bias—where someone experiences different treatment because of another person's biases.

Samuel stated frankly:

"I just had to make sure I am not overreacting because we're in such a racially tense time right now, so I just wanted to give the benefit of the doubt, but that doubt went away when I got the money from the ATM and Bristol."

Samuel hosted a protest outside of her home bank on Monday afternoon, organized around the ATM machine where she was first able to confirm her money was available for withdrawal.

Samuel challenged the bank to improve its standards for diversity and inclusion, both in its mission and among its employees. She wanted to use this as a "teachable moment" with the bank, rather than breaking ties with them.

Samuel stated:

"Even though it happened to me, I don't want anyone else to have the terrible experience."
"I just want them to do better. I could pull my money. I could prove that point, but I could also prove that point by trying to work with them."
"I mentioned diversity training, but not their typical training, because clearly, it doesn't work ― at least for this branch in Southington."
"I did state I will get back to them on how I would like this issue to be resolved that promotes both unity and healing as well as accountability."
"What happened to me should not have happened. We need to make sure that these institutions aren't making it hard (for families) to access their own money."
"I want them to be held accountable which they will, one way or another."

Some Twitter users were outraged.


Others demanded immediate action.




A few also called out TD Bank directly, especially given their recent advertising.







After Samuel's protest, TD Bank responded in a statement online:

"The security of our customers' accounts is a top priority and we regret that the specific reasons why the transaction could not be completed may not have been explained to Ms. Samuel at our Queen Street store in Southington."
"Due to privacy concerns, we cannot discuss the account activity of particular customers, although we can confirm that the customer's transaction was completed at another TD store in the vicinity."
"We regret that Ms. Samuel did not have a positive experience, which is what we strive to provide, and that she did not receive a satisfactory explanation regarding her transaction."
"We are contacting her to review her transaction and to understand and address her concerns."

It's unclear what this bank will do about what Gwen Samuel went through, but it's important others are aware it happened, to ensure that it doesn't happen again.

More from Trending

Katy Perry; Justin Trudeau
Jim Dyson/Getty Images; Thierry Monasse/Getty Images

Katy Perry And Justin Trudeau Were Caught On Camera Kissing On A Yacht—And People Don't Know What To Think

Is the rumored romance between Katy Perry and former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau heating up?

It certainly would seem so after the pair were papped making out on Perry's yacht off the coast of Santa Barbara, California this past weekend.

Keep ReadingShow less
screenshot of Don Lemon TikTok video of Chicago man on the street interview
@DonLemon/TikTok

Chicago Man Goes Viral With Blistering And NSFW Takedown Of Trump And His MAGA Cronies

Don Lemon, former CNN anchor and host of the The Don Lemon Show podcast, traveled to Chicago to see what the residents really thought about MAGA Republican President Donald Trump sending Kristi Noem's Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and Texas National Guard troops to their city.

The Trump administration and White House claim they're being welcomed with open arms by grateful Chicagoans—probably all big, tough men with tears in their eyes, if the story follows all of Trump's other narratives of how beloved he is.

Keep ReadingShow less
JD Vance; Elizabeth Warren
Bill Pugliano/Getty Images; Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Student Borrower Protection Center

JD Vance Slammed After Using Israeli Hostage Release To Make Tone-Deaf Jab At Elizabeth Warren

Vice President JD Vance was criticized for mocking Massachusetts Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren's claim of Native American ancestry after she celebrated the return of the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza by expressing hope that the Trump administration's recent peace deal is "an important step toward lasting peace in the region."

President Donald Trump earlier lauded the deal he referred to as "the historic dawn of a new Middle East" in remarks to the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, adding that this is "not only the end of a war, this is the end of the age of terror and death."

Keep ReadingShow less
doctors doing surgery inside emergency room
Natanael Melchor on Unsplash

Medical Professionals Share Their Craziest 'One More Minute And They'd Be Dead' Stories

Almost everyone has heard an "I almost died" story either first or secondhand. But how common are these occurrences?

If it happens as often as stories make it seem, surely members of medical staff in emergency rooms have seen it all the time.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; Karoline Leavitt
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Trump Grosses Out The Internet With His Latest Fawning Praise For Karoline Leavitt

President Donald Trump has people cringing after he heaped fawning praise on White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt's "face" and "lips" in remarks to reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday.

Trump and reporters were traveling back to the U.S. from the Middle East, where Trump celebrated his brokered peace deal in Gaza, which resulted in the return of Israeli hostages who'd been held by Hamas for two years.

Keep ReadingShow less