Fair Finance Watch
Encyclopedia
Fair Finance Watch is a non-governmental organization
known for its investigations of the banking industry's treatment of low-income communities of color, around the world. It produces weekly reports on, and advocates concerning, such global banks as HSBC
, Citigroup
, Royal Bank of Scotland
, Mizuho Financial Group
and others. It was founded by Matthew Lee
.
. Fair Finance Watch's founder Matthew Lee spoke at both companies' shareholders' meetings, commented to the Federal Reserve Board, and ultimately initiated litigations against the merger, the largest in the financial services industry. Since then, Fair Finance Watch has pursued Citigroup as it has made acquisitions in Mexico and elsewhere, while initiating similar campaigns regarding HSBC
, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America
, Wachovia
, Deutsche Bank
, Royal Bank of Scotland
, American International Group
, Wells Fargo
and others.
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
known for its investigations of the banking industry's treatment of low-income communities of color, around the world. It produces weekly reports on, and advocates concerning, such global banks as HSBC
HSBC
HSBC Holdings plc is a global banking and financial services company headquartered in Canary Wharf, London, United Kingdom. it is the world's second-largest banking and financial services group and second-largest public company according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine...
, Citigroup
Citigroup
Citigroup Inc. or Citi is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Citigroup was formed from one of the world's largest mergers in history by combining the banking giant Citicorp and financial conglomerate...
, Royal Bank of Scotland
Royal Bank of Scotland
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group is a British banking and insurance holding company in which the UK Government holds an 84% stake. This stake is held and managed through UK Financial Investments Limited, whose voting rights are limited to 75% in order for the bank to retain its listing on the...
, Mizuho Financial Group
Mizuho Financial Group
, abbreviated as MHFG, or simply called Mizuho is a banking holding company headquartered in the Ōtemachi district of Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan...
and others. It was founded by Matthew Lee
Matthew Lee
Matthew Lee is a public interest lawyer, author, and founder of two non-profit organizations, Inner City Press and Fair Finance Watch.Both are known for their investigations of the banking industry's treatment of low-income communities of color around the world...
.
History
In 1998, Fair Finance Watch and its predecessors took the lead in opposing the merger of Citicorp and Travelers to form CitigroupCitigroup
Citigroup Inc. or Citi is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Citigroup was formed from one of the world's largest mergers in history by combining the banking giant Citicorp and financial conglomerate...
. Fair Finance Watch's founder Matthew Lee spoke at both companies' shareholders' meetings, commented to the Federal Reserve Board, and ultimately initiated litigations against the merger, the largest in the financial services industry. Since then, Fair Finance Watch has pursued Citigroup as it has made acquisitions in Mexico and elsewhere, while initiating similar campaigns regarding HSBC
HSBC
HSBC Holdings plc is a global banking and financial services company headquartered in Canary Wharf, London, United Kingdom. it is the world's second-largest banking and financial services group and second-largest public company according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine...
, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America
Bank of America
Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...
, Wachovia
Wachovia
Wachovia was a diversified financial services company based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Before its acquisition by Wells Fargo in 2008, Wachovia was the fourth-largest bank holding company in the United States based on total assets...
, Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank AG is a global financial service company with its headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany. It employs more than 100,000 people in over 70 countries, and has a large presence in Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific and the emerging markets...
, Royal Bank of Scotland
Royal Bank of Scotland
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group is a British banking and insurance holding company in which the UK Government holds an 84% stake. This stake is held and managed through UK Financial Investments Limited, whose voting rights are limited to 75% in order for the bank to retain its listing on the...
, American International Group
American International Group
American International Group, Inc. or AIG is an American multinational insurance corporation. Its corporate headquarters is located in the American International Building in New York City. The British headquarters office is on Fenchurch Street in London, continental Europe operations are based in...
, Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational diversified financial services company with operations around the world. Wells Fargo is the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by assets and the largest bank by market capitalization. Wells Fargo is the second largest bank in deposits, home...
and others.