Federal Regulators Move to Curb the De-Banking of Adult Creators

For years, sex workers and adult creators have described losing bank accounts, payment rails and card-network access without explanation, a pattern academics and advocates label the financial de-platforming of sex workers. Institutions frequently cited reputational risk, an amorphous category that let supervisors discourage entire lawful sectors without pointing to any safety-and-soundness problem.

Executive Order "Guaranteeing Fair Banking for All Americans," signed August 7, 2025, directed regulators to remove reputation risk from their examination frameworks and to scrutinize institutions that deny service based on lawful but disfavored activity. The OCC separately reviewed the nine largest national banks over 2020-2023 and concluded that sector-wide restrictions had been applied in place of individualized risk assessment.

The resulting OCC-FDIC final rule prohibits the agencies from directing banks to close accounts, or taking supervisory action, on the basis of a customer's political, social or religious views or a lawful line of business. The Comptroller said reputation risk had "too often" served as a pretext for decisions unrelated to safety and soundness. Adult-industry lawyers say the change gives de-banked creators firmer ground to contest account closures, though the rule does not compel any bank to take a specific customer and card-network policies remain a separate hurdle.