When the Bush administration passed the USA. Patriot Act after the multiple terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, it very probably did not intend to punish the innocent alongside the guilty. However, a recent experience I had with my American bank, SunTrust, showed me that that goal has been, at best, imperfectly achieved. The Atlanta-based SunTrust is among the largest banks on the East Coast of the United States, with total deposits of $122 billion. On June 27, I received a letter, dated May 23, informing me that my account at a Washington, DC branch had to be closed by June 23. Management had decided to discontinue financial services to any “individual residing in an OFAC [the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control] sanctioned or other high risk country,” and I live in Lebanon. Red flag Because the letter arrived in my mailbox past deadline, the bank had already
