Did You Lose Your Bank Account? Here’s What to Do Next
Recent reports from adult performers Alix Lynx and Cherie DeVille have brought renewed attention to a problem our industry has faced for years: losing access to banking. Adult workers and businesses have dealt with sudden account closures, denied applications and other restrictions on financial services for decades. Despite recent federal action aimed at addressing debanking, the problem has not gone away.
So what should you do if it happens to you? FSC has launched a new Debanking Checklist to walk industry members through what to do after an account closure, including how to protect your money, document what happened, file an official complaint, and find a new account.
Why filing a complaint matters
In August 2025, President Trump signed the executive order Guaranteeing Fair Banking for All Americans, directing federal banking regulators to address “politicized or unlawful debanking” and examine practices that restrict access to financial services based on lawful business activities.
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency later reviewed the nation’s nine largest national banks and found that all nine had maintained policies or practices that restricted access to financial services or subjected certain customers to heightened review based on their lawful business activities. Adult entertainment was specifically identified as one of the industries affected.
If adult workers and businesses are still losing their accounts, regulators need to know. Filing a complaint may not get your account reopened, but it creates an official record of what happened and helps regulators understand the scope of the problem.
Start by contacting your bank
Before filing an official complaint, contact your bank about the closure. If you were only notified by phone or discovered the closure after being locked out of your account, ask for written confirmation and information about when and how your remaining balance will be returned.
Keep records of your communications with the bank, including emails, letters, chats and screenshots. For phone or in-person conversations, write down when you spoke, who you spoke with and what they told you. If the bank refuses to provide a reason for the closure, document that too.
Save your account closure notice, a recent monthly statement and the contact information associated with the account.
File an official complaint
Once you have your documentation, you can file a complaint with the federal regulator responsible for your bank or credit union. Depending on the institution, that may be the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), Federal Reserve Board or National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). You can also file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
FSC’s free complaint tool can turn your documentation into a detailed account of what happened and help you submit it to the appropriate regulator. If you aren’t ready to file, you can create the report and send it to yourself for later.
You can still file a complaint even if your bank never told you that the closure was related to your work in the adult industry. Report what happened, what the bank told you and any explanation they refused or failed to provide.
Protect yourself after an account closure
Redirect incoming payments or direct deposits as soon as possible, and move or cancel automatic payments connected to the closed account. If the account has a negative balance, resolve it before it can be sent to collections.
Keep your documentation after you find a new account. You may need it later if you have trouble opening another account or need to challenge inaccurate information being reported about you.
