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BANK OF IRELAND refused a payment between an Irish couple because the transfer slip was marked ‘Cuba flights’.
The woman attempted to make the payment to her partner earlier this month – as the pair had booked a holiday to the Caribbean country for later this year.
The man had paid for the flights, and they had arranged that she would transfer €400 to his account, at Bank of Ireland’s Eyre Square Branch in Galway.
As she did so, she wrote the two-word note saying what the money was for, in the space provided.
A few days after his partner had told him she transferred the money, the bank customer got a call from his branch.
“A very nice lady from Bank of Ireland called and asked what the transaction was all about,” he told TheJournal.ie.
I told her it was money for a flight to Cuba.
In response, she said “Bank of Ireland don’t allow any transaction to occur in relation to Cuba”.
“I started laughing, but she told me the money would go back to the original account and would have to be transferred again.”
He questioned the move, but was told it was bank policy.
I told her it was ridiculous that that was their policy.
What’s going on?
Bank of Ireland banned business transactions to and from Cuba last summer, due to a business relationship it has with a US bank.
It later emerged that the restrictions were also being applied to personal customers.
While Ireland does not have any restrictions on trade in Cuba, a US embargo has been in place since Fidel Castro overthrew the island’s pro-American regime in the 1960s.
In this case, however – neither party is based in Cuba. The couple live and work in the greater Dublin area.
In response to a query from this website, Bank of Ireland said it couldn’t discuss the details of any transactions with anyone other than the account holder.
“In relation to Cuba, as the bank has previously stated, the US Government has a restrictive trade embargo against Cuba which includes an embargo on making or receiving payments to/from Cuba and/or facilitating the making or receiving of payments to/from Cuba.
As a result the bank is not in a position to process such transactions.
“We apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause our customers.”
Minister
Asked about the Bank of Ireland restrictions recently, Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan said Ireland and the EU had “firmly and continuously opposed extraterritorial measures that seek to extend the US’s embargo against Cuba to third countries as contrary to commonly accepted rules of international trade”.
The issue was raised in talks with the US State Department last year.
“We drew their attention to the impact of the legislation on business and others in Ireland, and recalled our position on the relevant legislation.
We are currently in the process of following up further with the US side in the matter.
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They’re Havana laugh!
Bank Of Ireland are surely breaching Irish Law ?
Not breaching any Irish Law. Bank is entitled to cancel or refuse any transaction as they see fit.
Irish people should have nothing to do with a communist hell hole like Cuba. What’s next holidays to support the oppressive regime in North Korea?
@David. Just like cake and stationary shops can refuse to provide a service????!!!!! Many Irish people have holidayed in Cuba. There are travel agents that specialise in it and I’ve never heard of payments being refused. Visa is an American company and they have no problem processing payments for holidays to Cuba. The embargo only prevents dealing directly with Cuban companies. Boi need to explain.
They can’t cancel on any grounds they see fit?! In that case they can refuse to transfer money of a Muslim person because they come from a country ISIS operates in.
This case isn’t discrimination but it’s certainly not right by any means.
Terms and Conditions. Read them. You’ll find banks can do pretty much anything they want. When you tick the box, you accept the Ts and Cs.
Anne Marie, a stupid bank with a stupid policy.
Have you even been to Cuba or are your comments based on assumptions? It’s actually an amazing place which many countries and individuals could do with taking a leaf out of their book on most aspects of their lifestyles
@David Murphey: T&Cs only apply in so far as they are consistent with Irish law. Ones that aren’t don’t.
Besides, did Obama not lift the embargo months ago and allow American banks to trade with Cuban banks. Read the news, BoI !
“most aspects of their lifestyle”…..Agreed, but probably the major aspect of their political lifestyle where ordinary Cubans can get locked up for years for simply saying in public that they disagree with the government…..Apart from that not insubstantial detail it is an amazing place.
mmz..disagree with this government and you get up nobody can to ten guards knocking on your door at 7 in the morning…
If they had a stated policy that they don’t take certain transactions, that MIGHT be ok. But, to arbitrarily block one transaction out of millions is ridiculous. Shame of Bank of Ireland for pandering to US bulls**t.
This was a transfer between a couple, not transferring money actually to Cuba. If they have T&C that allow them to stop transfers between couples because they think the money could eventually end up in Cuba that would be outrageous and none of their business.
Top Cat – You have obviously never visited there?
My absolute favourite location in the World .
Wonderful people , beautiful Country !
“Prejudice is a terrible liar” – as my late Mum used to say .
What an ignorant comment!!!
What an ignorant comment
I see Top Cat, you have never bought anything from China. Or have you?
They are in their hole! That ‘entitlement’ depends entirely on the circumstances, and although they may well force ‘any’ refusal they will always be subject to a penalty if it is in breach of certain laws or agreements.
Do I get a payment for providing the new hashtag on the headline pic? #Havana laugh
Great article, been with boi 39 yrs, will be closing acs monday morning – boi can go rot
Jon-boi, is this really the worst thing you are aware of them doing in the last 39 years?
Supine cringing to a big bully-the American government.
Ditto military flight facilities provided at Shannon Airport.
you are right, there is a hell hole of oppression in cuba….its called guantanamo bay.To mention cuba and north korea in the same breath is pathetically ignorant. cubans were oppressed by an american backed dictatorship under the leadership of Batista in the 1950s and this is what brought castro to power in the first place. Cuba has a model health and education system believe it or not and is very much dependent on tourism.of course the communist model doesnt work and things are gradually changing there.Relations and trade with the US are resuming slowly as is travel between the two countries. i rarely reply or comment on forums but i felt youre statement needed a response.i hope you find this helpful.
by the way the initial story was about BOI.i think it was a pathetically ignorant and insulting way to deal with a client.
Not true, David. They can’t discriminate against a person on grounds of their race or nationality or sexuality etc.
I’m marking my irish water bill payment as Cuban cigars.
I think Bank of Ireland needs to read this article to see the rules. As Daragh says, “While Ireland does not have any restrictions on trade in Cuba….”. They are Bank of IRELAND, bailed out by Ireland, based in Ireland, with the overwhelming majority of its customers in Ireland.
Stop pandering to the US and its batshít crazy restrictions. They’ll happily trade with China and the Saudis, yet somehow they have some sort of issue with Cuba.
But the Saudis are good dictators and the Chinese are good communists but the Cubans, well they are bad communists who had the temerity to actually stand up to the Yanks. That isn’t allowed in the world we live in so they have to be punished!
@Pat sure and if Wales decided to let Russia set up missiles pointed at us you would be OK with that?
I’d imagine Bank of Ireland knows the rules slightly better than Darragh.
Top Cat, evidently they don’t know. Every dog in the street knows the rules as they are simple – Ireland does not have any trade restrictions on Cuba. No ifs, no buts, no sub-clauses. There are no restrictions. We are not the USA.
Anyway, this transaction effectively has nothing to do with Cuba. Irish-resident wife was transferring money to Irish-resident husband. It just so happened these were for flights to Cuba – most likely not even with a Cuban airline, of which there is only one. Most tourists arrive in Cuba on charter airlines.
Feck it, even American airlines like Delta, American, United and JetBlue are allowed to make special flights to Havana every so often for family visits. So surely Bank of Ireland can facilitate this domestic transaction.
The Americans have military bases and installations all over the world, why should they be allowed these bases yet other countries can’t do the same.
@top cat. I moved my accounts from boi some years ago as the financial advisor didn’t know what aer was. She actually admitted she hadn’t done that exam yet. It’s on the junior cert business curriculum. So don’t presume that the bank knows better than darragh.
@Anne: She must’ve thought Dublin Airport had a lot of green banks!
Boom.
Seth, do you know why the missile crises developed? Obviously not.
BoI have incorrectly interpreted the sanctions legislation. This transaction clearly takes place in Ireland between, I’m assuming from the article, 2 Irish based individuals. The word ‘Cuba’ has obviously triggered an alert but there is no transfer of assets or an attempt to conceal the true source of funds or identities of any individuals in this transaction. How they can interpret this as trade with a sanctioned country just highlights the lack of common sense on every level at that bank.
I wonder how they would handle Cuba Gooding jr. opening an accountbin one of their branches?!?!
Exactly this. All banks have to comply with sanction laws and thanks to the US Cuba is a sanctioned country. But this transaction doesn’t actually violate the law.
It’s simply a case of someone at Bank of Ireland with an overinflated sense of self-importance thinking that they have now averted a diplomatic disaster between the US and Ireland by stopping this oh-so-evil transaction.
That’s weird as i used my BOI credit card in Cuba a few years ago
@ Piero: Not all that weird given BoI only implemented this policy last summer, ie. less than a year ago.
That the policy is itself foolish and that, foolishness notwithstanding, it is being misapplied in this case are rather obvious. But then, why anyone would expect better from a bank whose only interest in it’s private banking customers is as a private float for it’s fairly disastrous investment division is beyond me.
Bad bank makes bad decisions, same as it ever has. It might be somewhat newsworthy but it is not at all surprising.
I also used my Irish VISA card in Havana.
Did Obama not already lift many of the restrictions on US banks doing business with Cuban banks??
@Dennis Collins, you nailed it. No common sense applied here. There was no conspiracy here; a simple rewrite of the paperwork would have sorted this instead of making an international incident out of a small administrative detail. The intent of the transaction was completely missed here. PC gone mad.
The old banking reform project is working well for customers I see. What I’d love to know though is what clown in the bank knew of this ” policy ” and stopped the transfer , as any time I ask a simple question in my branch the answer I inevitably get is “I will have to check on that for you “.
People should stop doing Business with Bank of Ireland.
Close your accounts….
Hit Bank of Ireland in the pocket until top management get a modicum of common sense.
This bank is also pursuing repossessions with rabid intent. Shame on them.
Has anyone checked out the situation with AIB or others?
Or else, people should enter ‘Cuba’ on every possible transaction with BOI, and grind their system to a hald.
Charlie flannel will do nothing and the jobsworth in the bank will sit smugly grinning another customer Fuc6ed up. Ireland a great little country to do corruption and bullying in.
The conduct of international affairs resembles the Mafia. The Godfather does not tolerate defiance, even from some small storekeeper.
— Noam Chomsky
Viva la revolucion
It just says his account was in Galway .. So likely he could be from there and that’s why his account is maintained in that branch. Bears no relevance to the fact that it’s a silly rule .. Seeing as the new transaction will go through as flights and then go through …
Ridiculous pandering to us banks .
…Fat cat bankers…Cuban cigars…hypocrisy..grumble grumble.
Can someone else piece this together please. I’m trying to watch Dr. Katz on YouTube.
I know whose side I’m on, viva la Castro!
The sooner we tell the EU and US to F off the better off we all will be.
One rule for them and another for everyone else
@Dave Meagher: The only reason we have the remotest ability to stand up to the US is because we’re in the EU. The EU does not support this embargo -which is what makes BOI’s stance all the more galling. This is so because of the business arrangement that BOI have with a US firm, a business partner. The yanks can’t do squat in Cuba directly or indirectly and the laws there surrounding this are robust -specifically to avoid companies bypassing them through proxies (as BOI might be in this case). BOI must be doing a hell of a lot of business with them (or be indebted to them) to change it’s policies, in respect of Cuba, for it’s own customers based in the EU. It’s outrageous and I will put plans in place to move my accounts out of BOI.
My point is that we are dictated to and told what we can and can not do ,trade and friends we pick etc.
Cuba has been bullied by the US for years now and its getting a bit silly at this stage.
Just note I sell online (small business) to EU countries so i’m speaking as someone that would be affected if we did tell them to sod off.
But as it stand its very much a two tier system and the smaller countries have different rules to follow versus the bigger countries.
Personally I left BOI years back, before I became self employed and all that I was made redundant and I had a loan with BOI that was insured . I couldn’t use the insurance and even though I paid off 11/12′s of the loans they suddenly sent me a solicitors letter for the last few hundred euros . Do not expect common sense in BOI.
Totally ludicrous. This matter should be taken up by the Cuban ambassador.
This corporate clap-trap PFO “We apologise for any inconvenience…”. Meaningless.
We’re really the class swot when it comes to following the rules…
I am calling for a boycott of BOI until this is resolved. Who’s with me?
I’ve been boycotting them for decades!
If they live and work in the greater Dublin area, why would they use a bank in Galway to transfer money? Serious question
It’s closer to Cuba.
Used to live or went to Uni there perhaps?
Pointless, irrelevant question. There are any number of possible reasons why someone’s bank account is at a branch elsewhere than where they live.
Jees, i only asked a question. My bank account is in a bank 25 miles away from me, yet i can walk into my local branch to do a transaction.
When someone puts “serious question ” at the end of a post, they really mean I know it’s a stupid question but I couldn’t help myself.
Most people leave their account where they first opened it because transferring your account between branches is a beaurocratic nightmare. Why banks don’t offer an internal transfer service, I don’t know. That service has been in place for 25+ years in Britain.
My wife and I had the same issue, money was transferred to cover our dogs vet bill from AIB to BOI and BOI blocked the payment. Our dog is called Cuba and was on the transfer description.
Colin moran. Best pun of the week.
Why do we need permission from America to conduct business?
What a load of bollix. The banks that were bailed out by each and every one of us are still holding us to ransom. It’s really time this is changed. One day soon
Cuba the country with the best healthcare in the world and then look at us?
BOI can stick their accounts, many will decide not to bank with them after that, what a bunch of licks we are to Obama…
Bank of Ireland in England was fined £375,000 for failing to have in place systems to prevent the money laundering of £2 million plus. The fine was imposed by the FSA UK.
What we see is an example of Banks well able to prioritise and scrutinise innocuous modest value transactions but not so well able to handle large financial transactions and not effectively able to investigate the provenance of funds.
Typical Irish bow down and lick the hole off the ham shanks
Surely Waterford Whisper ……
Cuba! Here Boi! The overall message from the bank is – you get on with your rational lives and leave the crazy stuff to us.
Happened us too!reference changed to ‘Scuba flights’
We should all move our accounts to a decent honest bank!
What a load of bolli# transfer of money from one account to another for holiday ….Fcuk b.o.I person should close account ….tossers
Exact same happened to me in January. attaempted transaction for flight payments to a mate in Cork, marked Cuba as transaction note and the following day my branch called me and told me they’d have to refuse the transaction.
At the time I was told me it was the same for *all* bank transactions in Ireland!!
Top Cat, One can also go on a holiday to North Korea, but you have to be chaperoned by one of their government tour guides the DMZ would be an interesting place to see from both sides
Boi, the back that loves to say no….. To everything. So glad I left them behind.
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