Secret allotment of client reimbursements; 6 months professional disqualification

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Defendant processed failed PIN machine transactions by clients. In this capacity, defendant was mandates to reimburse clients for amounts lost and allot financial compensation. Defendant transferred allotments meant for customers to herself and her partner, for a total of €3,000. By doing so, defendant secretly gave people’s money to a third party, while knowing this was not allowed. The Disciplinary Commission deems it unlikely that defendant’s actions stemmed from her obsessive-compulsive disorder, as defendant testified in her own defense. Defendant operated in gross violation of ethical rules and the Disciplinary Code of the Banker’s Oath. The Disciplinary Commission imposed a 6 months professional disqualification.

Unwarranted viewing of private customer data; reprimand

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Defendant viewed the private data of 10 customers for a total of 20 times without cause between November 18, 2016 and January 7, 2017. By doing this, defendant violated the Disciplinary Code of the Banker’s Oath. Because of the limited nature of the violation and because defendant understood that her actions were wrong and she showed remorse, sanctions were limited to a reprimand.

Theft at work; special circumstances

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Defendant committed theft by twice taking money out of the wallet of a colleague at work. By doing this, defendant clearly violated the norms and values set for bank employees. The behavior is deemed to be in breach of integrity rules. The complaint made against defendant is therefore legitimate. Because of special circumstances – defendant was fired, defendant’s mental health and pressures arising from the disciplinary procedure – no sanctions were imposed.

Unwarranted use of a customer’s credit card for personal purposes; 6 months professional disqualification

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Defendant was asked by his employer to cancel a customer’s bank account. Instead, defendant requested a credit card to the name of the customer. Defendant then withdrew €3200 from the credit card for himself. The Disciplinary Commission ruled that defendant’s actions constituted a clear breach of the Banker’s oath and sanctioned a 6 month professional disqualification. The Commission did take into a account that defendant understood that his actions were wrong and that he had reached an accommodation with his former employer to pay back the money.

Using and spending a client’s money without permission; 1,5 year professional disqualification

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Defendant had a close relationship with an elderly client who suffers from mild dementia. Defendant asked for money from the client, which he then spent in a casino. After that, he took money from defendant’s account without asking, for a total sum of €4750, which he also spent on gambling. After an alarm was raised about the money withdrawals, defendant tried to cover up his transgressions. The Disciplinary Commission ruled defendant’s actions to constitute a serious breach of the Bankers’ oath and sanctioned a 1,5 year professional disqualification.

Private expenditures with corporate credit card; reprimand

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Defendant used a corporate credit card of her employer, a bank, for private expenditures. She then tried to cover up these expenditures by marking the expenditures down as corporate. She then asked her manager to declare the expenditures as legitimate, which he did not knowing that the spending was for personal purposes. The Disciplinary Commission ruled that defendant breached the Banker’s oath and sanctioned her with an official reprimand. The Commission took into account defendant’s personal situation and the fact that defendant came to an accommodation with her former employer to pay back the corporate expenditures.

Unwarranted viewing of private customer data; 6 months professional disqualification

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Defendant frequently viewed private financial data of his parents-in-law without cause, gleaning information which then tempted the defendant to send his in-laws an anonymous postcard. Defendant also viewed private data of other customers and of his partner. All his actions were in violation of his employer’s internal rules, a bank, and also of the Bankers’ oath, the Disciplinary Commission ruled. The Commission sanctioned defendant with a personal disqualification of 6 months.

Forgery of accountant’s statement; 1 year professional disqualification

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Defendant worked as an intermediary for a bank. As part of the employment agreement, defendant was obliged to present an official accountant’s statement to the bank every three months. Because defendant could not present one, he decided to hand over a forgery. The Disciplinary Commission ruled that defendant breached the Bankers’ oath. Because defendant did not show any remorse over his actions, the Commission handed down a 1 year professional disqualification.

Conflict of interest; 1 year professional disqualification

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Defendant has been ruled guilty of a conflict of interest by the Disciplinary Commission. Defendant was employed as a financial advisor by a bank, in which position he advised a client of the bank. However, defendant privately took out a loan from the bank’s client to buy himself a house. Defendant used the bank’s systems to transfer the necessary funds from the client’s account to the account of the selling party. When the transaction was flagged by the bank and refused, defendant tried to cover up his actions. The Disciplinary Commission ruled that the employee’s actions were in violation of internal rules of the bank and a breach of the Banker’s oath. As a result, the Commission sanctioned the – now former – bank employee to a 1 year professional disqualification.

In its preliminary findings, the Disciplinary Commission also stated that any internal investigative reports from the bank and presented to the Commission should not be anonymized.