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OCR Page 1 of 29Putting Its Money Where the Fires Are
NationsBank Offers Up to $500,000 for Information on Church Blazes
Banking experts said NationsBank's
By Michelle Singletary
move could go a long way toward clean-
Washington Post Staff Writer
ing up bankers' image. Banks have been
In NationsBank Corp.'s back yard,
attacked for consolidations that have
black churches are being torched.
left thousands without jobs. Institutions
So NationsBank has pledged to pay
have been criticized for increasing fees
$500,000, as much as $50,000 for each
and for maintaining a spotty record of
of as many as 10 incidents, for informa-
lending to minorities and low-income
tion leading to the arrest and conviction
people.
of those responsible for the apparent ar-
"There is a vast amount of criticism
son attacks.
the bill reduces the dollar value of
the damage that must occur before a
church burning becomes a federal
crime. Current law requires at least
$10,000 in damages. An amendment
by Hyde and approved by the com-
mittee would reduce that to zero and
apply the law if the damage is ethnic
munity," said Edward Furash of Furash
or racial in nature.
"Spray-painted swastikas on syna-
gogues or gunshots fired through
church windows may not reflect
huge dollar losses, but they are nev-
ertheless assaults on religious free-
that has accompanied the banking com-
"As a large national banking company
dom," Hyde said.
based in the South, we are deeply trou-
& Company, a Washington-based finan-
bled by the recent wave of apparent ar-
sons affecting black churches across the
cial consulting company. "But the action
country, especially the South and South-
by NationsBank is clearly a demonstra-
west," said Hugh L. McColl Jr., Nations
tion to the Afro-American community
Bank chairman and chief executive.
that all institutions are not callous to
"These acts are intolerable and outra-
their problems."
geous, and we want to assist law en-
forcement officials in putting those re-
sponsible behind bars."
Last week, a fire destroyed a 93-
year-old sanctuary near Charlotte, N.C.,
a short drive from NationsBank's head-
Rep. Armey Accuses Clinton of Exploiting Church Fires for Political Gain
gate after a suspect crosses state
lines and engages in "interstate com-
merce" to commit a crime. The bill
won support from committee Demo-
crats and Republicans, and commit-
tee Chairman Henry J. Hyde (R-III.)
agreed to ask the House leadership
to schedule a floor vote quickly.
Justice Department officials asked
for the expanded authority at a hear-
ing last month where they testified
of 30 arson fires at black churches in
In addition to strengthening the
quarters. Authorities estimate that
about their investigations of a string
churches have been set ablaze in the
the South.
government's prosecutorial hand,
more than 30 black and multiracial
South and Southwest over 18 months.
Many of the fires have occurred in
NationsBank's core market-west to
Texas, south to Florida and northeast to
Maryland. The banking company is the
nation's fifth-largest, with more than
$194 billion in assets. It had $1.95 bil-
lion in profit last year.
NationsBank's reward fund could be
the largest contribution by any one
company thus far in a growing effort to
help in the investigation. Marketing,
hearings on the fires at southern
churches, Assistant Attorney Gener-
al Deval L. Patrick showed a "seem-
ing lack of interest" in the GOP leg-
"The president needed to become
concerned before this became a hot
political issue," Armey said. "Public
policy issues should have a life of
their own. They should not wait until
some pollster tells the president,
'Hey, there's a policy matter here.'
The Church Arson Prevention Act
ethics and banking experts called the
of 1996, passed by voice vote, pro-
poses to loosen a federal law that al-
lows federal prosecutors to investi-
company's move extremely unusual and
cited it as one of the best examples of
islation.
corporate responsibility.
"I think what NationsBank is doing is
wonderful and a great example other fi-
nancial institutions should follow," said
Morris Dees, chief counsel for the
Southern Poverty Law Center in Mont-
gomery, Ala. "It is important that south-
em businesses especially show that the
actions of bigots don't represent the
views of all southern people."
Further, Dees called on the gover-
nors of the nine states where the fires
tiatives to help protect black church-
es and better coordinate investiga-
tions of past fires.
Also yesterday, the House Judicia-
have occurred to create reward funds of
ry Committee advanced a measure
aimed at strengthening the ability of
federal authorities to prosecute
church burnings. The bill would per-
mit federal prosecutors to intervene
even if the damage was nothing
more than a derogatory comment or
a symbol spray-painted on religious
During his weekly question-and-
answer session with reporters, Ar-
mey said he thought that, at recent
at least $100,000 each.
But is NationsBank's gesture one of
property.
corporate responsibility or a publicity
ploy?
Company officials said the offering is
just the right thing to do in the commu-
nities where they do business.
In fact, senior executives approved
the reward idea within 30 minutes after
it was suggested last Friday, according
to Peter Davis, a NationsBank spokes-
man.
"We haven't even thought through all
picture taken," he continued. "I can't
help but think of Clinton running
down to South Carolina. I'm sure
he's humming George Strait's great
hit, 'They Call Me the Fire Man.'
And away he goes.
White House press secretary Mi-
chael McCurry, traveling with Clin-
ton in California, shot back: "That is
the latest in a long string of unfortu-
nate things he has had to say recent-
While rededicating the new Mt.
the administrative details of how the re-
Zion AME Church in Greelevville
S.C., today, Clinton plans to an-
nounce federal law enforcement ini-
ward fund will work in principle," Davis
said. "This is our response to a sense of
genuine outrage."
ly."
Many experts say even if Nations-
Bank's motives are not entirely altruis-
tic, it doesn't matter.
"To me this is an especially brilliant
move for NationsBank," said Raj Siso-
dia, an associate professor of marketing
at George Mason University. "This is
THE WASHINGTON POST
very creative on their part and will have
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12, 1996
a significant benefit for the community.
It's an example of a corporation acting
Associated Press
in a socially responsible way, and if it
House Majority Leader Richard
pays off for them, so what?"
K: Armey (R-Tex.) accused Presi-
dent Clinton yesterday of trying to.
exploit a rash of church fires, calling
his planned trip to a South Carolina
church "just another political move."
"Clinton does not see a tragedy,
he sees a photo op and he's running
down to South Carolina, I under-
stand, to have his picture taken next
to a burned-out church," Armey told
"So while we're getting the job
reporters.
done here in town, he's getting his