"Corporate structure, Tom. Explain it. Mr. Carter founded our parent company in 1998. He maintains controlling interest in all subsidiary banks, including this branch.
Sharon's legs gave way. She collapsed into her chair. The live stream exploded past 8,000 viewers. She burned her boss's check. This is the best karma ever.
Sharon is so fired. James opened his calendar app showing the afternoon schedule. 300 p.m. Q3 board meeting. 4:30 p.m.
Regional performance reviews. 6:00 p.m. Branch manager evaluations. Tom read over his shoulder. Oh god, today's your quarterly branch visits.
Unannounced evaluations, James confirmed to assess customer service quality. Sharon made a strangled sound. This was a test. This was your performance review. The weight of those words settled over the lobby.
Every interaction, every word, every gesture had been evaluated by the man who controlled her career. James continued with devastating calm. Tom, what's Sharon's branch performance rating? Currently excellent, sir. And after today's evaluation?
Tom couldn't meet Sharon's eyes. That would be your decision, Mr. Carter. Ashley's stream hit 10,000 viewers. The comments were chaos.
Plot twist of the century. She tested her own boss. This is better than Netflix. James opened another app, the bank's internal performance system. Sharon's name appeared with metrics, ratings, customer feedback scores.
Interesting reading, Sharon. Your customer satisfaction scores are quite high. She stared in horror as he scrolled through her evaluations. Until today, Kevin backed toward the wall. Mr.
Carter, sir, I was just following protocol. Protocol is to verify checks before destroying them. Yes, sir. Protocol is to treat all customers with dignity. Yes, sir.
James looked directly at Sharon. You violated both protocols while being evaluated by your ultimate supervisor. The teenage live streamer could barely contain her excitement. This is the most insane thing I've ever seen. 12,000 people are watching this.
Tom frantically checked his own phone. Sir, the video is trending on TikTok. #banking while black has 50,000 posts. Good, James said simply. Sharon found her voice. Mr.
Carter, I I had no way of knowing. You had every way of knowing. Computer verification takes 30 seconds. I thought I assumed. You assumed based on what exactly?
The question hung in silence. Everyone knew the answer. No one wanted to say it. James sat back down checking his watch. Tom, what time does our board meeting start?
3:00, sir. And what's the first agenda item? Tom's voice was barely audible. Customer service standards across all branches. Ashley whispered to her phone.
15,000 viewers now. This man is about to destroy her entire career. James looked up at Sharon with quiet authority. We have 45 minutes before I present today's findings to the board. Would you like to explain to them why you burned your boss's check?
The lobby had become a corporate courtroom. James Carter sat like a judge while Sharon Mitchell faced the destruction of everything she'd built. Tom Wilson pulled up the corporate database on his tablet. Mr. Carter, should I document this incident formally?
Please do. Full report. Tom's fingers trembled as he typed. Incident classification. Discrimination.
Federal banking violation. Destruction of legitimate financial instruments. Each word hit Sharon like a physical blow. She gripped her desk, knuckles white. James opened his phone's notepad app.
Let's review the facts, Tom. For the board. Yes, sir. At 11:47 a.m. I presented a legitimate business check for $2,300,000 to teller Sharon Mitchell.
Ashley's live stream had reached 18,000 viewers. Comments flooded faster than the eye could track. This is insane. She's getting destroyed. Best karma video ever.
She refused standard verification procedures. James continued. Why, Tom? Tom checked the compliance manual on his tablet. Federal Regulation 12 CFR 229.13 requires verification of all checks over $5,000.
And she burned it instead. Apparently, yes. Sharon finally found her voice. Mr. Carter, I sincerely apologize.
If I had known known what? that I was your employer or that destroying customers property is wrong? The question silenced her. James pulled up financial reports on his phone. Tom, remind me of this branch's annual contribution to corporate revenue. Downtown branch generates $43 million yearly, sir.
And what percentage of our total deposits come from minority-owned businesses? Tom scrolled through demographics data. Approximately 23%, sir. That's $641 million in deposits. 641 million, James repeated, letting the number sink in.
Sharon, you just alienated the demographic responsible for over half a billion in deposits. Sharon's face went ashen. The mathematical reality was crushing. Kevin whispered to another security guard, "She's done. career over. James opened the corporate legal database.
Tom, what are the potential liabilities here? Sir, discrimination under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act carries penalties up to $500,000 per incident and civil liability potentially unlimited depending on damages claimed. Ashley's stream had exploded to 25,000 viewers. Screenshots were spreading across every social platform. Banking while black, corporate karma, it's our First National fail.
Mr. Carter, Tom continued, the video has 2.3 million views across all platforms. In how long? 2 hours, sir. James pulled up stock market data.
And our share price. Tom checked his trading app. Down 3.2% 2% since the video went viral. That's approximately $183 million in market cap. The numbers were devastating.
Sharon had cost the bank nearly $200 million in market value with a single racist act. James opened his contacts, scrolling to legal department general counsel. Should I call our attorneys, Tom? That might be wise, sir. or James paused. We could handle this internally.
Sharon looked up with desperate hope. Internally? Federal oversight is mandatory now. The FDIC requires investigation of all discrimination complaints. Tom nodded grimly.
Banking license review is automatic, sir. James showed his phone screen. missed calls from federal regulators, compliance officers, and the regional FDIC office. Tom, how many discrimination complaints has this branch received? None in the past 5 years, sir. Until today.