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Bank tells lesbians to change lifestyle for mortgage
28 July 2010
A Swedish lesbian couple were told to live separately and reconsider their lifestyle after they submitted a joint mortgage application. The story reported in a Swedish regional paper The Local Paper reported the couple being dismissed by a bank clerk at Swedbank in Skiljebo in Southern Sweden after they tried to borrow a 490,000 Kronor or £43,000 loan. The clerk asked Sara Evaldsson, 29, and Maria Engström, 31 for a 10% deposit despite both being in full-time employment with good credit records. The local paper reported Engstrom saying: "The woman at the bank was very dismissive. We were going to buy the flat for a good price and we knew that it was a bargain. We had all sorts of papers with us, but she wasn't interested." When the couple questioned the bank's decision, the clerk said: "You should reconsider your personal situation and continue to live in different places." "We were shocked. We wondered what on earth she meant. We also wondered whether a heterosexual couple would have been given the same advice. We were also surprised that she said it was a lot of money, as we knew that it was a bargain," Engström told The Local. Sweden's Discrimination Ombudsman has been informed by the pair who made a formal complaint. Reportedly Rival bank Nordea offered them a mortgage later the same day. Swedbank issued an apology and added: "We take these kinds of incidents very seriously. We have a clear policy that we never discriminate on the grounds of religion, gender or sexual orientation. We also aim to set a good example in questions like this - we sponsor theStockholm Pride festival for instance." Published by Mortgage Solutions
