December 9, 2025
A bank fraud investigation left one Black woman in distress with her business ruined.
A Black woman entrepreneur is warning fellow diverse business owners about the woes of “banking while Black.”
Tianna Williams says she was a victim of a fraudulent bank investigation that left her business in shambles. According to Lehigh Valley Live, the incident made her money-strapped, as her business was the pillar of support for her life and family.
Growing up in a struggling household, Williams finally got a leg up as she learned how to “flip cars.”
The skill included buying cars at low prices at auctions, making any needed repairs, and selling them for a profit. The Pennsylvania native soon discovered her knack for the trade, working at a dealership before deciding to open her own car lot.
She worked from the ground up to obtain a dealer’s license while developing relationships with lenders to finance the sales. Her main clientele included low-income people who needed cars to secure work. She quickly gained traction and sales, earning over $1 million in gross earnings within two years.
However, things took a wrong turn when she asked M&T Bank in Philadelphia for higher lending power. As soon as she submitted a $35,000 deposit alongside her application for the new line of credit, her account was frozen.
The bank then told her that she was under investigation for fraud. However, Williams maintains that there was no wrongdoing to prompt the case. Despite this, the bank continued to freeze her assets, which were needed to keep her business afloat. The investigator for M&T then reported their alleged suspicions to Williams’ lenders.
It took Williams hiring an attorney for the bank to reverse the freeze. However, it was already too late to bounce back. With her relationships with the lenders ruined, Williams’ business tanked.
Now, she hopes for justice after filing a discrimination suit against the bank. Williams’ defense also noted the bank investigator’s “spite, racism, and self-righteousness” also fueled the extended fraud case.
Initially, the bank claimed that a misspelled name on the check caused the freeze. However, the case waged on despite the easily resolvable issue. Williams’ filing states that the investigator continued to target her, once reportedly saying, “‘you people’ have a way of trying to make things look legitimate when they are actually fraudulent.”
The bank’s legal team also refused to provide the courts with documentation related to Williams’ case. Given the alleged racial elements surrounding her case, Williams and her legal team want to shed light on this alleged discrimination. Furthermore, they want to raise awareness of how banks can take advantage of anyone, regardless of background. However, this case of “banking while Black” shows another way that racism impacts entrepreneurs of color.
“I believe racism was a component, but it could happen to anybody. It’s just a question of a bank being accountable for the actions of its employees,” shared Williams’s attorney, Dean Malik.
As it stands, the bank has appealed a judge’s order to hand over the documents. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will now decide the matter, as both parties await its ruling.
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