OPINION

The opinion was adopted in the procedure regarding the complaint submitted by the Citizens’ Association A. A., against bank B. B., due to discrimination of persons on the basis of age, “in the field of providing the use of loan services at banks”. Association of citizens A. A. informed the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality of the intention to conduct situational testing of “potential discrimination of persons based on age, in the field of providing the use of loan services at banks”. A volunteer discrimination surveyor visited the branch office of bank B.B., in order to directly check whether bank employees comply with the rules on prohibition of discrimination when providing their services, where she spoke with an employee at the Bank’s office and where she was informed “that the bank does not grant loans to people over 80 years of age, but only up to the age of 75, with the additional condition that they have to pay off the last installment of the loan by the time they turn 80 years old”. In the statement, the bank B. B. disputed the allegations in the complaint that “they do not approve loans to people over 80 years of age”, and in support of its statement that it does not discriminate against clients based on age when providing banking services, the bank submitted evidence based on which it was determined that it had approved loans in the previous year to clients who, at the time of application, were between 79 and 91 years of age. Taking into account the established factual situation, the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality issued an opinion that the bank B. B. did not violate the provisions of the Law on Prohibition of Discrimination.

COMMISSIONER FOR THE PROTECTION OF EQUALITY

Brankica Janković