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We recognise the value of HSBC has a high street presence, however we need to work with a bank that has a similar ethical approach to our own and is a compassionate investor.

HSBC invests in companies linked to deforestation, fossil fuels, arms & military supply, nuclear weapons and the Myanmar military. It has the worst gender pay gap of any UK bank, pays excessive compensation to executives, and has several subsidiaries in tax havens, including an investment holdings company in Guernsey, an equity management company in Bermuda, and a holding company in the British Virgin Islands.

The Co-operative Bank is one of the banks leading the field when it comes to ethical lending and investment policies.

The Co-operative Bank has a policy against investing in several environmentally damaging areas, such as:

• the exploration, extraction or production of fossil fuels
• exploration or extraction of minerals using deep seabed mining
• the degradation of areas that are critical stores of irrecoverable carbon
• the manufacture of chemicals that are persistent in the environment, bio-accumulative in nature

In regards to human rights, the bank says it has a commitment to not providing banking services to any business or organisation that for example:

• fails in its responsibility to respect human rights and all elements of international human rights and humanitarian law applicable to business
• manufactures or transfers indiscriminate weapons, torture equipment or other equipment that is used in the violation of human rights
• has business relationships with an oppressive regime
• advocates discrimination and incitement to hatred