1. JPMorgan Chase

• Epstein’s main bank (1998–2013): JPMorgan was Epstein’s primary financial institution for 15 years, even after he was convicted of sex crimes in 2008.

• Red flags ignored: Internal compliance staff repeatedly raised concerns about Epstein’s suspicious transactions (large cash withdrawals, payments to young women, transfers linked to offshore accounts). Despite this, the bank continued to service him.

• Why questionable: Banks are required under U.S. law to file Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) to detect possible money laundering, human trafficking, or other crimes. Evidence later suggested JPMorgan knew Epstein posed reputational and legal risks but kept him as a client because he was wealthy and connected.

• Legal fallout:

• In 2023, JPMorgan agreed to pay $290 million to settle a class-action lawsuit from Epstein’s victims, who argued the bank enabled his sex-trafficking by providing financial services.

• JPMorgan also paid $75 million to settle with the U.S. Virgin Islands, which had sued the bank for facilitating Epstein’s operations there.

2. Deutsche Bank

• Took Epstein on as a client (2013–2018) after JPMorgan cut ties.

• Compliance failures: Deutsche Bank executives approved Epstein’s account despite internal risk warnings. The bank processed millions in suspicious payments — including cash withdrawals and payments to women — without adequate scrutiny.

• Regulatory penalty: In 2020, New York state regulators fined Deutsche Bank $150 million for “significant compliance failures” in its relationship with Epstein.

3. Citibank, Bear Stearns, Others (minor roles)

• Epstein reportedly had accounts or interactions with other institutions at various times, but JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank were the ones most clearly implicated.

Why it seems illegal or at least highly questionable

• Ignoring anti–money laundering laws: U.S. banks are legally obligated to report suspicious activity. Epstein’s pattern of large cash withdrawals, payments to models/recruiters, and offshore transfers fit classic trafficking/money laundering red flags.

• Profit over compliance: Internal communications (revealed in lawsuits) suggest banks kept Epstein as a client because of his wealth and social connections, even when compliance staff raised alarms.

• Settlements (not admissions): While JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank did not admit wrongdoing in settlements, the huge payouts show courts and regulators saw strong evidence that the banks enabled or turned a blind eye to Epstein’s criminal activities.

Would you like me to pull together a timeline of the key events (when warnings were raised inside the banks, when they cut ties, when lawsuits and fines happened)? That would make it easier to see exactly how the banks’ behavior crossed into “questionable.”