Evangelist Graham to Move Funds to BB&T from Wells Fargo

Evangelical Franklin Graham will move his ministries' funds to BB&T, in protest of a Wells Fargo ad that featured a lesbian couple, the Charlotte Observer reported.

BB&T, however, sponsored a Gay Pride festival fundraising reception this year in Miami Beach, Fla. Graham could not be reached for comment on BB&T's sponsorship of the event.

Graham on Tuesday told the radio program "Washington Watch," sponsored by the Family Research Council, that he will move the ministries' funds to BB&T, which is based in Winston-Salem, N.C.

"We've done business with them at Samaritan's Purse for many years," Graham said. "And just a good solid bank that's very good at banking."

Graham, the son of evangelist Billy Graham, is chief executive the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in Charlotte, and he also leads Samaritan's Purse in Boone, N.C.

Graham also said that he sent letters to Wells Fargo Chairman John Stumpf, as well as a vice president in North Carolina, informing them of the decision to close the ministries' accounts.

Last weekend, in reference to the Wells Fargo ad, Graham posted on his Facebook account, "Let's just stop doing business with those who promote sin and stand against Almighty God's laws and His standards."

The move from Wells Fargo to BB&T will save the ministries about $100,000 a year in service charges, Graham told the radio show.