Two on a Mission Against Banks

Ramdeen Ramroop and Marguerite Girard have been picketing the SunTrust Bank on Rockbridge Road for the past three days, and they say they'll be there tomorrow.

The two are protesting what they see as predatory lending and unfair practices such as double fees and hidden fees, and not just at SunTrust, but all banks. 

"We're trying to get more awareness about predatory lending," said Girard, a fraud investigator who is currently out of work.

They've been picketing CitiFinancial locations around the area, including in Lawrenceville and Tucker, the two said. 

The picket signs reading "honk if you hate SunTrust" and "SunTrust predatory lender," on Thursday drew in Anthony Simmonds, who just happened to be passing by the bank branch on Rockbridge Road. He stopped to join them, add some complaints of his own, and exchange phone numbers and email addresses. 

"I just don't believe that," SunTrust spokesman Mike McCoy said of the predatory lending accusations. "We're a large bank in the community, and we're interested in all facets of the community we serve." The bank has always been interested in making loans to credit-worthy borrowers, he said.