The Vatican bank has blocked the accounts of more than 2,000 clients and ended some 3,000 “customer relationships” as part of a clean-up process that nearly wiped out its profit, its 2013 financial statement showed today, the Irish Times reported. The bank has been hit by years of scandal, including money laundering allegations and is about to be restructured with a new president and a new board. All but about 400 of the 3,000 terminated accounts were “dormant” with small balances and had been inactive for years. A further 359 customer relationships are due to be terminated after staff and outside experts found they did not meet the criteria for holding accounts at the bank, which has about 15,500 customers, some with more than one account. The stated purpose of the bank - formally known as the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR) - is to manage money for the Church, religious orders, charities and Vatican employees. The statement showed that the ongoing clean-up process, started by its President Ernst von Freyberg after his arrival last year, has come with a heavy financial price, particularly for ridding the IOR of some dubious investments.
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