Capital One has replaced real bank branches with “Capital One Cafés” that sell coffee and credit cards under one roof. These cafés are not independent businesses. They are fully funded by the bank, branded with its logo, and staffed to market financial products to unsuspecting customers.

Federal law prohibits banks from engaging in commercial enterprises or subsidizing them, but that hasn’t stopped Capital One from operating these so-called “cafés” in at least 18 states in more than 60 locations. By operating cafés that compete directly with small businesses, Capital One is blurring the line between banking and commerce, giving the bank an unfair advantage while misleading the public about what kind of business it is running.

The damage is visible on every block. When Capital One uses federally insured deposits to bankroll coffee shops, local businesses lose more than customers, they lose the ability to compete at all. Independent coffee shops cannot match a bank’s resources, its discounted leases, or its marketing budget.

Every new Capital One Café replaces a neighborhood business with another storefront controlled by Wall Street.

Attorneys General have the authority to enforce state and federal law to stop unfair and deceptive business practices. A public investigation would compel Capital One to end its subsidized café operations and restore a fair marketplace for small businesses.

Sign on to urge your Attorney General to investigate Capital One’s illegal cafés, enforce the law, and protect small businesses from corporate abuse by adding your name now.