A number of Halifax customers have reportedly started to close their accounts after the bank told people who don't like their staff pronoun badges to leave.
On Tuesday, the company shared a picture of a nametag on Twitter with Gemma and "she/her/hers" written on it.
In response to accusations of "virtue signalling", Halifax tweeted: "We strive for inclusion, equality and quite simply, in doing what's right.
"If you disagree with our values, you're welcome to close your account."
The tweet, which has been liked by more than 12,000 Twitter accounts, has sparked a huge reaction.
Former employee Howard Brown, who became a household name as the face of Halifax for over a decade, has also waded in and branded the bank's attitude towards customers as "disgraceful".
Account holders have since been swapping to rival banks, cutting up credit cards and withdrawing assets worth up to £450,000, reports MailOnline.
One person said: "I closed my credit card account today, after 15 years of being a customer."
Another revealed their entire family has transferred their accounts to Nationwide, adding: "Loss to Halifax is in excess of 450K in investment accounts and savings."
And a third account holder from the Midlands, who moved £1,100 from his credit card to another bank, said: "I've closed my account....sick to death of woke."
Howard, who caught the nation's attention with his star turn in the Halifax adverts in the 2000s, said: "That's not the Halifax I knew, that's not the customer service I knew. If this had happened when I was working there, we'd all have been shocked and disappointed. It's a service industry – you should leave politics to the politicians.
"They've got this one wrong."
Halifax did not confirm how many customers had closed their accounts this week.
Users online were quick to pass judgment when the name badges were first announced, but the bank openly hit back and offered its opinion on the matter.
One said: “If a person is wearing a NAME badge, wouldn’t it be more polite to use that NAME, isn’t that the point of a NAME badge, otherwise, why put the NAME on the NAME badge in the first place?”
Halifax replied: "We want to create a safe and accepting environment that opens the conversation around gender identity.
"We care about our customers' and colleagues' individual preferences. For us, it’s a very simple solution to accidental misgendering.”
Another added: “What if a Halifax employee doesn’t want to put pronouns on their lapel, perhaps because they reject the cult of gender ideology? Will they be disadvantaged in any way? Barred from promotion? Fired?”
Despite the negative responses from some users, the bank has also been praised for its inclusivity.
The charity Stonewall said: "It’s great to see workplaces like @HalifaxBank offering staff the option of including their pronouns on badges.
"Having pronouns on bad-ges is a simple yet impactful way to make sure LGBTQ+ identities are respected – for employees and customers alike."
A number of other companies have also adopted similar policies to be more inclusive in the workplace.
TUI recently ditched its "Ladies and Gentlemen" greeting for a more gender-neutral term.
A Halifax spokesperson said: “We want to create a safe and accepting environment that opens the conversation around gender identity.
"We care about our customers’ and colleagues’ individual preferences so, for us, it’s a very simple solution to accidental misgendering.”
