How Zohran Mamdani could destroy America’s economy

Zohran Mamdani is on track to become New York City’s next mayor. That’s bad for your interests, even if you don’t live, work, or spend time in the rotting Big Apple.

Manhattan’s financial sector is the beating heart of the American economy. Every day, trillions of dollars course through Wall Street, making NYC the nation’s indispensable financial engine. It is not just a local hub but a national artery, driving investment, credit, and economic activity across the country.

Decisions made in New York City ripple outward to affect retirement accounts in Ohio, mortgage rates in Florida, and small business loans in Texas.

Now imagine that the power to shape those financial currents fell to a mayor determined to reengineer the banking system through a hard-left ideological lens.

Mamdani’s an avowed socialist Democrat. As mayor, he would chair the New York City Banking Commission, a three-member body with remarkable indirect influence over state and federally-chartered banks. That chairmanship gives him an improbable, yet powerful seat at the table on issues ranging from fee structures to lending practices.

The Commission’s responsibilities include administering the Banking Development District Program, a state initiative that incentivizes banks to open branches in “underserved” neighborhoods. Its stated purpose is to expand banking access in communities with limited financial services.

Effectively, this means encouraging loans which are improbable to be paid back, with taxpayer funds making up the difference. The vast majority of these high-risk applicants are nonwhite, adding an uncomfortable racial dimension to a socialistic money pit. The Commission also approves institutions as “Designated Banks,” the only places legally permitted to hold New York City’s deposits. These banks must comply with City Hall’s lending mandates, among other profit-killing measures.

Those powers are a regulatory lever that Mamdani has promised to pull. His platform calls for redirecting city financial power, including deposits and procurement contracts, toward subsidized banking in low-income communities as a way to counter Wall Street’s dominance.

He has spoken about using the city’s financial muscle as “a real source of leverage” to reshape banking practices. As mayor, that would mean deciding which banks get access to billions in city deposits and which face exclusion and intensified regulatory scrutiny.

The mayor’s office already works with the state Department of Financial Services on consumer protections, including enforcement against predatory lending and excessive fees. Under Mamdani, that collaboration would surely shift from ensuring consumer safety to enforcing equity audits. His record in the state legislature provides a roadmap.

He sponsored a “Banking Bill of Rights” designed to cap fees and target “discriminatory lending.” He has signaled his intention to use pension funds, city deposits, and regulatory designations to compel banks to align with his equity agenda. This means equality of condition, not opportunity. He has also indicated he would appoint regulators committed to aggressive audits and stricter lending mandates.

Mamdani’s campaign platform explicitly outlines plans to leverage city deposits and oversight to expand “affordable banking access.” He frames these efforts as necessary for “economic justice,” but their reach would extend far beyond city limits. New York City’s banks manage roughly $2 trillion in assets and hold about 15 percent of all U.S. commercial loans. Any disruption in this ecosystem would have consequences across the country.

Banks forced to comply with equity audits and fee caps would face gargantuan compliance costs, cutting into profitability. Service reductions, like free checking or low-rate loans, would hit outside New York City, as credit standards tighten. That means fewer loan options for small businesses and working families. To subsidize their New York City losses, major banks, which hold around 42% of all U.S. deposits, would raise fees — and probably interest rates — elsewhere.

Punitive audits for banks that do not participate in Mamdani’s equity initiatives would drive capital to less regulated jurisdictions, shrinking liquidity in New York City and undermining national markets. A sharp regulatory shift could spook investors, producing a decline in bank stocks, weakening pensions and 401(k)s nationwide. This says nothing of privately held community banks unable to afford Mamdani’s socialism. They will likely go under.

New York City deposits are worth roughly $100 billion. If they’re redirected based on ideological criteria, excluded banks would face liquidity stress, disrupting mortgage and credit card services for customers far from Manhattan.

The stakes extend to systemic confidence. A crisis of integrity triggered by aggressive audits, politicized deposit decisions, or sudden capital flight would not stay within the five boroughs. It would radiate outward, affecting families and businesses across the country.

Mamdani portrays his banking agenda as a moral crusade for equity. In reality, it politicizes the financial mechanisms that keep the national economy stable. By replacing market incentives with socialist mandates, he would be jeopardizing the financial foundation of millions of Americans who depend on stable banks for their paychecks, pensions, and savings.

The road ahead demands vigilance. This is not just about Wall Street; it is about the financial future of everyday Americans.

Dr. Joseph Ford Cotto hosts and produces News Sight, speaking the data-driven truth about economic and political issues that impact you. During the 2024 presidential election, he created the Five-Point Forecast, which correctly predicted Trump’s national victory and the outcome in all swing states. The author of numerous nonfiction books, Cotto holds a doctorate in business administration and is a Lean Six Sigma Certified Black Belt. During 2014, HLM King Kigeli V of Rwanda bestowed a hereditary knighthood upon him. It was followed by a barony the next year.

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