Nosy banks

I’ve been with my bank for over 25 years, and yet, they just had the nerve to ask me yesterday—during an actual meeting with my personal banker—what my most common transaction types are and what my typical maximum spending limit looks like. Isn't the first part a bit redundant since it’s all right there in their own system? Honestly, though, giving them a heads-up on expected high-value transactions actually makes sense; wouldn't that make spotting and proving fraud way faster?

placidmaker6 said:I’ve been with my bank for over 25 years, and yet, they just had the nerve to ask me yesterday—during an actual meeting with my personal banker—what my most common transaction types are and what my typical maximum spending limit looks like. Isn't the first part a bit redundant since it’s all right there in their own system? Honestly, though, giving them a heads-up on expected high-value transactions actually makes sense; wouldn't that make spotting and proving fraud way faster?

Can we just acknowledge the sheer absurdity of this? A major bank can see every single one of my transactions with two clicks of a mouse... yet they feel the need to interview the client about it.?!? 🙂
And the second question isn't any more logical—who on earth can predict future needs? One might start a business and buy a truck, or pick up some commercial real estate... perhaps sell a house to move into something larger and clear out the account entirely...

Harold Evans4 said:

says:
How exactly are they digging for this info? Are they handing you a form to fill out for your next visit to the branch, emailing it over, or just grilling you right at the teller window while the whole damn lobby listens in?

I can't dodge it—gotta hit the branch next week because one of my cards expires at the end of the month, so I'm curious what kind of headache I'm in for.

If they're insisting on doing this face-to-face right then and there, how much longer does that actually drag out the line for everyone else?

(And what the hell is wrong with this forum today? Every single page takes over five minutes to load 🙂)

Not sure, man. I've been with JPMorgan Chase for 7 or 8 years now and they’ve never made me fill out any weird forms or surveys. Besides, I don't think anyone on here has actually shared specific details yet.

Actually, JPMorgan Chase recently tried to push some "survey" on me. I shot it down immediately—it's just my knee-jerk reaction whenever someone asks me to fill out a survey 😁—so I can't say exactly what kind of nonsense it was, but I noticed they were hounding other people about it too, cornering them for about five minutes at a time.

placidmaker6 said:I’ve been with my bank for over 25 years, and yet, they just had the nerve to ask me yesterday—during an actual meeting with my personal banker—what my most common transaction types are and what my typical maximum spending limit looks like. Isn't the first part a bit redundant since it’s all right there in their own system? Honestly, though, giving them a heads-up on expected high-value transactions actually makes sense; wouldn't that make spotting and proving fraud way faster?

Yeah... if they actually did anything about it, I mean.
Back in the day, our monthly limit was only like a couple thousand bucks, but then we decided to fix up our apartment and suddenly dropped over $20k in a single day—just furniture and all that stuff, obviously! And honestly? Not a single soul blinked. None of those classic American banking security tropes kicked in, no "hey, why are you spending this much at once?" calls or suspicious activity alerts or any of that nonsense. So yeah, don't get your hopes up thinking limits will actually stop the bad guys... lol...

Laura Chavez93 said:Can we just acknowledge the sheer absurdity of this? A major bank can see every single one of my transactions with two clicks of a mouse... yet they feel the need to interview the client about it.?!? 🙂
And the second question isn't any more logical—who on earth can predict future needs? One might start a business and buy a truck, or pick up some commercial real estate... perhaps sell a house to move into something larger and clear out the account entirely...

Well, it's probably because they aren't legally allowed to mess around with your data unless you give them the green light.
They aren't supposed to just peek at your numbers whenever they feel like it, you know? I mean, in principle, they're just there to process the transaction you ordered and that's pretty much it—they shouldn't even be looking.
Until they ask you, and until you say otherwise, they're stuck.

Harold Evans4 said:

says:
How exactly are they digging for this info? Are they handing you a form to fill out for your next visit to the branch, emailing it over, or just grilling you right at the teller window while the whole damn lobby listens in?

I can't dodge it—gotta hit the branch next week because one of my cards expires at the end of the month, so I'm curious what kind of headache I'm in for.

If they're insisting on doing this face-to-face right then and there, how much longer does that actually drag out the line for everyone else?

(And what the hell is wrong with this forum today? Every single page takes over five minutes to load 🙂)

Not sure, man. I've been with JPMorgan Chase for 7 or 8 years now and they’ve never made me fill out any weird forms or surveys. Besides, I don't think anyone on here has actually shared specific details yet.

That's just because everyone here is being too cautious...
The people who actually provided their data aren't part of this specific thread. 😁

-Stipe

briskjackal5 said:Well, it's probably because they aren't legally allowed to mess around with your data unless you give them the green light.
They aren't supposed to just peek at your numbers whenever they feel like it, you know? I mean, in principle, they're just there to process the transaction you ordered and that's pretty much it—they shouldn't even be looking.
Until they ask you, and until you say otherwise, they're stuck.

That's just because everyone here is being too cautious...
The people who actually provided their data aren't part of this specific thread. 😁

-Stipe

But why would they even need it? 🤷
Regardless—if they claim they won't take that data outside their system, citing some legal requirement that forces their hand,
why don't they just handle it internally?
I have nothing against a bank utilizing the data already in their possession, but I certainly object to being harassed with information they should already have—for instance, a woman mentioned being called on her cell phone just to be asked what her phone number was.🙂

So they’re just asking questions over at the service counter? I highly doubt they’re filling out those "ten pages of questionnaires" everyone keeps talking about here.

And what, nobody can actually explain the technical application of this stuff? 😁

placidmaker6 said:I’ve been with my bank for over 25 years, and yet, they just had the nerve to ask me yesterday—during an actual meeting with my personal banker—what my most common transaction types are and what my typical maximum spending limit looks like. Isn't the first part a bit redundant since it’s all right there in their own system? Honestly, though, giving them a heads-up on expected high-value transactions actually makes sense; wouldn't that make spotting and proving fraud way faster?

I mean, obviously, you aren't going to have massive transactions every single day, right?

Like what Krkimir was saying... I mean, what are they supposed to do? Sell a house? If the money lands in the account, should they just block it because it looks suspicious? Haha, give me a break...

Laura Chavez93 said:But why would they even need it? 🤷
Regardless—if they claim they won't take that data outside their system, citing some legal requirement that forces their hand,
why don't they just handle it internally?
I have nothing against a bank utilizing the data already in their possession, but I certainly object to being harassed with information they should already have—for instance, a woman mentioned being called on her cell phone just to be asked what her phone number was.🙂

Mr. Krkimir, what was your name again? 🤣

George Barrett35 said:The FATCA questionnaire has absolutely nothing to do with the anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing questionnaire.

Just so we’re all clear once and for all, the FinCEN questionnaire isn't strictly defined by statute—in fact, no specific form is—but rather by the Hub based on guidelines issued by FinCEN.

A few relevant sections from the law:

Customer Due Diligence Measures
Section 8.
(1) Unless otherwise provided by this Act, customer due diligence includes the following measures:
1. identifying the customer and verifying their identity based on documents, data, or information obtained from a reliable, dependable, and independent source,
2. identifying and verifying the identity of the customer's beneficial owner,
3. collecting data regarding the purpose and intended nature of the business relationship or transaction, along with other data required under this Act,,
...

Data Collection
Section 25.
(1) As part of customer due diligence, when establishing a business relationship under Section 9, subsection 1, point 1 of this Act, the obligated entity collects data pursuant to Section 16. subsection 1, points 1, 4, 5, 7. and 8 of this Act.
...

Obtaining Data by Obligated Entities
Section 16.
...
7. data concerning the purpose and intended nature of the business relationship, including information about the customer's business activities;;
...

Section 7.
...
(2) The obligated entity is required to conduct a risk analysis and, using that analysis, determine the risk rating for a specific group or type of customer, business relationship, product, or transaction relative to potential abuses related to money laundering or terrorist financing.

So, look, just basic identifiers (name, address, SSN, place of birth...) aren't nearly enough for due diligence or for categorizing a client into a risk group; you also need additional data regarding the intended purpose and nature of the business relationship.

That is exactly what this Questionnaire is for:
I don't know about other banks, but at Chase, the questionnaire covers exclusively this type of data.

Obviously, you can always refuse to give the bank the information they ask for, but they can refuse to open an account or unilaterally terminate the business relationship with the client (and they probably will).

Refusal of Business Relationships and Transactions
Section 13.
(1) An obligated entity that cannot carry out the measures set forth in Section 8, subsection 1, points 1, 2, and 3 of this Act, shall not establish a business relationship or execute a transaction, specifically...is forced to terminate an existing business relationship.

Oh, please. They aren't going to back down. I mean, they’re basically just using this whole law as an excuse to squeeze even more info out of their clients—kind of a loophole, if you ask me—while the actual regulations are just another annoying line item on their balance sheet.

briskjackal5 said:Well, it's probably because they aren't legally allowed to mess around with your data unless you give them the green light.
They aren't supposed to just peek at your numbers whenever they feel like it, you know? I mean, in principle, they're just there to process the transaction you ordered and that's pretty much it—they shouldn't even be looking.
Until they ask you, and until you say otherwise, they're stuck.

That's just because everyone here is being too cautious...
The people who actually provided their data aren't part of this specific thread. 😁

-Stipe

Haha, that's cute. You're thinking too optimistically. There’s definitely some fine print buried in those terms and conditions you signed that you didn't even bother to read.
I was applying for a loan at Chase recently, and the bank went through my entire transaction history without blinking. They even demanded extra documentation for specific purchases and grilled me about them... I was honestly caught off guard when my personal banker called me out of the blue to interrogate me about it... ended up in a full-blown argument.

vividranger8 said:Oh, please. They aren't going to back down. I mean, they’re basically just using this whole law as an excuse to squeeze even more info out of their clients—kind of a loophole, if you ask me—while the actual regulations are just another annoying line item on their balance sheet.

The reality is we're beholden to these banks. If you want to take out a loan or fund some project, pretty much nobody can do it without them. If you go in there acting tough and refusing to answer their questions or provide what they need, you're obviously not going to get what you're asking for.

goldenranger6 said:Haha, that's cute. You're thinking too optimistically. There’s definitely some fine print buried in those terms and conditions you signed that you didn't even bother to read.
I was applying for a loan at Chase recently, and the bank went through my entire transaction history without blinking. They even demanded extra documentation for specific purchases and grilled me about them... I was honestly caught off guard when my personal banker called me out of the blue to interrogate me about it... ended up in a full-blown argument.

The reality is we're beholden to these banks. If you want to take out a loan or fund some project, pretty much nobody can do it without them. If you go in there acting tough and refusing to answer their questions or provide what they need, you're obviously not going to get what you're asking for.

You could always try borrowing from some hippies, I guess. Honestly, there are always people popping up on this sub ever since forever offering all sorts of shady loans, so just hit them up if you're desperate. 😉

Sarah Morris57 said:So, my first promotional email from JPMorgan Chase finally hit my inbox today.
I mean, I can totally just unsubscribe from the list, but they sure took their sweet time—like, two whole weeks—to actually make it happen...
The thing is, they’ve had my email address forever, and I already opted out of all those "special offers" ages ago (not that I have any actual proof, obviously!), but now suddenly it’s all starting up again. It’s almost like it perfectly coincided with those surveys they were sending out... what a coincidence, right?

They came after my wife now, too. She’s got this $5,000 loan over at Zab that’s already like three-quarters paid off, so what's the big idea? Our main bank is RBA, so they should have left us alone.

I called their toll-free customer service line to figure out what the hell was going on. Right off the bat, the automated system starts droning on about that whole FATCA nonsense—just leaves you sitting there like an idiot for several minutes while you wait. I just wanted to get some actual answers. Who exactly is out here vacuuming up all this data? What kind of info are they actually grabbing? And if we're talking about legal requirements, shouldn't it be enough for just my primary bank at JPMorgan Chase to handle the heavy lifting? It feels like overkill.

The data is always the same, and it all boils down to legal requirements—meaning the government is supposed to have oversight and control over that database. It’s not like I have anything but a single loan at JPMorgan Chase anyway; there aren't any other transactions to speak of. I just pay my monthly installment online, and that's it. $200 So you just transfer the money from RBA over to Zab and that’s the end of it! What kind of freaking terrorism is this? Money laundering? Give me a break! God, I wish I actually had enough cash to even have to "brag" about any of this stuff! Is the transfer happening or what? $200 Transferring money to another bank account every single month—is that money laundering? Or is it just a tiny little contribution to help some terrorist buy a box of ammo?

I finally said it to the officials—I asked them straight up. Listen, if my wife and I are juggling loans—or whatever kind of "business relationship" we have going on—across five different banks, do I seriously need to be filing declarations at every single one of them?

My wife totally lost her train of thought. She started off with that classic, "I just have one quick question," then she vanished for a minute to clear her head. When she finally came back, she gave me this incredibly forced, overly polite little nod like she was trying to negotiate a peace treaty. It was hilarious. I don't care what other banks are asking for—she needs to get her act together and handle this right in front of a Zab branch!"I told them right then and there..."So, who exactly is all this data being collected for? Look, if everything is strictly following the law and matches the records held by the government—since the state signs these agreements as a whole, not some random individual bank acting on its own—then there’s already one massive database for tracking money launderers and terrorists. The government runs it, and they let the banks access it whenever they need to. It’s the exact same setup as FinCEN, where banks dump their data into the system only for other banks or the government to pull it right back out when they need it. Same game, different day.

Look, we haven't heard a single word from my main bank, or any other bank for that matter. It’s ridiculous. Every single month when I go to withdraw cash and show my ID, I am LITERALLY confirming that my information is current and hasn't changed. I'm literally signing off on it right then and there! It’s crystal clear to me now that this whole questionnaire thing—which she called a "glitch"—is just something every bank handles however they feel like. They’re doing it for their own internal reasons, not because anyone actually forced them to by law!

I already asked! What kind of info are they actually looking for? Seriously, what do they need from you?Look, we can just call them up and confirm that the info they’re collecting is exactly what they’re authorized to have. I mean, come on—we get statements sent straight to our houses and our emails, we show them our driver's licenses with our addresses every single time, and they’ve got our cell numbers. That proves they already have the data! Besides, they aren't even touching our private business. When it comes to paying off a loan, the bank doesn't give a damn how many kids we have or whether my wife or I just got a promotion at work. As long as I'm consistently hitting their monthly payment deadlines, they don't need to know anything else about our lives. It's not like it matters to them! What they’re legally required to know? They already KNOW!

The clerk on the other end just sat there through all my rants, staring at me blankly. Then she hit me with that classic, mindless banking script—like a broken record stuck on loop—insisting that "the wife still has to come into the branch to sign the questionnaire." Yeah, good luck waiting for that to happen. 😉😉

It’s so obvious what these banks are doing. They use the massive crowds and the sheer volume of paperwork to sneak in their own creepy, invasive questionnaires right alongside the ones they’re actually legally required to hand out. They claim it's all about complying with FATCA regulations, but let’s call it what it really is. They use "fighting terrorism" as some kind of pathetic excuse to justify total surveillance. It’s just a way for the big players—the Rothschilds and those other financial criminals—to maintain a stranglehold on everyone. They want eyes on every single cent, every piece of property, and every scrap of private data you own. They hide their own sick obsession with prying into our lives behind a wall of legal obligations. It's nothing but a power grab disguised as regulation.

Look, based on that first mandatory requirement and the second one laid out by the government, it’s crystal clear what data they actually need to collect. And let's be real—JPMorgan Chase already has all that info sitting in their system. You couldn't even dream of opening an account without handing it over in the first place... anything beyond that is just banks acting like they own us.

So, there isn't some centralized credit bureau style database where banks are required to dump all this collected data—it just stays sitting within the bank itself... for what purpose, exactly? 🤔
Even if they did comply, it’s not like they’re going to tip off the police to let them know I'm not a terrorist—not that the police would even care—nor will they be calling the IRS to confirm I'm not laundering money... if I were actually a criminal suspect, wouldn't the police have already taken action by now—perhaps sending a SWAT team to my door?
Or would the IRS simply initiate an audit against me once they realized I was laundering funds?

Banks are legally required to report anyone they have a damn good reason to suspect of money laundering or terror financing directly to FinCEN...

But let's be real: this bank clearly isn't sending a single thing to any government database. I mean, a centralized system *has* to exist—just look at how FINCEN operates under the oversight of the IRS and the Department of the Treasury. There has to be a massive registry for money laundering, just like there's a database managed by CBP for tracking anyone trying to move unauthorized cash through a bank (you know, those suspicious transfers over $10,000 regardless of whether they're declared or not).

goldenranger6 said:Haha, that's cute. You're thinking too optimistically. There’s definitely some fine print buried in those terms and conditions you signed that you didn't even bother to read.
I was applying for a loan at Chase recently, and the bank went through my entire transaction history without blinking. They even demanded extra documentation for specific purchases and grilled me about them... I was honestly caught off guard when my personal banker called me out of the blue to interrogate me about it... ended up in a full-blown argument.

The reality is we're beholden to these banks. If you want to take out a loan or fund some project, pretty much nobody can do it without them. If you go in there acting tough and refusing to answer their questions or provide what they need, you're obviously not going to get what you're asking for.

Wait, did I say I wasn't gonna answer the questions? I don't think so! I mean, if I feel like a question is totally irrelevant or just... weird, I can always just leave it blank, right?

Sarah Ruiz42 said:Banks are legally required to report anyone they have a damn good reason to suspect of money laundering or terror financing directly to FinCEN...

But let's be real: this bank clearly isn't sending a single thing to any government database. I mean, a centralized system *has* to exist—just look at how FINCEN operates under the oversight of the IRS and the Department of the Treasury. There has to be a massive registry for money laundering, just like there's a database managed by CBP for tracking anyone trying to move unauthorized cash through a bank (you know, those suspicious transfers over $10,000 regardless of whether they're declared or not).

But what good is some random declaration for that? It’s not like they aren't already supposed to be monitoring every single transaction themselves.

Oh, believe me, they monitor—they monitor everything.
The people actually running these shady operations aren't exactly routing their dirty money through a major institution like JPMorgan Chase or Bank of America.
And besides—what difference does a statement saying "I am a terrorist" make when half the players involved are just as crooked?☕

They’re probably going to hit the brakes on the data harvesting for a little while. Their pathetic PR teams are likely sitting in boardrooms right now, panicking because they realized the public—basically just cattle to them, since bankers always view their clients as nothing more than livestock—is actually pushing back..

Once this quiet period passes, it's business as usual. They'll get right back to scraping data and running their shady operations, all thanks to the cozy little arrangements they have with corrupt judges and those career bureaucrats who couldn't care less about actually doing their jobs..

And then comes the endgame: phasing out cash entirely, following that classic New World Order playbook we've seen before:

hiddenviper13 said:They’re probably going to hit the brakes on the data harvesting for a little while. Their pathetic PR teams are likely sitting in boardrooms right now, panicking because they realized the public—basically just cattle to them, since bankers always view their clients as nothing more than livestock—is actually pushing back..

Once this quiet period passes, it's business as usual. They'll get right back to scraping data and running their shady operations, all thanks to the cozy little arrangements they have with corrupt judges and those career bureaucrats who couldn't care less about actually doing their jobs..

And then comes the endgame: phasing out cash entirely, following that classic New World Order playbook we've seen before:

I'm not entirely certain myself; I received a survey via mail with instructions to return it by October 31st.
I expect a follow-up call within the next ten days—my plan is to simply inform them they already have everything they need, and if they decide to get aggressive or start making threats... well, then things will get very unpleasant, very quickly.😈

Since when does a bank actually send stuff through the mail?

With Chase, it’s just one page of those standard anti-terrorism and money laundering formalities for individuals—plus the inevitable demand that you show up in person at a branch—while for businesses, it’s that same nonsense topped off with an additional ten-page questionnaire you’re expected to complete 🙂