Nosy banks

Well, you have to assume the IRS is going to be breathing down your neck and tracking every single cent you move 😁

Or—and this is the more immediate headache—your bank might just decide they don't want the trouble and freeze your accounts entirely.

Technically, you aren't obligated to answer any questions, even those regarding money laundering protocols. However, if you decline to address those "mandatory" inquiries, you’ll likely find that your local Chase branch won't be particularly interested in opening an account or processing your deposits.

As for the marketing fluff, if you aren't interested, just tell the teller at the window and leave it at that. I honestly don't understand why people make such a fuss about it; everyone does it. For instance, what do you think is the actual purpose of something like a "Premium Rewards Card" or similar trivialities?

That said, bank employees are known to spout all sorts of nonsense from time to time, so I would suggest taking whatever you hear from them with a healthy grain of salt. One must rely on common sense first. 😁 Naturally, you wouldn't go handing over your girlfriend's Social Security number or anything of the sort...

Not even close...

Banks are obligated to clearly separate the actual questions we are legally entitled to an answer for from those just meant for marketing fluff. Until they fix this, NOBODY in the entire American financial sector is required to answer a single thing, and any attempt at these "surveys" is basically a legal violation.

Gerald Hill7 said:Well, you have to assume the IRS is going to be breathing down your neck and tracking every single cent you move 😁

Or—and this is the more immediate headache—your bank might just decide they don't want the trouble and freeze your accounts entirely.

The IRS can watch my every move if they want. Honestly, I couldn't care less.
Same goes for any bank teller trying to shove some random survey down my throat...
Just curious what legal ground they'd even have to shut me down... they've been taking my money for decades without an issue...

Grace Wood5 said:Not even close...

Banks are obligated to clearly separate the actual questions we are legally entitled to an answer for from those just meant for marketing fluff. Until they fix this, NOBODY in the entire American financial sector is required to answer a single thing, and any attempt at these "surveys" is basically a legal violation.

You don't have to give anyone any answers if you don't feel like it.
Just show a cop your ID, license, and registration when they ask. That's basically it.
Everything else is voluntary... you don't have to if you don't want to...

Jerry Williams53 said:The IRS can watch my every move if they want. Honestly, I couldn't care less.
Same goes for any bank teller trying to shove some random survey down my throat...
Just curious what legal ground they'd even have to shut me down... they've been taking my money for decades without an issue...

They'll use the authority granted to them by the federal government. Your only move is to file a lawsuit for attempting to exploit legally protected private data for marketing purposes. The more people who step up and sue, the faster these banks will stop this arrogant, blatant bullshit.

Jerry Williams53 said:The IRS can watch my every move if they want. Honestly, I couldn't care less.
Same goes for any bank teller trying to shove some random survey down my throat...
Just curious what legal ground they'd even have to shut me down... they've been taking my money for decades without an issue...

So, let me get this straight: you don't give a second thought when some bank teller tries to squeeze you, but the moment the IRS comes knocking with actual teeth, suddenly you're indifferent? Nice logic, pal. 👍

Quincy:

I’m genuinely curious—on what legal grounds could they actually shut me down? They've been ignoring my existence for decades without issue...

Nobody is going to "ban" you from anything... they'll just decide they don't want to do business with you anymore.

Grace Wood5 said:They'll use the authority granted to them by the federal government. Your only move is to file a lawsuit for attempting to exploit legally protected private data for marketing purposes. The more people who step up and sue, the faster these banks will stop this arrogant, blatant bullshit.

Man, explain to me how a bank teller or some random security guard—who isn't even at fault here—is gonna force me to fill out their stupid survey?

casuallynx8 said:So, let me get this straight: you don't give a second thought when some bank teller tries to squeeze you, but the moment the IRS comes knocking with actual teeth, suddenly you're indifferent? Nice logic, pal. 👍

Quincy:

I’m genuinely curious—on what legal grounds could they actually shut me down? They've been ignoring my existence for decades without issue...

Nobody is going to "ban" you from anything... they'll just decide they don't want to do business with you anymore.

Look, neither the banks nor the IRS can actually do squat to me.
If they could, I’d be doing way more of whatever I want.
You don't get it... they literally have zero leverage over me.
I'm sitting here right now waiting for my bank to release funds from my checking and savings accounts, and they're claiming they won't because I didn't fill out some stupid survey... 😁
Get real.
Seriously though, what kind of backwater town are you living in?

Let's get down to business.
For those of you who got a call to verify your info and just ignored it—did anything actually happen? Any fallout?

I’ve got a Chase account. Direct deposit hits, I hit the ATM, life goes on. Now they’re calling me to come into a branch to "update my profile" and sign some papers. Honestly, I can't be bothered to sit in a lobby waiting in line just to answer a bunch of questions. What if I just don't show up? Can they actually shut down my account?

Did anyone else get summoned and just ghost them? And what was the aftermath?

So, I ended up not going—I just didn't make it in time, plus they haven't even bothered calling me back these last couple of weeks...

Austin Vaughn3 said:Let's get down to business.
For those of you who got a call to verify your info and just ignored it—did anything actually happen? Any fallout?

I’ve got a Chase account. Direct deposit hits, I hit the ATM, life goes on. Now they’re calling me to come into a branch to "update my profile" and sign some papers. Honestly, I can't be bothered to sit in a lobby waiting in line just to answer a bunch of questions. What if I just don't show up? Can they actually shut down my account?

Did anyone else get summoned and just ghost them? And what was the aftermath?

If you're being serious, then fine...
Was at the bank about 6 months ago seeing my regular banker for some other business.
After we finished that, she starts shoving this form at me saying I gotta fill it out... because of... blah... blah... blah... can't remember, wasn't really listening....
Skimmed through the questions real quick, saw some stuff asking about my wife...
Told her straight up, the bank paying my salary shouldn't give a damn about my wife... if they need that info, tell her to use her own bank...
She started going on about... blah... blah... blah... didn't care what she was saying, just cared about what was on the paper I had to sign eventually.
Told her—not trying to be rude to her specifically, she's just doing her job—but whoever made these rules can shove it, cause I ain't filling nothing out and I definitely ain't signing nothing... said it a bit too loud, people at the next tables looked up...
...and let them send the SWAT team to my house to hand over the survey then...
Haven't heard a peep since...
Thought about just switching banks entirely... but nobody's reached out... so I'm just waiting...

So, Sarah Morris57 tells me he actually went (for something else entirely, obviously) and she grilled him with questions—but only three of them! And get this, they were just the same old things everyone’s been talking about, specifically stuff regarding an American visa. They didn't even bother asking about me or anything else...

Sarah Morris57 said:So, Sarah Morris57 tells me he actually went (for something else entirely, obviously) and she grilled him with questions—but only three of them! And get this, they were just the same old things everyone’s been talking about, specifically stuff regarding an American visa. They didn't even bother asking about me or anything else...

I don't know...
They handed me two whole sheets of paperwork...
Can't remember a single thing about an American visa... maybe I just wasn't listening, but who knows... honestly...
Man... just what you need is some clerk at the grocery store making you fill out a survey just to buy a loaf of bread...
Crazy stuff...

They gave me a call on my cell today.
The woman told me there was no need to wait around—I should just show up and ask for her directly.
It made me think back to this thread, so I did a little digging... honestly, why should I even care about the IRS and their endless agreements with foreign banks?
I have zero interest in wasting my life on nonsense, especially since when it comes to Zillow's services, all I ever touch is the ATM and online banking.

Guys, you really need to realize that nobody here actually gets a vote on this stuff...

...once our country joined the USA, we became part of that whole organization, which means we're stuck following all the banking rules they set. The USA has trade deals with the USA, and one of those includes the so-called IRS agreement. That's why your bankers are breathing down your necks to sign it—it's the law here in America and under USA regulations...

...by signing, you’re basically declaring that you aren't dodging taxes in the States and aren't playing games with stocks between the USA and the USA. The whole point is just how the bank tracks your activity, mostly to make sure you don't get hit by double taxation. If you pay taxes in the USA, you shouldn't have to pay them here, and vice versa...

..obviously, it's all tied into those anti-money laundering laws too...

...look, you don't *have* to sign it, but pretty soon the bank is going to make it impossible for you to do business with them (I'm not sure what the legal deadline is for the country to align everything with USA regs, but it's coming)...

..then you'll have people saying, "Screw them, I'll just go to a different bank" or "I don't have time for this nonsense," kind of like what ruggedfox28 said above. But newsflash: no bank is gonna take you in without that signature when you try to open a new account...

..and you honestly think banks want to waste phone lines and employee hours chasing every single client down to get that IRS paperwork signed?

...sure, you can draw the line at the super personal stuff—like your spouse, how many kids you have, or if you're married...

...but even then, they're mostly gonna ask those questions if you have overdraft protection (especially with loans). Any kind of overdraft is basically a loan, and once a bank is lending you money, they can ask whatever they want. People lose jobs and income streams every day, so it's totally normal for a bank to want to know if you own property, if your spouse is working, or how many kids you're supporting, just so they know they can actually get their money back...

..or if they can pitch you another loan or a credit card 😬

Michael Morgan5 said:They gave me a call on my cell today.
The woman told me there was no need to wait around—I should just show up and ask for her directly.
It made me think back to this thread, so I did a little digging... honestly, why should I even care about the IRS and their endless agreements with foreign banks?
I have zero interest in wasting my life on nonsense, especially since when it comes to Zillow's services, all I ever touch is the ATM and online banking.

Good way to look at it.
No point wasting time or getting worked up over stupid stuff.

ruggedfox28 said:Guys, you really need to realize that nobody here actually gets a vote on this stuff...

...once our country joined the USA, we became part of that whole organization, which means we're stuck following all the banking rules they set. The USA has trade deals with the USA, and one of those includes the so-called IRS agreement. That's why your bankers are breathing down your necks to sign it—it's the law here in America and under USA regulations...

...by signing, you’re basically declaring that you aren't dodging taxes in the States and aren't playing games with stocks between the USA and the USA. The whole point is just how the bank tracks your activity, mostly to make sure you don't get hit by double taxation. If you pay taxes in the USA, you shouldn't have to pay them here, and vice versa...

..obviously, it's all tied into those anti-money laundering laws too...

...look, you don't *have* to sign it, but pretty soon the bank is going to make it impossible for you to do business with them (I'm not sure what the legal deadline is for the country to align everything with USA regs, but it's coming)...

..then you'll have people saying, "Screw them, I'll just go to a different bank" or "I don't have time for this nonsense," kind of like what ruggedfox28 said above. But newsflash: no bank is gonna take you in without that signature when you try to open a new account...

..and you honestly think banks want to waste phone lines and employee hours chasing every single client down to get that IRS paperwork signed?

...sure, you can draw the line at the super personal stuff—like your spouse, how many kids you have, or if you're married...

...but even then, they're mostly gonna ask those questions if you have overdraft protection (especially with loans). Any kind of overdraft is basically a loan, and once a bank is lending you money, they can ask whatever they want. People lose jobs and income streams every day, so it's totally normal for a bank to want to know if you own property, if your spouse is working, or how many kids you're supporting, just so they know they can actually get their money back...

..or if they can pitch you another loan or a credit card 😬

I mean, if someone wants to give info to a panhandler on the street, they can.
If a bank really has that much power, let them go ask the government or federal agencies for every client's data individually.
They aren't getting anything more from me than what they already have.

ruggedfox28 said:Guys, you really need to realize that nobody here actually gets a vote on this stuff...

...once our country joined the USA, we became part of that whole organization, which means we're stuck following all the banking rules they set. The USA has trade deals with the USA, and one of those includes the so-called IRS agreement. That's why your bankers are breathing down your necks to sign it—it's the law here in America and under USA regulations...

...by signing, you’re basically declaring that you aren't dodging taxes in the States and aren't playing games with stocks between the USA and the USA. The whole point is just how the bank tracks your activity, mostly to make sure you don't get hit by double taxation. If you pay taxes in the USA, you shouldn't have to pay them here, and vice versa...

..obviously, it's all tied into those anti-money laundering laws too...

...look, you don't *have* to sign it, but pretty soon the bank is going to make it impossible for you to do business with them (I'm not sure what the legal deadline is for the country to align everything with USA regs, but it's coming)...

..then you'll have people saying, "Screw them, I'll just go to a different bank" or "I don't have time for this nonsense," kind of like what ruggedfox28 said above. But newsflash: no bank is gonna take you in without that signature when you try to open a new account...

..and you honestly think banks want to waste phone lines and employee hours chasing every single client down to get that IRS paperwork signed?

...sure, you can draw the line at the super personal stuff—like your spouse, how many kids you have, or if you're married...

...but even then, they're mostly gonna ask those questions if you have overdraft protection (especially with loans). Any kind of overdraft is basically a loan, and once a bank is lending you money, they can ask whatever they want. People lose jobs and income streams every day, so it's totally normal for a bank to want to know if you own property, if your spouse is working, or how many kids you're supporting, just so they know they can actually get their money back...

..or if they can pitch you another loan or a credit card 😬

If I’m reading this right—and honestly, I stopped after a few sentences because my brain was already melting—you're telling me I'm actually expected to sign paperwork at a local bank here in the States claiming I'm somehow not an American?

That is just brilliant. What’s next on the checklist? Am I supposed to swear I'm not German, an Englishman, or an Uzbek too?

Give me a break.

Look, what can I even say... you're totally wrong here 😬

Does it matter where you're from? Whether you're a Rvatina or some cowboy out in Alabama... all that matters (in this specific case) is who you're actually paying taxes to..

The real question is whether you pay taxes in the USA. It's not about where else you might be paying them... assuming you're even paying any at all...

"Them"—whoever those people may be... the IRS, the Department of the Treasury, folks hanging out in Central Park, or whoever else just wants to know if you, as an American citizen—and by extension, someone in the EU—are paying taxes in the USA.. 😬