Nosy banks

I mean, seriously, can't the government and the bank just... I don't know, sync up? Like, shouldn't they be able to just cross-reference everything and see if I have my US citizenship, what my visa status is, and who I’m actually paying taxes to without all this extra back-and-forth?

And honestly—since both Sarah Morris57 and I use the exact same bank, and we actually took out a joint loan together to fix up our place—it’s not like they're in the dark! I already updated my last name to his through them, so they should totally be aware of our marital status and who's living under the same roof... right?
(Hmm, maybe that's why they didn't even bother asking him about it in the first place? 😵)

Give it a rest already...
Every single time I'm at a parking lot or some shopping mall, someone's trying to corner me with these random surveys...
I always give 'em a polite nod...
But my time is valuable... and my data isn't free...

A few years back—maybe four or five, if memory serves—I found myself passing by a JPMorgan Chase branch. I was actually looking to open a secondary checking account, mostly because I was dealing with some messy debt issues at the time.
They handed me a stack of paperwork about five or six pages long, and honestly, I just walked away. It felt more invasive than a mandatory interrogation during my time with the US Armed Forces.
So, this isn't a new grievance, but the whole process is absolute garbage.

I’m calling on everyone to be bold, blunt, and completely unapologetic. To hell with these banking elites.

I don't know about all of you, but personally, I have never once given my consent to subsidize the interests of some predatory American bank or any other criminal organization out there.

If Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović wants to hand over her private life to them, she can go ahead, but I wasn't born to be someone else's servant! 🙂

Honestly, who cares about banks or the IRS? If they’re just going to print dollars like it’s cheap toilet paper anyway, why shouldn't they just print enough to cover their own taxes instead of squeezing it out of us? I find myself wondering, what is even the point of taxation at this stage?

ruggedfox28 said: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.. 😬

Look, I’m not some Ruvina; I’m an American. I take pride in that, and I’ve raised my kids to stand tall and be proud of their heritage. The reason I don't pay taxes in the USA is precisely because I am an American from back home.
I've been paying taxes for 24 years in America and two years under America. I have four kids, and I served as an infantryman during the war (mostly involved in offensive operations). I don't touch any government incentives or pensions.
To put it bluntly... this is the profile of someone who, without being humble, has given the absolute maximum contribution possible to building this nation.
Listen... I’m only saying this because you are shamelessly spewing offensive nonsense, and with your last comment, you're basically spitting on the very foundations of a strong country.
And look... I'm not going to walk into a bank just to sign off on that garbage.
You claim that nobody is asking me anything here, yet you're implying I should head down to the bank to answer questions. 🤣

Yeah... maybe the cops will start dragging folks out of their houses and hauling them to the banks in handcuffs... probably getting a few hits to the ribs too... just like the old days...
Whoever wants to can bring a family photo to the bank.
I know I'm gonna tell them where to shove it whenever they show up at my place.

But what happens if every single bank just cuts you off because you won't fill out their endless questionnaires? From what I've been reading on here, they start freezing people out if you aren't willing to play along with them...

I actually finished the whole process through my mobile banking app—it wouldn't even let me contribute to the fund until I answered those few quick questions about the US and how much I planned to invest annually, and so on—but nobody has reached out to me or anything... Is that really it, then? Everything's set?

Michael Morgan5 said:Look, I’m not some Ruvina; I’m an American. I take pride in that, and I’ve raised my kids to stand tall and be proud of their heritage. The reason I don't pay taxes in the USA is precisely because I am an American from back home.
I've been paying taxes for 24 years in America and two years under America. I have four kids, and I served as an infantryman during the war (mostly involved in offensive operations). I don't touch any government incentives or pensions.
To put it bluntly... this is the profile of someone who, without being humble, has given the absolute maximum contribution possible to building this nation.
Listen... I’m only saying this because you are shamelessly spewing offensive nonsense, and with your last comment, you're basically spitting on the very foundations of a strong country.
And look... I'm not going to walk into a bank just to sign off on that garbage.
You claim that nobody is asking me anything here, yet you're implying I should head down to the bank to answer questions. 🤣

My smart fart—it is truly an honor to live in the same era as a man, a peer, and an elder such as yourself! 🙂

Stay well, my friend. 🙂

Eric Newman4 said:But what happens if every single bank just cuts you off because you won't fill out their endless questionnaires? From what I've been reading on here, they start freezing people out if you aren't willing to play along with them...

And what about when we start decorating the utility poles for our bankers? 🤷

Eric Newman4 said:But what happens if every single bank just cuts you off because you won't fill out their endless questionnaires? From what I've been reading on here, they start freezing people out if you aren't willing to play along with them...

... then I'll probably just go full harakiri ... 😛

bluecyclist64 said:My smart fart—it is truly an honor to live in the same era as a man, a peer, and an elder such as yourself! 🙂

Stay well, my friend. 🙂

I’m neither living with you nor am I your colleague; quite the opposite, actually.
Go donate some money to the troops instead of sitting here acting like a drunkard.

Michael Morgan5 said:I’m neither living with you nor am I your colleague; quite the opposite, actually.
Go donate some money to the troops instead of sitting here acting like a drunkard.

Why all the hostility?

You really ought to be grateful that someone with even a modicum of intelligence is willing to engage with you, rather than just taking advantage of your gullibility... 🤷

So, you think you’re some kind of high-IQ mastermind, huh? 🤣
Seriously though... what, does nothing in your small town actually operate on a Sunday, or did everyone just stop taking you seriously long ago?
I need to stop wasting my breath on this nonsense. 👋

Poor parents. 🤦

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 😬

That's the bottom line. The bank couldn't care less about your wife or your kids; 🤣they only care if you can meet your obligations. They’ll only grill you with those questions if you're asking for loans or overdrafts. They won't bother with that when you're just opening an account or doing routine business. Why doesn't that happen to me? Because I'm not asking them for anything!

I mean, what was even the logic there? Like, why would they even bother asking me all those questions just to close an account that had been totally dormant for ages... seriously, what's the point?

I caught this feature on PBS yesterday - link..

Not sure if anyone else is dealing with this nonsense. My mom is retired and keeps her account at JPMorgan Chase. All she gets is her pension, nothing else.
Then out of nowhere, she gets word from the bank about some agreement between the USA and America, and apparently, she’s supposed to show up in person to hand over details regarding her account.
Honestly, it seems pretty ridiculous to me. Why should she bother providing data when she isn't even working? Besides, she has zero interest in wasting half a day or shelling out money for gas and parking just to give them information they should already have.

For about a month now, I’ve been getting calls from my bank 😠 first from this "personal banker"—someone I didn't even realize was assigned to my account 🤷—and then, a week later, her manager... they're insisting I come into a branch to fill out a ten-page form 😕 and sign it... apparently, it's all part of these anti-money laundering regulations 🙄
When I inquired about which specific details they needed—hoping to perhaps settle this over the phone—she told me I had to visit in person, unless she emailed the form to me, in which case they would send someone to my house to pick it up once it's completed 🤦

Sarah Morris57 said:I mean, seriously, can't the government and the bank just... I don't know, sync up? Like, shouldn't they be able to just cross-reference everything and see if I have my US citizenship, what my visa status is, and who I’m actually paying taxes to without all this extra back-and-forth?

And honestly—since both Sarah Morris57 and I use the exact same bank, and we actually took out a joint loan together to fix up our place—it’s not like they're in the dark! I already updated my last name to his through them, so they should totally be aware of our marital status and who's living under the same roof... right?
(Hmm, maybe that's why they didn't even bother asking him about it in the first place? 😵)

I made the same point—that if they truly need this data, they could simply cross-reference it with the local municipality, the IRS, or whoever else might have it. But she was adamant; I have to show up. I explained that my schedule doesn't permit it, given my workload, so she suggested I call ahead to schedule an appointment... since I supposedly have her direct number😵
In any case, after a week of silence, they called again just yesterday at 1:00 PM—well after standard banking hours—and it was my personal banker once more 🙂. I actually asked her if I might request that she stop calling, and if there were any official notices, she could just send them via USPS, and then I hung up.
So, where does this leave me? Can they actually shut down my account if I refuse to comply with this paperwork?

Laura Chavez93 said:For about a month now, I’ve been getting calls from my bank 😠 first from this "personal banker"—someone I didn't even realize was assigned to my account 🤷—and then, a week later, her manager... they're insisting I come into a branch to fill out a ten-page form 😕 and sign it... apparently, it's all part of these anti-money laundering regulations 🙄
When I inquired about which specific details they needed—hoping to perhaps settle this over the phone—she told me I had to visit in person, unless she emailed the form to me, in which case they would send someone to my house to pick it up once it's completed 🤦

I made the same point—that if they truly need this data, they could simply cross-reference it with the local municipality, the IRS, or whoever else might have it. But she was adamant; I have to show up. I explained that my schedule doesn't permit it, given my workload, so she suggested I call ahead to schedule an appointment... since I supposedly have her direct number😵
In any case, after a week of silence, they called again just yesterday at 1:00 PM—well after standard banking hours—and it was my personal banker once more 🙂. I actually asked her if I might request that she stop calling, and if there were any official notices, she could just send them via USPS, and then I hung up.
So, where does this leave me? Can they actually shut down my account if I refuse to comply with this paperwork?

Stuff like this gets handled by talking to the representative, not by slamming the phone down. You just made things harder for yourself.