civilservant

This sentence implied to me that the bank did not accept them, Rene - I didn't read the whole thread though.

EDIT: I get it now, they don't have the OPs name on them

Noorah101

I amended my post, too...as it's hard to tell from the original post exactly what's going on. He says he tried them, which means he has them.

Rene

rpjs

We weren't asked for proof of address when we opened an account with Chase in NYC in Jan 2011.

ian-mstm

Why not just get a driver's license?

Ian

Casual Observer

You and many others

JPMorgan Chase avoided an immediate potential multi-million dollar fine on Monday [14 January 2013] for “critical deficiencies” in its Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering compliance by consenting to a cease and desist order from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).

ian-mstm

In English please!

Ian

Noorah101

My guess is that having only been here 2 weeks, and not having a SSN yet, he isn't able to get a DL yet.

Rene

Casual Observer

Chase had a long history of not complying with the regulations Ian.

Unlike HSBC and other foreign banks who got hit with massive fines Chase was allowed to escape with a slap on the wrist and avoid a fine by saying in writing we are very sorry and will not do it again.

I did not want to bore people and go too deeply into the requirements unless we can flag it as an aid for insomnia

But as you asked (ok sort of asked), here is some bedtime reading for those fascinated by this very dry but expensive if you get wrong subject.

http://www.ffiec.gov/bsa_aml_infobas...al/olm_011.htm

Gazzy1988

How is it the last moment to get married its half way through the 90 days lol. Im not gonna get married the first day im here .ive only just got here so no bills in my name .

Noorah101

You entered the USA just over two weeks ago, so I'm guessing around Dec. 10th or so. You're getting married mid-February, so around Feb 14th or so. That puts your marriage date about 66 days after you arrive. I agree, it's not "at the last moment" as Rete said. But it's longer than halfway, as you said.

Don't worry about it. As long as you marry within 90 days, you're fine.

For what it's worth, many people DO get married ASAP after they arrive. My fiance and I got married 2 weeks after he arrived on his K-1. So it's not as unusual as you might think.

Regarding the bank account, go to different banks or talk to the bank manager. You shouldn't need proof of address in writing, but if you do, you might have to wait until you get a utility bill or something with your name on it. Your USC fiancee can add you to the utility bills and many other things before you get married. It might take a month for the next statement to come in the mail, but she could request a letter from the agency stating you are both on the utility account. That should work.

Rene

RICH

The Original question was how to get proof of address.

How I did it in 2004 was : Name added to Fiancee's rental agreement; Then took out a landline contract with Verizon for the apartment, in my name, which involved a hefty deposit. Also transferred the electric to my name for another deposit.

None of which is particularly relevant to opening a bank account.

Back then, I walked into the local BOA branch to ask what they needed for me to open an account. I walked out with an account.

Regarding Patriot Act - I worked for a bank in 2005/6 - We were just starting to do back dated due diligence on account holders ID then, so the fact of the law, and the date of different procedures don't necessarily coincide.

I still work for a bank, and I would say, opening an account will be easiest if you have a large sum to deposit. Banks are not restricted so much on receiving funds, but on distributing them.

jeffreyhy

Yes, exactly.

Regards, JEff

Speedwell

That's true. When my husband and I opened the joint account we used for immigration fees and expenses (obviously he had not got his green card yet), he was in the country and we had taken the trouble to add him to the apartment lease and car insurance bill. We printed a copy of the lease page, and the car insurance company sent us a PDF on letterhead verifying he was added to the account. The bank manager and the customer service rep we worked with were both recent immigrants and very sympathetic. Might be worth a try finding out if there's someone experienced with immigrants on staff.

Casual Observer

Ummm no. Unless you wish to find yourself the subject of a an SAR and in the FINCEN database. Advising someone to open an account with a large unseeded lump of cash (If they had a bank account already this would not arise) is not good advice.

RICH

SAR=suspicious activity report.
You apparently have little idea what constitutes suspicious activity.