neil

Suddenly my bank has decided it needs to update it's records as part of it's move to a bank by another name. My wife took my driving license down there (as the initial call made it sound as if they were just checking the records but now I wonder if it may be because we are looking into refinancing the mortgage and I checked the box that I am a citizen), but they have said they need to see proof that I am a citizen as their records show I am a permanent resident.

I'm just wondering if this is normal - they have my social security number, and all sorts of other stuff, so why does this matter to them, and do they have the right to require that I prove it?

(When I get around to it I'll probably take my passport down there, so this is more just a question of whether they are within their rights to require me to do this, and not necessarily that I'm going to cause a huge fuss about it).

Rete

No. Your citizenship will not change anything. Your interest will still be reported to the IRS. Hoever, as a USC you you might get a better interest rate on the mortgage, however.

You only need to update your social security records. Unfortunately, this needs to be done in personal with the original naturalization certificate.

neil

I did update social security records pretty soon after. I do wonder if the bank want proof because of the mortgage refinance, but they have told me it's because of the transition to the new owning bank (so I'm suspicious about what is really going on).

avanutria

You could always suggest that perhaps you should take your banking elsewhere, if they are going to require you to take time out of your day to provide them with documentation that is not legally required for them to have...

md95065

... and since they don't have to do business with you if you don't provide them with the information that they want they might just tell you not to let the door hit you in the ass on your way out ...

avanutria

So what? Plenty of banks around.

md95065

Absolutely - and they are pretty much all equally bad

MsElui

our bank have asked also for proof of our status again - once we hit the 3 year anniversary. I never got round to doing anything with it and 3 months have gone by. We have green cards now anyways. The letter they sent me (and the one for my husband) said something about for tax purposes.

Bob

They aren't legally required to have the info...it's probably so they can factor the risk of you taking a mortgage and then buggering off out of the country, sure you can do this as a USC, but they'd probably have more hooks into you if you tried it as opposed to johnny dirty foreigner on a visa/greencard.

neil

Weird thing is it didn't seem to make much difference when we initially got the mortgage and I was on an L visa back then. I bet it is to do with the fact I ticked the citizen box on the refinance application - they probably want to verify that as it doesn't match their records.

tonrob

I'd establish what was in it for you from doing this, and if the answer was 'nothing' then simply ignore the request.

neil

It turns out they probably have no idea what they are doing. According to the woman at the bank they are just preparing for the transition because they are sure that corporate is going to ask them to get all this stuff in order. So, apparently they made their own decision that this is what they needed.

I won't be bothering to go down there after all.