Can you open a bank acct without a social security number?

Hi, Just wanted to drop you a line to let you know about a recent small victory in the no-SSN corner.

I recently tried to open a bank account with my local bank , and when they asked for a SSN, I informed them that I didn't have one. They flatly refused and said that without a SSN that they absolutely could NOT open an account of any kind. I then proceeded thus to convince them that they were in the wrong: 1) I informed them that I had terminated my SSN legally in accordance with 20 CFR 3 A7 404.1905 and 2) I informed them that the bank could not be held legally responsible by anyone for failing to obtain a SSN from me pursuant to 31 CFR 103.34(a)(1) and 3) I informed them that under the Internal Revenue Code Section 6041, that they were not even required to provide any taxpayer identification numbers on the Form 1099 that they file with the IRS at the end of the year, and 4) I informed them that pursuant to 26 CFR 301.6109-1(c) that they were under no legal obligation to obtain a SSN from me, and 5) I informed them that 42 USC 408 makes it a FELONY to use threat, duress, or coercion to try to force a person by fear or deceit to provide his SSN in an unlawful manner. After a brief meeting with the banks controller and legal counsel, I received a phone call stating that I would be allowed to open a checking account. Please pass this information along to your readers, in hopes that it may help someone else who may find themselves in this situation.

Craig Burkholder

Harrisonburg, VA

I'm sorry Craig I just can't agree with you. I already tried that. Seems like the known "Patriot Act", is a statute enacted by the United States Government that President George W. Bush signed into law on October 26, 2001. Any U.S. institution to such banks will make sure they are not engaging in money laundering. Banks must identify all the nominal and beneficial owners of any private bank account opened and maintained in the U.S. by non-U.S. citizens. You have no rights to private banking anymore. In thirty days if a social security number is not associated with the account the checks and balances within the banks will return the account to the account holder and ask ththe acount holder to fill in the ss number of remove the account from the bank.

Sorry Guy, Graig is right and you are wrong the Patriot Act is not applicable in this matter because there is no mandatory requirement to present a Social Security number when opening up a bank account in Section 326 and even if Section 326 had a mandatory requirement it wouldn't be in effect due to only three provisions of the Act have been renewed and those three provisions are the "court-approved roving wiretaps", "court-approved seizure of records and property" and "lone wolf surveillance". These are the only parts of the USA PATRIOT that are still law the rest of the Act is dead and to make sure I was correct, 4 weeks ago I called Senator Chuck Schumer's office in Washington D.C. to confirm it and one of his aids confirmed it for me. As for the other three provisions I just mentioned, they have nothing to do with a person being force to present a Social Security number to the bank. Next time read the Act first before you go posting things on the website

George,

NYC