[WiNaDeYo]

Hey, guys. I have recently received an irate phonecall from my mother that has to do with a letter she got from one of her banks followed by a few personal phone calls with the people at her local branch...here's what happened:

My mom has a couple of accounts with me as beneficiary at a big bank that failed in the crash which was then adopted by another bank. Around October, following my advice, she closed out one of these accounts transfering it to a local credit union.

Last week she received a letter in my name demanding that I present myself to a local branch of the (originally crashed) bank with the following documents: Birth Certificate, Social Security No., Passport, Drivers License, and latest Tax Return.

My mom called the bank asking why they needed this info. She was told that because of the Patriot's Act, all banks must collect this info on all clients. (Note that she, the owner of these accounts, had NOT been asked to follow this procedure.) My mom proceeded to explain that her daughter (me) did not live in the US, was abroad, had been in the US for only a brief period in the '90's, and that she did not have the documents they wanted nor was she willing to produce them.

Well, the guy at the bank snapped back, "She does not exist!" My mother answered, "I beg your pardon!" He came back with, "We cannot find a Birth Certificate nor a Social Security Number for this person, so she does not exist!" My mother insisted, stating that when she openned those accounts ( years ago) she had given them that info and asked if they had contacted the County for a birth certificate. She also informed them that anyone can get on the internet and get SS numbers (not necessarily so unless the person has died). He responded that the bank did not have this access. She did tell him that every year she files my (blank) tax forms, that she has the one from year (I) was there if he wanted that, and that my address in the States was the same as hers. He then told her to call (me) and have (me) fax him the documentation they needed, and the phone conversation ended.

Not giving up so easily, at that point my mother noticed that the account number related to the letter was the one that she had closed out months earlier. She was getting ready to call the bank again when the phone rang; it was the guy at the bank (my mother had recently moved and had not given the bank her new number yet!) She immediately told him that she had closed out the account in question and insisted on wanting to know why the bank wanted those documents. He immediately told her that he had found the info he needed (birth date and SS no.) and apologized for the inconvenience, good day. He did not explain how nor what had changed his posture on the subject.

I do realize that because of the banking takeover, they will need to update their clients' files, etc... but what exactly does the Patriots Act entail? I will research this... so much is changing so fast, it's making my head swim! And the country where I live does know I'm here and I do pay my taxes and dues here. And my regional American Consulate knows I'm here and where I live, too. Everything's in order as far as I know.

Now, what I'm wondering is this...how many institutions think I don't exist anymore, just because I haven't lived in the US for a while? Are "they" trying to figure out where all the Americans are? Are the Americans abroad risking to lose citizenship in the near future if "they" can't find them? Is there going to be a "call back" to come home and pay taxes like in the times of Herrod, Joseph and Mary? Just brainstorming...

Peace and Good Will!