Bank of America launches credit card for illegal immigrants

[Marc and Olga 0]

Funny what I read and posted about the ITINs seems as though a bank should not be accepting them as ID...when was the last time you paid your taxes to your bank?

How is credit determined by a number that is for TAX purposes only?

I will post it again...see my previous post for the source.

ITINs are not valid identification outside the tax system.

emphasis added for the reading impaired

If the question in red was directed at my last comment...credit is not necessarily determined by your social, rather FROM your social...it is attached to it, for lack of a better description.

Which is precisely why new immigrants have no credit history despite years of credit in their own respective countries. Everything is reported using your social, which is why when you go for a loan or a cc, they will ask your social so they can pull your credit.

Hence no ss#=no credit.

no Lisa, that was not towards you but those (including the BofA rep) that state it is allowed to accept ITINs as ID when from the IRS website the ITINs are for use within the tax system ONLY (I would guess that mean IRS).

I'm to this day confused at the "need" for ITINs since in order to pay taxes you need to be able to work in the USA and an ITIN is not valid for that purpose...

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

I was legal and had a perfectly good Social Security number, yet was denied a *secured*

credit card by Bank of America because - get this - I didn't have any credit history!

Well DUH - that's why I applied for a SECURED card! Idiots!

Next time walk in with no ID/SS card and say 'no comprende'.

[Addie_Goodvibes 0]

Why shouldn't they be able to open a bank account with ease? What's the big deal

about having a bank account? A bank is a place where you keep your money - no more,

no less - banks are not supposed to be immigration checkpoints.

The "big deal" is by offering illegal criminal aliens a bank account the banks are only accomodating them allowing them to remain in the country illegally, allowing them to settle, allowing them to continue to remain in the USA illegally, Working Illegally & rewarding them for criminal behavior.

Also signifcantly raising the risk of them being able to use Credit and bank accounts to solicit other Illegal activity.

[Marc and Olga 0]

I was legal and had a perfectly good Social Security number, yet was denied a *secured*

credit card by Bank of America because - get this - I didn't have any credit history!

Well DUH - that's why I applied for a SECURED card! Idiots!

Next time walk in with no ID/SS card and say 'no comprende'.

HAHAHA here they'd start talking to you in Spanish...even MOST of the adverts in the banks are in spanish! >(

Seriously, last time I walked into my branch office 2 of the 3 signs advertising home loans were in spanish!

[Addie_Goodvibes 0]

For those LEGAL immigrants who are here, struggling to get a bank card, check card, open up a bank account... let's spin this news to your benefit... If BOA gives ILLEGAL immigrant a credit card, think how easy they would be to apply with you REAL SSN card, Passport, K-1/3CR1 Visa? This could be an opportunity for those who need to establish their "history of relationship" via join bank account, credit card, loans etc. Look in the brighter side, this could be a way to get "banked" without jumping through the "Patriot" hoops. I love this country more and more. What do you think?

That is a weak argument, BofA should allow those here LEGALLY to establish a Savings account or be added onto a Residents Spouses account.

USCIS I O officers know that it is not easy to establish bank accounts while waiting for EAD or GC so they do not expect Bank accounts to be established in order to prove hsitory of relationship.

In the broader out look it DOES NOT benefit legal immigrants it actually hurts them a lot!

Because these ILLEGALS are allowed to remain here establishe dbank accounts , work illegally, they take jobs, LOWER education standards, raise housing costs, raise Auto and Health Insurance Costs because of their failure to drive legally w/ insurance , their failure to buy health insurance, who pay s for this they DON"T . LEGAL , LAW ABIDING, INSURANCE CARRYING RESIDENTS DO!

[one...two...tree 2,762]

i think there are two issues going on here.

1) the bank needs to be able to id you somehow

and

2) the bank determines your "credit worthiness".

The itin (fake or real) can be used by the bank for the id purposes.

Once id'ed, they determine if you(legal or not, not their job) are worthy of some form of credit. If you are not credit worthy, then hey, you do not get credit approval, immigration standing is moot.

Sorry for those whose legally immigrated spouses or themselves got denied credit. it really isn't a matter of your immigration status. just plain business decisions.

There are many ways to acquire ccs. My wife got a cc within a month of her arrival. We just happen to be in a fortunate situation. But shows that it can be done legally.

good luck to all.

Daniel

:energetic:

Well said!

[pedroh 21]

if this project is going so well, then is not that the credit card holders are not making their payments.. if this was a bad idea, BoA would have cancelled the project, so I don't think them illegals are getting credit cards to not make payments, I think they wanna use it and keep it...

[peezey 0]

Why shouldn't they be able to open a bank account with ease? What's the big deal

about having a bank account? A bank is a place where you keep your money - no more,

no less - banks are not supposed to be immigration checkpoints.

The "big deal" is by offering illegal criminal aliens a bank account the banks are only accomodating them allowing them to remain in the country illegally, allowing them to settle, allowing them to continue to remain in the USA illegally, Working Illegally & rewarding them for criminal behavior.

Also signifcantly raising the risk of them being able to use Credit and bank accounts to solicit other Illegal activity.

Yes, right, because it's clear from the last 30 years that illegals leave because they haven't been allowed to bank.

It can piss you off all you want, but it's really silly to say that BofA is contributing to any kind of perseverance of illegal immigration.

Edited February 23, 2007 by peezey

[pedroh 21]

and according to an online college of law journal.. the ITIN is an acceptable form of ID under the Patriot Act.. so BoA isn't doing anything illegal..

"As long as an ITIN is an acceptable form of identification under the U.S.A. Patriot Act, financial institutions will continue to create programs allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain mainstream financial services that would not otherwise be available. The ITIN, itself, does not facilitate money laundering but rather the problem lies in the IRS procedures pertaining to the issuance of ITINs which make it easy for an individual to fraudulently obtain an ITIN. It would not be plausible to eliminate ITINs because they are necessary for federal tax purposes. However, anti-money laundering efforts of the U.S.A. Patriot Act can be strengthened by requiring the IRS to implement more reliable and rigorous identification verification procedures when issuing ITINs."

ITIN

[mawilson 2,133]

The "big deal" is by offering illegal criminal aliens a bank account the banks are only accomodating them allowing them to remain in the country illegally, allowing them to settle, allowing them to continue to remain in the USA illegally, Working Illegally & rewarding them for criminal behavior.

Not having a bank account is only a minor inconvenience -- there's always USPS and Western Union

for people who want to buy a money order, pay their bills or transfer money abroad.

They're still here, they're still illegal -- the only difference is, YOU DON'T KNOW WHO THEY ARE

AND WHERE THEY LIVE.

[peezey 0]

The "big deal" is by offering illegal criminal aliens a bank account the banks are only accomodating them allowing them to remain in the country illegally, allowing them to settle, allowing them to continue to remain in the USA illegally, Working Illegally & rewarding them for criminal behavior.

Not having a bank account is only a minor inconvenience -- there's always USPS and Western Union

for people who want to buy a money order, pay their bills or transfer money abroad.

They're still here, they're still illegal -- the only difference is, YOU DON'T KNOW WHO THEY ARE

AND WHERE THEY LIVE.

Exactly. People without bank accounts, legal or not, have figured out how to pay bills for decades. Lots of legal immigrants who have come from countries with corrupt banking systems don't use banks here, or use them very little.

[pedroh 21]

i just say it's too much effort on watching what freebies the illegals get or not.. it doesn't benefit me if they get them, it doesn't benefit me if they don't... I know not long ago K1'ers could get a permanent GC after getting married, but because of marriage scams and 'mail brides' they started using the temporary GC and then get the permanent one.. am I mad at those guys who abused the system, or the 'trailer park mommas' whose business is to marry illegals so they can stay in the US? no.. there's no point, again, I don't get anything from it, just probly an ulcer or acid reflux lol, which I don't want

[Peikko 1,575]

You are too wise for VJ

[Addie_Goodvibes 0]

i just say it's too much effort on watching what freebies the illegals get or not.. it doesn't benefit me if they get them, it doesn't benefit me if they don't... I know not long ago K1'ers could get a permanent GC after getting married, but because of marriage scams and 'mail brides' they started using the temporary GC and then get the permanent one.. am I mad at those guys who abused the system, or the 'trailer park mommas' whose business is to marry illegals so they can stay in the US? no.. there's no point, again, I don't get anything from it, just probly an ulcer or acid reflux lol, which I don't want

You may Not see the impact but by giving ANY kind of Aid to illegal Aliens does effect you & Me & everyone going through the immigration process legally, it effects every legal resuident & US citizen.

Just the same as those who drive without Auto insurance ( majority if not all illegal aliens) You & I have to pay unisured motorist costs in most states it is mandatory to carry UIM coverage. Or those who Flood the ER without Health Insurance what happens? You pay extra in your insurance premiums. Children of illegal aliens flooding the schools when their parents are NOT paying Taxes to those schools yet their children lower the education standards. IT does effect you.

Or Illegal Aliens cross the border commit felonies, murder, steal and are not held accountable.

Giving a credit card to someone here illegally does have a negative impact, it accomodates their pressence here illegally.

[peezey 0]

Giving a credit card to someone here illegally does have a negative impact, it accomodates their pressence here illegally.

Your argument is false. Illegals have not ever left because they can't have a bank account or credit card. Most do not get a bnak account or credit card. What, exactly is it, that you see is the impact of this BofA decision?