Bank of America Corp. has begun offering credit cards to customers without Social Security numbers, typically illegal immigrants, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.
The new Bank of America card is open to people who lack both a Social Security number and a credit history, as long as they have held a checking account with the bank for three months without an overdraft, the Journal said.
Bank of America tested the program last year at five branches in Los Angeles, and last week expanded it to 51 branches in Los Angeles County, home to the largest concentration of illegal immigrants in the U.S., the Journal said.
The bank hopes to roll out the program nationally later this year, the paper said.
I asked my personal banker about this — and she said her bank wouldn’t touch it with BofA’s flagpole.
Mac Guy….what part of ***ILLEGAL*** do you have trouble understanding?
The US used to have a fairly healthy admissions policy for Hispanics(especially Mexicans), that is until the numbers of illegals got so out of hand. There are now 600,000 to 1.2 million illegals crossing into the US yearly. Because of this, it’s now almost impossible to get legal entry from Mexico and most Central American countries.
After the Reagan amnesty, when nothing was done to close the border to illegals, the numbers went up dramatically, because the illegals figured it would be just a matter of time before the US gave another amnesty. They almost got it this past year. I’m actually for it, IF they lock up the border against future illegals, start a guest worker program and fine the crap out of those who apply for amnesty(with all the fine money going to the states to pay for out of pocket hospital care and education they have been providing for a group that dosen’t pay most taxes), and it takes them at least 8 years to get their citizenship(english reading skills required, american political system education, and american cultural history, and general history).
Not to much to ask of someone who wishes to live free and make more than 1.50 a day.
This is really funny because the damn Bank of America wouldn’t let me open an account because I had accidentally bounced a check in my past. Plus, isn’t it called The Bank of AMERICA ? The bank of america is run by jackasses and jerks.
#31 – Very good points, and I actually agree with you on a good number of them. We absolutely do need to know who is here, and everyone entering the country SHOULD report into the proper authorities upon entry. You and I see perfectly eye to eye on that one. I think the government started to make progress last year, but then the Republicans and Democrats got into a pissing contest over Iraq and completely forgot the issue. Guest worker? Penalties against those who are already here who want to “fess up?” Totally eye-to-eye with you there. I personally know many illegals here, and they do want to “come clean” and get legit status here in the US. And for the record, the ones I know all pay taxes with tax ID numbers that are theirs (they just overstayed). Sure, many don’t, but others shouldn’t be so quick to jump and overstate the situation by saying, “none of them are paying taxes!” (which is not what you just said, but others seem to think so)
What boggles my mind is how nearly impossible it is for immigrants from any country to obtain valid green cards. Citizenship is even worse. Should they learn English? Should they learn our system through classes? Should they renounce their citizenship from their former countries?
Absolutely.
But hey, we’re getting a bit off-topic here (Bank of America debate turns into debate on legitimacy of illegals – film at 11). Bank of America has every right to follow the law and create an institution where all people can invest their money, and that includes obtaining credit. Social Security numbers are not required for anything other than Social Security. Ever look at the back of your card? It probably states “not to be used as form of ID.”
That’s funny, because the DMVs in most states require at least two forms of ID, and a Social Security card is one such acceptable form of identification.
And with that statement, I think I just killed the debate. Oops!
Let free imterprize work to counter the selfishness of BoA. Stage #1: FIRST, call 1-800-432-1000, BoA, & speak to a manager. SECOND, tell him (or her) you refuse to fund their Anti-American policy of supporting ILLEGIAL business practices that jeopardize the safety & well being of our citizens, that all BoA is interested in is making money off these people regardless of how it underminds our LEGAL policies (did you also know that BoA sends money from illegial workers, no SS#, ID, etc, back to Mexico for FREE!!). THIRD, that you are closing your acct(s) & credit cards & moving them to a bank that still has American moral integrity-that doesn’t have this policy (if you don’t have an account, you will not ever have one with them as long as they support ILLEGIAL activy & you’ll tell everyone you know about this). FOURTH, you want ALL YOU’VE SAID DOCUMENTED (WRITTEN DOWN) & SENT TO CORPORATE, with a copy of it sent to you.
I did this last Friday, the manager said they’ve received a lot of calls.
COMPLAIN! COMPLAIN! COMPLAIN! Let them hear your disapproval of their policies.
Now for stage #2: If other banks are smart, they will let American citizens know if they DON’T have such policies-their new customer base (including me) will shoot through the roof, thus taking well-earned American citizen profit away from BoA. That will speak loudly to them.
As citizens, if we continue to sit on our hands & ass, saying & doing nothing, we will be too watered down to do anything about this & fall from within. I resent the taxes & SS# monies I bust my butt for to be given to ILLEGIAL people not willing to earn their citizenship, speak the national lanquage of ENGLISH. I pay medical insurance for my family, yet ILLEGIALS get healthcare for free! LEGAL Americans get turned down for loans and bank accounts because “they might be too high risk” yet ILLEGALS get these AMERICAN CITIZEN rights without I.D. & citizenship! They are the risk! And when they don’t pay their borrowed debt, Bank of America will expect their LEGAL customers to pay the tab-NO WAY!!! All this makes me resent illegials (especially Mexican), certainly BoA, companies that hire illegials. It’s not fair to those who earned their citizenship either & they resent them as well.
We are NOT the dumping ground & financers of the world. If that’s true, I wanna know where I can send MY BILLS to get paid for free!!
SOMEBODY POST THE BANKS WITHOUT THIS POLICY SO WE”LL ALL KNOW WHOM TO DO BUSINESS WITH!!
Good day, yours is such an informative blog, keep it up=) One way of helping people build their businesses is to suggest that they apply for BUSINESS CREDIT CARDS with easy approvals. Generally, business credit card for people with bad credit allow better tracking of small business expenses and this is very important. Hope this resource helps, and hope to read more from your blog. have a great day!
BANK OF AMERICA will now attract mostly ILLEGALS AND CROOKS!!!
I’ve had a BofA account with daily balance no less than $16k for two years now…and I can’t even get a BofA credit card.
Isn’t it amazing that an American citzen cannot get a loan for their temp employment business and these “undocumented residents” i.e “foreign guest workers” can get credit cards.
How does the bank track them to send them their payments ?
What about permament address or the word “collateral ?
I just called to cancel my BoA credit card. They switched me over (of course) to another dept where the CS rep tried talking me out of it. He flat out told me all potential clients do in fact need a SS#. I told him that was the whole issue – that they DON’T need one. He said no, they do need one. I told him I’d do more research and should have known he flat out lied to me. Wish I’d gotten his name, I’d post it on here. I called again, was put on hold for 10-15 minutes and cancelled my account. But goes to show you BoA will lie to you to keep your business, just like they did to me.
Hey mac guy, move to Mexico
ILLEGAL MIGRANTS HAVE ABLOLUTELY NO RIGHTS. OUR POLITICIANS HAVE SOLD US OUT. IF ILLEGIALS HAVE LEGAL RIGHTS TO FINANCIALS BENEFITS WHY NOT JUST LET THEM BE PRESIDENT OR GOVERNORS. MAYBE THE POLITIATIONS WILL THINK DIFFERENTLY WHEN THERE JOBS ARE IN JEPORADY.
I think Bank of America found out that there is large market for this kind of card. But this is very risky.
To those of you whining about your benefits, I leave you with the words of Samuel Adams, father of the American Revolution, “If you love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.”
MShTjF Cool, bro!
well, it’s up on the banks, as long as you can able to meet their requirements.
I have nothing against that, illegal immigrants can also contribute to the economy, and they do this in their own limited way, allowing them credit cards would only make things even better.
I was doing research on a paper, and came across the post. Does BOA still issue this practice, because it seems like got rid of it, but I could be wrong? I wanted to showcase it on my blog.