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| Home Front: Politix |
| Credit Cards for Undocumented Immigrants |
| 2007-02-13 |
| BofA aims new credit card at illegal immigrants (Reuters reports without editorializing!) NEW YORK (Reuters) - 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. In recent years, banks across the country have been offering checking accounts and even mortgages to the nation's fast-growing ranks of undocumented immigrants, most of whom are Hispanic, the paper said, adding these immigrants generally have not been able to get major credit cards. 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. Out to be very helpful to Islamic terrorists too. |
| Posted by:Glenmore |
| #8 B of A, it's tempting to to steal from the corrupt. I hope they lose a few billion. |
| Posted by: RD 2007-02-13 21:41 |
| #7 Nah, they've found a new group to screw, one that can't complain without getting themselves in trouble. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2007-02-13 16:43 |
| #6 Gotta feeling BoA's gonna regret this... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2007-02-13 15:59 |
| #5 Show the bank a matricula consular and they give you a credit card. Run up a big balance, run back to Mexico, get a new matricula consular, sneak back to U.S., get a new credit card. Rinse and repeat. |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2007-02-13 15:58 |
| #4 This is disgusting on a couple of fronts: I had a checking account and wished to open a savings at the same bank; needed a SSN to do that. Real problem is gonna be for the legit BofA customers when these card holders start defaulting and you can bet your arse they will. And who will end up paying: all of us, one way or the other. |
| Posted by: USN, Ret. 2007-02-13 14:51 |
| #3 “…how do illegal aliens open checking accounts without Social Security numbers…” Ed, it’s simple they complete a “W7” form from the IRS and obtain a “Tax Payer Identification Number” or (ITIN). They are required to provide identification (An out of country ID is acceptable) but it does not require proof of citizenship. It is designed for foreign students and workers such as the “F1” workers. Wells Fargo has been getting “Mattress Money” this way for years. Oh and BTW, US citizens are prohibited by law to circumvent the system this way. |
| Posted by: DepotGuy 2007-02-13 11:13 |
| #2 This is not surprising. There are banks that offer credit cards to three-month old babies--I know, my kids got the offers ("Pre-approved prime-rate Platinum VISA with no monthly fee!") in the mail the same day as we got the bill from the obstetrician. |
| Posted by: Mike 2007-02-13 09:22 |
| #1 Ok, Bank of America, how do illegal aliens open checking accounts without Social Security numbers. I sure as hell can't and the IRS would be very interested if I did. |
| Posted by: ed 2007-02-13 08:57 |