BB&T
-Social Security Card
-Birth Certificate
-Driver's License
-Any credit or debit card
Now it was unclear, but seemed to be communicated to me that depositing checks was alright without an ID. Of course, I know I can just snap photos and deposit them with my smartphone. This just increases the scope of inconsistency. So, I returned to my car.
Now, I have never needed my ID before. Tellers informed me of this change in policy. Yet, I can deposit cash into the ATM a short distance away without an ID. Though I can call the 1-800 number and use my security questions to have them read back any and all banking information to me. You know, the sort of Routing and Account numbers I can use to draft anything to anyone.
Can I answer any of my security questions, give a social security number, or use any other security to deposit cash with a teller... No. I didn't go get my license. I did not go to the ATM and painfully deposit the nearly 223 bills in 50 bill increments, because of the ATM limit.
I walked outside and called the 1-800 number. They confirmed that is the counter policy. So, I waited a few moments listening to music before going back inside. I closed all of my accounts. My checking and the savings accounts for my children.
While a Driver's License is necessary for operating a motor vehicle, there is no requirement to carry ID on a person's person. Doing so in a higher risk situation, like in a financial institution only increases the possible loss should any incidents occur. Anyone who loses their license has all of that information and their home put at risk. This is a practice you should remove and help not only the account holders, the tellers as well.
There is enough related nonsense for a account holder to login online. Using their login and unique password isn't enough. There needs to be a texted or emailed security code, and then perhaps to answer security questions. This communicates a multi-level skepticism about the value of any unique field for an account holder.
My username/password isn't good enough? It is for the BB&T app. Just not the desktop. I can drive by 24 hours and deposit money into the ATM with my card. Yet, at the counter I need an ID. So, do you really want people to come inside? Why not go the McDonald's and kiosk route to deposits in the lobby? Break ahead of the competition. A new merger and eliminate tellers. Imagine the savings and dividend boost for the shareholders. The same folks like me, a stockholder whom are aware tellers aren't the ones instituting a policy change to add extra layers to their job.
They tell me that they cannot take cash without ID. That this is a security precaution for counterfeit bills. However, that's a self correcting issue. You simply deduct the value of the counterfeit bills from the specific account. If you cannot verify which account the bills came from, what good is it anyway? You have the technology to scan and keep a photo ID in the customer files. Which would prevent against any fake IDs trying to deposit or withdraw. Bring it up when they arrive. Along with security questions. You could simply keep the Driver's License number on file as a field in the customer's file.
When you are in the business of making loans and accruing capital, what possible reason could you have to make taking cash deposits harder?
