Leica has made me a criminal! Help!

[Ko.Fe.]

Usually, if country is run by criminals, everyone except them are criminals by default.

As for so called West... I had same situations. First in nineties with major UK bank refusing to open account even with guarantor.
And last year, major Belgium bank gave me ride for trying to deposit cash on arrival from Canada.

Everything is in driving distance in USA. It is build to be drivable coast to coast.
From Oregon (small population) to Tamarkin in Chicago. Or via cheap plane ticket.

 

[AlwaysOnAuto]

US Bank. I checked with my wife and she says we've been a customer with them for just under 30 years.

If I'd been treated like this after being a patron of the bank for that long I'd be raising holy he!! with the manager.
It's funny, none of our banks have even lasted that long before being bought out by other banks.
Why not use your credit union credit card to make the purchase of the camera when/if you find one and use the cash to pay off the credit card?
In the mean time, go find another bank that will treat you with the respect a 30 year customer deserves.

 

[chuckroast]

If I'd been treated like this after being a patron of the bank for that long I'd be raising holy he!! with the manager.
It's funny, none of our banks have even lasted that long before being bought out by other banks.
Why not use your credit union credit card to make the purchase of the camera when/if you find one and use the cash to pay off the credit card?
In the mean time, go find another bank that will treat you with the respect a 30 year customer deserves.

I'm not sure this is entirely the fault of the banks.

The Department Of Homemade Security and other branches of the US regulatory state have infected banking with their usual the-horse-has-left-the-barn responses to terrorist attack and drug peddlers. DOJ loves these kinds of rules because it gives them unilateral power over the people. Many of these things got kicked off in the War On Drugs era and were amplified and increased over time by both political parties.

Banks are thus in the tough position of having to serve their legitimate customers while proving they are doing everything legally required to identify illegal money transactions. So blaming them for this is probably not entirely fair.

 

[CP93]

Late to the party…

$600 is BS. Sounds like something Wells Fargo would pull. Close your account and go to a better bank, USAA if you’re eligible. (Not affiliated, just a very happy long time customer.)

 

[Archiver]

@rfaspen Did you eventually get your M10-R?

 

[rfaspen]

Found one in driving distance. I've been very happy since. The most compatible camera I have ever had, and I've had many (as in hundreds). Now I find myself taking out the old M9 for a day just out of guilt. The m10 goes with me everywhere it seems.

Still not happy about the bank experience but I did finally pay off the house. At least they have zero claim to that now!

 

[Godfrey]

Found one in driving distance. I've been very happy since. The most compatible camera I have ever had, and I've had many (as in hundreds). Now I find myself taking out the old M9 for a day just out of guilt. The m10 goes with me everywhere it seems.

Still not happy about the bank experience but I did finally pay off the house. At least they have zero claim to that now!

Good to hear you are enjoying the M10-R! I have that and the M10 Monochrom, use them both quite a lot. I see a couple of technical improvements in the M11 line that do not affect my photography at all, so at least for the moment I have no plans whatever to change my kit with respect to Leica M cameras.

G

 

[Rayt]

I deposited $1200 cash at a San Francisco Wells Fargo a few days ago something I have done before, I have several bank accounts and sometimes need to move some money around. What I didn’t know until recently was that banks in this country cannot take cash deposit into someone else’s account even if it was family. I had to spend money and buy a bank check and deposit that.

Well anyway you can’t go wrong with any M10.

 

[Jbennett68]

Just deposit it. Maybe they fill out something maybe they don’t but nothing will come of it. The bank will not close your account for a one time deposit of a few thousand dollars in cash. Don’t believe me ask someone at the bank besides the cashier.

 

[Rayt]

Once I made 3 successive deposits of I think $300 at several Wells Fargo branches and the teller said my activities are suspicious so she would have to report it to the authorities (FBI?) unless I had a plausible explanation. I explained I have several bank accounts one for long term stuff and one for paying bills etc. I wanted to move some money and the quickest way was to make ATM withdrawals instead of waiting in long lines. The amount I deposited each day was the ATM limit set by the bank. I suppose it was also suspicious because I had flown to NYC when I made one of the deposits. The banks won’t close your account for that. Why would they want to lose a customer?

 

[Archiver]

Found one in driving distance. I've been very happy since. The most compatible camera I have ever had, and I've had many (as in hundreds). Now I find myself taking out the old M9 for a day just out of guilt. The m10 goes with me everywhere it seems.

Still not happy about the bank experience but I did finally pay off the house. At least they have zero claim to that now!

That's fantastic news! And thank you for the update, as it can be frustrating when someone reports a situation that doesn't seem to have a conclusion. Great to know that the M10R is working out so well for you, too.

 

[Pioneer]

Wow!! I use cash ALL the time. I must have dozens of SARs. Interesting.

We keep a little bit in several banks including US Bank. Never had any major problems with them that I am aware of.

BTW, enjoy the camera, they are very nice.

 

[aoresteen]

The daily limit at BofA for ATM withdrawals is $2,000. I've withdrawn that amount many times and put that amount back in. Only once was I asked about it. I buy vintage guitars and a deal fell trough so I deposited the cash back into my account. They said oh, sorry you didn't get the guitar. No issues.

 

[Rob-F]

Once I made 3 successive deposits of I think $300 at several Wells Fargo branches and the teller said my activities are suspicious so she would have to report it to the authorities (FBI?) unless I had a plausible explanation. I explained I have several bank accounts one for long term stuff and one for paying bills etc. I wanted to move some money and the quickest way was to make ATM withdrawals instead of waiting in long lines. The amount I deposited each day was the ATM limit set by the bank. I suppose it was also suspicious because I had flown to NYC when I made one of the deposits. The banks won’t close your account for that. Why would they want to lose a customer?

I believe I'd have been tempted to tell them I didn't feel an explanation was needed, and I would be very happy for them to call the FBI; in fact I'd tell them I insist they do so. Always glad to meet with the FBI, I'd say.

 

[Out to Lunch]

I liked banks when I was 10 years old and deposited one coin per week into my account: the teller would insert my bank book into a big machine; some noise, and then got my bank book back with my duly registered coin. Followed by years of bank grief. I switched to a credit union years ago and became happy again.

 

[Borge H]

It is the same in my country, Sweden. You have to explain where your cash comes from when you deposit your money at the bank. When my mother died we found a large amount of cash in her belongings. My brother and I divided the amount and I tried to deposit my part at a bank, but they asked a lot of questions. They suspected money laundering.

I then changed my approach. I started to buy everything daily like food, car fuel etc. with cash. I did not use my credit cards at all. After a couple of years the cash was gone and my account at the bank was high! It was my private money laundering! I also started savings accounts on some other banks during the process. I then transferred part of the money to the other banks to avoid suspicions and bank-crash. It seems like with these new laws we all must act like criminals.

 

[bulevardi]

And last year, major Belgium bank gave me ride for trying to deposit cash on arrival from Canada.

Here in Belgium, or I guess other EU counties aswel, there's a limit to deposit cash before it gets suspicious. I don't know how much actually.
I'm not sure every bank verifies these transactions, perhaps it depends on the person at the desk.
But I know they ask regularly.

The best thing is to inform how much you can deposit legally per week or month, and add this amount to your account. After a while you have everything on it...

The banks also ask these questions now to people who do crypto transactions and suddenly transfer a lot of money from their crypto exchange platforms to their bank. Also money from Paypal is seen as a "foreign bank". You could better leave it there and pay online from that account.

 

[bulevardi]

I then changed my approach. I started to buy everything daily like food, car fuel etc. with cash. I did not use my credit cards at all. After a couple of years the cash was gone

Yeah, I once had a couple of bills of € 500.... and then they don't accept it in local shops or do difficult about it.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Here in Belgium, or I guess other EU counties aswel, there's a limit to deposit cash before it gets suspicious. I don't know how much actually.
I'm not sure every bank verifies these transactions, perhaps it depends on the person at the desk.
But I know they ask regularly.

The best thing is to inform how much you can deposit legally per week or month, and add this amount to your account. After a while you have everything on it...

The banks also ask these questions now to people who do crypto transactions and suddenly transfer a lot of money from their crypto exchange platforms to their bank. Also money from Paypal is seen as a "foreign bank". You could better leave it there and pay online from that account.

It was strictly problem with deposit of cash. No such problems in Canada, but dude in Liege BNP Pariba Fartis fricked out after seeing less than 10K USD in cash. From person who just came under full police check and living permit to Belgium.

Here in Belgium, banks are stuck in 19 century.

We had to transfer money from one Belgium bank to another for mortgage/down payment.
Instead of transfering, dude put us on hold and after half-our refused to do so.
Simply because none was aware how money gets into Belgium banks first.
Dude told me - you have account in Netherlands (I do not), no transfer from our Belgium bank to another Belgium bank, increase transfer amount - do yourself. He forgot to told me in Belgium if you increase amount for on-line transferring, it takes one %&#$G week. And they had no clue about intermediary banks in Netherlands for international transfers.

But I knew it is Belgium banks, I had backup appointment in Flanders.
We came and money were transferred instantly, two hours before deadline and losing 20K Euro as deposit...

I'm holding the record in Belgium for getting mortgage within year and half after arrival under A type permit to stay.
It was endless fight with clueless bunch in Belgium banks and brokerage agencies, until one day I've got local mortgage broker recommended. He it is the only person who was able to make it for me. But still, endless fight with endless demands, which were irrelevant for buying property, but keeps unemployment rate in Belgium low.

 

[rfaspen]

Wow. Just wow. I am ecstatic to have my primary residence mortgage fully paid off. The less I have to deal with financial institutions, the better.
I hope the remainder of your adventure in Belgium is wonderful.