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The USA PATRIOT Act and related
regulations, enacted in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks,
require our bank to implement an enhanced customer
identification and verification program.
These new requirements are
intended to:
- Set forth uniform, minimum
standards of bank customer identification and verification
for all U.S. financial institutions,
- Ensure that terrorists and
criminals do not use the banking system for improper
purposes, and
- Minimize the risk that someone
will steal your identity, steal funds from your accounts,
and potentially damage your credit history.
To be effective in identifying
those who seek to improperly use the banking system, it is
important for banks to positively confirm the identity of all
those with whom they establish customer relationships. This
includes individuals, businesses, and other legal entities. In
this manner, ongoing monitoring efforts can be focused primarily
on those whose identity is less clearly established or less
transparent, or whose transactions pose the greatest risk of
misuse.
As a result, even if you are an
existing customer and have provided ID documentation previously,
our procedures may require that we:
- Review and copy your
identification documents,
- Ask to see additional
personnel, company or personal information to establish your
identity or that of the business, and
- Verify your identity with third
parties.
Please be assured that this
information will be carefully protected. In fact, you should
also know that the government requires that banks safeguard
personal information and maintain programs to ensure the
integrity of those protections. After all, our mutual interest
is one of trust and integrity. We want you to know that we do
everything we can to earn that trust. And we should expect that
these standards will help make this a long and prosperous
relationship.
Your cooperation in helping us
satisfy these regulatory requirements is very much appreciated.
If there are any questions, please ask any new account employee
or manager.
Thank you. |
