Stupid requirements for savings account

THE EDITOR: Please allow me to inform the country of a situation which is not helping the effort to deal with crime. If someone wants to open a savings account in any bank, he or she must produce a utility bill, and the reason is to provide proof of address. How stupid! This means that if you don’t pay light bills, phone bills or water rates you can’t open a savings account. There are over ten thousand poor families who do not have electricity, phone and water in their homes; does this mean that they shouldn’t save money in banks? Then there are youths who don’t have property; they have just started to work and would like to be paid through the banks. They too are affected by this requirement.

Another requirement is two forms of identification for some banks. Some youths don’t even have their ID cards yet, because they have applied for it and still waiting to collect it. They haven’t applied for a passport and driver’s permit which are the other two that are accepted all because they are poor people who are now trying to make life on their own. I agree that banks have to protect themselves from money launderers, but poor people should not suffer by stupid rules like these, it just does not make sense. With crime as it is in this country, it is hazardous to move around with large payrolls on a regular basis. So please bank managers, help out these youths by adjusting your requirements.

B GARCIA
Arima