02/17/2003
An issue has come up a couple times in the recent past: Our customers are sending emails directly to our employees, especially our commercial customers. The emails are not encrypted or password protected and they often contain non-public information - loan requests, updates on rent rolls, financial information on their company. Our customers want us to communicate in email form. We offer email that is encrypted via our Internet banking product. However, the lenders are telling me that their customers will not go through the inconvenience of logging in to Internet banking to communicate. Our Privacy Policy does extend beyond the minimum requirements of GLB; we opted to include commercial customers under the privacy blanket. Our E:Banking Policy does not address communication of non public information via email (incoming or outgoing). Does anyone have a practical solution to this growing concern?
01/06/2003
Due to the rise in check fraud and identity theft, we are receiving more and more requests for customer and account information from local law enforcement. These investigations may or may not involve a bank loss, and some of the investigations are the result of a customer's police report. Do you know of clear-cut guidelines when we can provide the requested information or when a subpoena or search warrant is required? We want to help stop crime, but I wish not to contact outside counsel every time a law enforcement request comes in.
12/02/2002
We have an elderly customer who has a savings account with a fair amount of money in it. She must have Alzheimer's or some kind of mental problem and is very confused all of the time. She never makes any sense in her requests. In fact, her latest request is that we find her a house with water. (We believe she may have even had her water cut off at her home due to delinquent payments, but we don't know.) She brought in numerous social security checks the other day that she has been "saving". They were over a year old, so we sent them to social security and they are supposed to re-issue her new ones. She refuses to have her checks direct deposited and she doesn't want anybody to know her "business". A daughter brings her to the bank, but always waits for her in the car. What should we do about this situation? Try and talk to the daughter? We think she needs a guardian or power of attorney. We don't really have any right to say a whole lot to anyone, but we are concerned for her well-being.
12/02/2002
We are adding cameras in our safe deposit box area. Should we position the cameras to cover the area inside the safe deposit vault or just the outside door? If inside, how do we address the privacy of customers who are accessing their safe deposit boxes?
11/18/2002
Will we need to obtain a copy of a driver license for a guarantor on a loan?
10/14/2002
Business Case Estimates New Banking Industry Revenue of $1 Billion in 5th Year from Internet Payment and Authentication Services
09/16/2002
Should tellers have their full name on their name plates?
09/02/2002
Should tellers have their full name on their name plates?
07/01/2002
Under our banking laws and regulations, a financial institution that suspected one of its account holders to be engaging in possible terrorist or money laundering activities or fraud would initiate
07/01/2002
Summertime is upon us and with the warm weather comes another rash of warnings about counterfeits, fraudulent checks and other vacation activities.