643 thoughts on “Please Provide in This Post Approaches Big Canadian Banks Will Use to Establish U.S. Personhood of Account Holders on July 2 2014: Remember— Information provided in casual conversations with account manager is now accepted bank practice in Canada”

1. @Calgary – Don’t get me started on their pure unadulterated arrogance and belief in their own specialness! GRR! Usually my blood pressure is low but I get choked up with fury when I think about the way they think about themselves and it shoots through the roof!!

2. @GwEvil, re: “Don’t get me started on their pure unadulterated arrogance and belief in their own specialness! GRR! Usually my blood pressure is low but I get choked up with fury when I think about the way they think about themselves and it shoots through the roof!!”

   Does this mean you are not planning to vote in the next US federal election?

3. Oh WhiteKat! LOL!

4. @usxcanada

   perhaps some of us like capsizing naked amid the swirls of wreckage ….

   and I know I have been a goof in a cave before…..actually a naked goof in a cave……

   I refuse to let both my government of CANADA and a foreign gov’t dictate that I should live in fear of them.

   if what you paint as worse case does come to fruition the world will most certainly become a dangerous place to be. I personally don’t ever believe that will happen nor am I going to live my life in the shadow of that ever happening.

   until that happens I refuse to live in a cave naked or otherwise and I will not bow to a foreign govt ever. if amerika should send a special extraction squad renditions to come get me then bring it on because until that happens all Ameika is going to get from me is the one finger salute.

   each and every one of us has an OMG moment and then each and everyone of us had a whole lot of learning to do and each and everyone of us has had to make a decision unique unto our selves about what we are going to do.

   some have chosen to comply, some have chosen to do nothing, some have chosen to attempt to do something in between

   each and every person who has had to make this decision deserves our support for whatever their decision is because it is their decision unto themselves and only they can do what is right and only they have to live with that decision.

5. Yay Mettleman! I have a birdcage by the way 😉 and I fully intend to line the bottom. Looking forward to meeting my fellow rebels in Van 😀

6. Gwevil

   I think a hamster would find such mail useful.

7. @george – Yes agreed! Sadly, all our hamsters have gone to hamster heaven, but we still have a bird (who is purported to live to 15 or so). However, we may get more hamsters just for the purpose 🙂

8. btw – @snub – way to go not letting those bank bastards intimidate you! Keep up the good work! Now you are protecting yourself and you need to continue to do so by looking around for alternatives. From now on do not admit to anyone that you are US if anyone ever accuses you of being such. You have unfortunately learned the hard way by being the usual unsuspecting honest Canadian. All you ever need to admit to is being a Canadian citizen. Anything else is none of their goddamned business! The IGA says that the banks are NOT required to ask a question such as where someone was born, so they have no right and you do not need to answer that.

9. I think it isn’t just Canada which has forsaken its citizens. Other country`s governments have too. It seems by comparison Canada has done the most to protect its citizens. What has Great Britain or Germany done? France? Does anybody know?

10. They don’t call it the ‘one world government’ or the ‘new world order’ for nothing. All the people in all the countries get shafted.

11. @ GwEvil and all else attending the august court case…..I too am certainly looking forward to meeting some of my fellow rebels there.

12. Well said mettleman: ” each and every one of us has an OMG moment and then each and everyone of us had a whole lot of learning to do and each and everyone of us has had to make a decision unique unto our selves about what we are going to do.”

    I am also looking forward to meeting some of my fellow rebels in Vancouver. Thank you to all donors. Canada is a big country and many rebel donors may not be able to afford the travel expense.

    We need to keep in mind that Canadian individuals are bringing this lawsuit. In many other countries throughout world, there appears to be no resistance at all to the US FATCA. At least here there are our voices saying “NO” to US overreach and Canadian Con government bowing down to US law.

    Let’s not forget the option of avoiding the big banks. Credit unions with low total assets are totally exempt from FATCA. Local Client Based credit unions are partially exempt like the very large Vancity credit union:

    ” As a result of our Local Client Base classification, Vancity only needs to collect FATCA information and report on member accounts held by non-Canadian residents.”

    If one lives in Canada and utilizes these types of credit unions, you should not be asked FATCA questions. Please see the following:

    https://www.vancity.com/PrivacyAndSecurity/YourPrivacy/FATCA/

    Some credit unions are FATCA compliant so everyone has to do their homework when considering a credit union.

13. @PAtcanadian
    Yeah- and it probably also has to do with the fact that Canada harbours so MANY “US persons”. You can rally. The other countries have a handful of Americans by comparison. One drowns.

14. @Polly
    True… “US persons” in countries other than Canada may be very outnumbered and more isolated. The banks may also refuse to open accounts for them.

    There is also the case of dual Canadian/US citizens living in the US. And what happens if they move back to Canada?

    Thanks to those outside Canada who have made donations and/or plan too attend the summary trial.

15. Speaking of Credit Unions, as you may know I opened a new account at one a few weeks ago. All they required was my Drivers License and my Social Insurance Number. A few days ago I withdrew money from my bank and went back to the credit union to open a high interest savings account. While opening the new account I was sitting at her desk in such a way that I could view the screen. I had another OMG moment. Under my S.I.N. it read ‘Citizenship > Canadian’. Not sure how they came to that conclusion, but I’m glad I saw that.

16. Congratulations Snub. When you open an account at a FATCA exempt or partially FATCA exempt credit union, they are only need to be concerned that you are a resident of Canada. Or in some cases, a resident of the province. For example, to open accounts at Vancity Credit Union, you must be a resident of BC. It is interesting that you saw the screen indicating Canadian citizenship. I don’t know what this means. Maybe someone does?

17. I’m enjoying this discussion, but I need INVESTMENT accounts. I already have a basic account at a credit union, and I love them so far, but this is not where my real wealth is. I’d move all my registered accounts somewhere safe if I knew where that was (and I’m in my 50s to give you an idea as to their size and what they are). Does anyone know where that would be?? Also, does anyone know of a declared “local client base” credit union where an Ontario resident can go to?

    I really wish I was taller because then I could give TD and Scotia an even higher middle finger.

18. @snub when you saw the computer that was not omg. That was tears of joy for not being treated as a second class canadian

19. @PierreD
    Currently, I only have checking and savings accounts at a large LCB credit union and a small low total asset credit union. The small credit union only has online investment options. The large LCB credit union has a separate investment division with investment advisors. They have many investment options. I happened to speak with one of their advisors when opening accounts there in 2013, regarding investing in the future. He knew that I was from south of the border and indicated there were ways to invest and stay safe.

    I don’t know what your status is with regard to US personhood. At the time I spoke with the financial advisor, I was still considered a US person. Now that I have renounced, I would go to the LCB credit union and deal with their investment department with no hesitation.

    Wish I knew more and will likely be looking into this more in the near future.

20. @Snub

    I’m glad for your success so far. Hopefully you can convince HSBC that you are not a US Person, so your account(s) will not be reported.

    @PatCanadian

    I don’t think that there is any special meaning to the credit union designating Snub as a Canadian citizen. They just correctly assumed this as most or all of their clients are Canadian, and he (by presenting his SIN and provincial DL) appeared no different from any other Canadian.

21. @PierreD
    Here is a link to a thread on credit unions at Maple Sandbox. I looked into credit unions in BC. There is some limited info on credit unions in other provinces as well.

    http://maplesandbox.ca/?s=credit+unions

    @Mr. A.
    Yes, they are probably just designating that Snub is Canadian.

22. Last time I was in the USA as an EU Citizen btw…….with my ESTA but without a CLN…..

    At Walmart there was a new product and it was prepaid AMEX and VISA.

    At first I thought it was the standard non-reloadable gift card.

    Turns out there was a niche for the unbanked……you use these vehicles like a checking account to receive deposits and then you can make arrangements for bill payments plus you get a card that you can use like a debit card whereever Visa or Amex is accepted.

    Flash forward to Europe………as we have lots of unbanked……and yes it appears that they arrived here a couple years ago and are starting to take off.

    Persons with the TATTOO are also unbanked……like that segment of society these products were designed for.

    Guess what? They are FATCA free in the IGA as they are under $50,000 and when you apply or register them as a product they are not frightening.

    Turns out Canada has them;

    http://www.mastercard.ca/prepaid-card.html

    http://www.visa.ca/en/personal/prepaidcards/reloadable.jsp

    https://services.petro-canada.ca/pivotcard/

    http://myoptplus.ca/default.aspx

    Hope this may be of use…

23. Here is another one Brockfriends….

    https://www.myprepaidcard.ca/index.cfm?pageid=g02&CFID=1&CFTOKEN=F34D1CA1CDD2467B911821D3BBE7F9E5&CFSEQ=6

24. As you may remember, HSBC asked me ” If you were to apply to get a passport, would you be able to get one?” I replied, “Yes, I am a Canadian Citizen” So,

    I have nothing more than my Certificate of Registration of Birth Abroad, which I was told ( by CIC in 1974) that was all I needed. So thinking I would apply for proof, which could take forever, luckily I remembered that I have a B.C. Enhanced Drivers License, basically a poor mans passport, that is proof of citizenship. I took this information to HSBC and they were good with that. So a couple of days later they call me, saying that they no longer require me to sign the W9, but…………they now are asking for a Certificate Of Loss Of Nationality from the U.S. I tell them that could take forever to get, but that is their demand.

    This may sound like a stupid question, but if I was to just remove all my money from HSBC and close my account, would they still need to report me to the CRA?

25. @Snub,

    Yes, the IGA says they must still report you. Article 2, 2 a) (4) on page 10:

    (4) the account balance or value (including, in the case of a Cash Value Insurance Contract or Annuity Contract, the Cash Value or surrender value) as of the end of the relevant calendar year or other appropriate reporting period or, if the account was closed during such year, immediately before closure;