Josh Collins and his wife, Jessica Salazar Collins, were notified by Bank of America that Josh, who was born in Wichita, had to prove his citizenship. They thought it was a scam until the bank cut off access to their assets. The Collins family, Joshua Collins (from left), Jessica Salazar Collins, Trinidad Collins and Josh Collins live in Roeland Park.
They've been banking there for 20 years, but it took several days and a trip to the bank to get access to their money restored. In the interim, the family apparently had several autopay accounts, only to find that B of A had wiped them. The family plans to move to a different bank.
Bank of America said it was standard practice to ask about citizen status when opening a new account or updating customer information on an existing one. But according to the California Bankers Association, the largest state affiliate of the national association, questions of citizenship are not federally required. “Not to our knowledge,” said the spokeswoman, Beth Mills.
B of A's hardly the only game in town.