Dear Senores y Senoras,
I had been a Bank of America customer since 1984. It says so on my card currently printed in English. Up to today I assure you that my account(s) have been very profitable for your large impersonal corporation.
Alas, your recent marketing efforts to position yourself as the illegal immigrant banking institution, have metastasized and materialized to such an in insulting state that , today, I am closing all my banking relationships with Bank of Mexico..er..America.
Between all the family accounts that I manage, the mortgages, car loans, etc, I estimate that to be well over 1 Million in customer assets and obligations. Not a lot in the nameless faceless spreadsheet aggregate but I’m sure equivalent to hundreds of profitable “latino friendly” accounts that you so desperately crave.
Surely you know the pattern. Subject your customers to begin each transaction on your paid customer service line to a Spanish dialogue. Then follow that with the requirement that at the Versatel, the customer must press YES ENGLISH twice, to begin the transaction. That enough is maddening and insulting…but yes…you topped it.
The new “no social security number required credit cards and mortgages”!. All with the stringent requirement that individuals must already have a banking relationship with Bank of The Greater America. Gee, I wonder what large pot of customers this targets? Que lastima!!!
I know your business model contains customer turnover metrics that take into account the amount of assets you will lose to individuals like myself that do not value the dollar to the extent of your MBAs. Surely your customers will continue to bank with you at the expense of national security or the in your face cultural disrespect. Right? I do believe that you have misunderestimated the reaction from your customer base and have misjudged the widespread discontent this marketing model has produced.
This is a very important letter in that it represents the first time that I have written such to an entity that I have done lifelong business with. File it under “Circular” if you will. Or Circulara should that be the new database file name.
Regards
samadams2000
Posted by Kimberly GG On News/Activism 02/14/2007 12:17:25 AM PST · 38 of 63
I disagree T.L....from what I've read it is NOT legal.
"In 1996, Congress expanded the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) to include violations of federal immigration law.1 While this expansion may not have received much publicity, it could potentially change the face of U.S. immigration law enforcement. Under the new RICO provisions, a violation of certain provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) meets the definition of racketeering activity, also known as a "predicate offense,"2 and an entity that engages in a pattern of racketeering ACTIVITY FOR FINANCIAL GAIN can be held both criminally and civilly liable.3 Among other things, the INA makes it UNLWAFUL TO ENCOURAGE ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION or employ illegal aliens,4 which violations were included as predicate offenses under RICO."........
"The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has specifically interpreted this provision to apply to actions that encourage illegal aliens already in the United States to remain or that induce further illegal immigration.17 The Fourth Circuit held that "‘encouraging’ is not limited to bringing in, transporting or concealing illegal aliens. Rather, ‘encouraging’ relates to actions taken to convince the illegal alien to come to this country or to stay in this country."......
"Some large U.S. financial corporations currently accept the matricula as primary or secondary ID for the purpose of opening bank accounts in the United States for illegal aliens. An illegal alien with a U.S. bank account, in which he or she may deposit illegally acquired funds, and out of which he or she may pay local rent, local utility bills, and send money abroad, is more likely to remain illegally in the United States. In other words, he or she is encouraged to remain illegally in the United States — such encouragement being a violation of Federal law.
When such a violation is done for the purpose of financial gain, as in the case of the financial corporations engaged in the practice, it is more than simply a violation of immigration law — it is racketeering. Also, those contemplating entering the United States illegally will be further encouraged to do so because of the added benefits they can obtain once they enter. Thus, it is reasonable to say that acceptance of the matricula is a violation of the INA and a predicate offense under RICO."..........
http://www.cis.org/articles/2003/back1103.html