[SkyPilot]

Check this out - from Drudge front page:

Prove it: Bank blocking some customers from making large withdrawals without ‘evidence’ of spending need

HSBC says it’s all done in the name of customer protection. "The reason being we have an obligation to protect our customers, and to minimize the opportunity for financial crime.”

This is a national and international trend. If you take out cash, the banks are now asking "What do you want it for?" Whatever happened to "Mind you own business - it's my money."

Governments are now imposing more and more control on every aspect of our lives.

Cash provides some freedom from the Big Brother observance of every single transaction in our entire lives, but I think cash is very rapidly on its way out. For months now I have seen people paying for things using their smart phones.

[Irenic]

Four or five years ago I wanted to withdraw 5,000 cash from my BoA account, they would only let me take out part of it—2,500? 3,000? (don’t recall the exact).

My husband was with me and so he just withdrew the remainder from his account and I transferred it back to him.

I also noticed while in line that an elderly man was taken out of the bank teller line and shown to the ATM.

I still don’t understand why that happened. Somebody told me that you need to contact the bank ahead for such a withdrawal.

Guess I’m just a silly hick because I figured it’s my money and I can withdraw it whenever I want. It’s not like the bank didn’t have it.

/shrug...I don’t understand the world today.

[Covenantor]

Ah well, I see what the problem for Mr. Cotton is. He holds the mistaken belief that he is a valued customer of the HSBC.

Had he said, “ Just want to wash some of my quick and ready ( wink, wink ) eh. Friends from Mexico and Columbia ( wink,wink) in for the weekend what.”, he would have received the full amount with a smile.

Because:

“Regulators worldwide are cracking down on money laundering controls just over a year since HSBC paid a hefty $1.92 billion to settle U.S. charges that it allowed Mexican and Colombian cartels to launder drugs proceeds - and lawyers said they expected more penalties to follow.”