I bank with Raiffeisen, no questions ever asked here and I regularly get wire transfers from every corner of the globe.

Yeah, this sounds like they already know that you're in Adult, just want you to confirm it, switch to a new Bank....

Going through this now.
I just got a letter that several of my accounts will be closed in two weeks.
They will be losing all of my business, not just the two accounts in the letter.

I have also referred 4 other corporations to them, they will likely be moving away as well.

No TOS problems, but the reserve the right to pick and choose their customers.
Fuck Regions Bank.

3+ million dollars will be moved from Regions to a competing bank on Monday.

Perhaps AVN, Xbiz and the Free Speech Coalition should run an article on banks that are not adult friendly...

So Banks don't like pornographers? Canada doesn't have problem with adult, I believe.

CCbill is not used only for adult, though. I wonder how much detailed information your bank is asking. Maybe you can just give the bank general information without too much details. Well anyway, bank will tell you what they need to know.

WU always does this. :2 cents:

huh? Its none of their business actually

Wrong.

:disgust

Good idea :thumbsup

If you're marked I would move banks just for future peace of mind. Much easier to switch with no bumps in your biz when you are in control. On another note just tell them you do affiliate marketing. That's what it is.

While it isn't the same thing several years ago I used to bank with Washington Mutual. One afternoon I get a letter from them telling me that they have good information that a check I deposited is no good and that it might bounce. This check is from a company that I had never had any issues with so I'm pretty shocked and think they must know something I don't. The next day I go down to the bank and ask them about it. The manager pulls me aside and says, "That check is from an "adult" company and most of the checks from companies like that end up bouncing." I said, "I have been with you for a few years and about 90% of the checks I deposit are from "adult" companies and I have never had even one of them bounce." He seemed a little shocked by that.

The next day I went in and closed my accounts and went to a different bank that I have been with ever since.

Consult your accountant or lawyer.

i had an issue too, BMO asked me some questions in 04 about my ibill wires. transfers in the 6 figures every two weeks. wondering where all this money was coming from. i told them look, i've been getting huge wires into my accounts since 2000. why all of the sudden i'm getting questions? anyway, i told them it was for seo work, and then proceeded to bore them with some tech jargon, and they never asked anything else again.

on a related note, i just recently left BMO, and moved to TD. i'm having a much much better experience with them, transfered a HUGE pile of cash, investments, RRSP's, etc, and the manager i'm dealing with didn't even blink twice. zero questions, just wanted some ID, and before i left, gave me her personal cell phone number and told me not to hesitate to call if i ever needed anything.

If your bank account is located in the EU and you are reaching a certain amount of turnover, the bank (and pretty much every other business) has to comply with the
"Directive 2005/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 October 2005 on the prevention of the use of the financial system for the purpose of money laundering and terrorist financing".

This directive has become law in every EU country and maybe thats why they ask.

if it is ING in your small hometown, try to switch your account to a larger city or switch banks, I banked with ING then had to switch of the same problem you are having now.
If it is a private account you better get it transferred to a business account as well

Silvercash checks have been wellsfargo for a while.. I think..

BMO asked why i was getting wires and such, switched to RoyalBank, now they're completely useless, won't let me have a US Checking account, guessing TD is gonna be the next bank

Thank you.

They also have a similar thing here that passed in the Patriot Act. Long story short, financial institutions are SUPPOSED to question, what they consider strange or out of the norm, or large dollar transaction. Especially when it comes to international wires, and payments over $3000 or 5000. I forget which.

So anyone in the U.S. claiming any kind of 'banking privacy' is a clueless asshat.

:2 cents:

Thanks for the interesting feedback all.

Payments of $10,000 are reported to the FBI, unless they dropped that? I think low numbers like $3000 would trigger way too many reports.

I think its the international wires between NATS sponsors or merhant account sponsors and affiliates. You can understand when banks see large wires going overseas every month and visa versa, would raise some eyebrows.

Well, that´s why I love the US. While the European Parliament needs about one million words to describe the directive, the US manages it using two simple words: Patriot Act.

Once an american and a german chief engineer met and discussed their new projects, building a bridge across a river.

About a year later they met again.

The american engineer told the german: "One month left and the bridge will be completed!"

The german replied: "Only twelve applications to submit, and I´ll be allowed to start."

been there done that, I was kicked out from one bank years ago

May have something to do with money laundering laws of your contry.

As somebody said earlier, some western countries (including Canada) monitor every wire 10K and up.

Remember what happened this spring re: UBS ?? Now the states want W-8BENs everytime money leaves the country, that puts a lot of pressure on foreign banks to make sure that their business is clean.

I would just ask my bank what it is all about, in details.

Required reporting
$10,000 may be FBI
$5,000.00 is IRS

Lower dollar amount to homeland security on single money transactions/wires.

My old college roommate is H.L.S. and told me himself. Which is how I even know this bullshit. I simply can't remember the under $5k amount, which was my guess when he asked me about it. But it was a lower dollar amount and it let to a long discussion.

The point being, the U.S. bank/financial institution has every right to ask you about your accounts, and money, especially when it is raising a flag or out of what they consider 'the norm'.

I do hate all greedy banks.

If the IRS is $5,000, we now know why so many people slip by on tax evasion. LOL. Man that must keep them stupid busy.

I would say many are lucky that there is a shortage of enforcement agents at the IRS.

It is well documented that they can't keep up with the workload as is. Which is why it takes them 5-10 years to catch some of these 'flips' and other corporate tax shelter shell games that have made the news in recent years.

ROTFL, yeah right, like that will ever happen... :1orglaugh

I suggest you ask (nicely) why they need to know such detailed information. Ask if there is a law or ToS involved.

It seems very strange that a bank would be asking for details of your customers, if there's a potential legal issue then wouldn't they refer it to the appropriate authorities?

CCBill = Affiliate Marketing.

You tell them you are in the affiliate marketing business. Which IS what you are in, so you're not lying. Then you get into explaining how you use free hosted marketing tools and banner ads displayed in key locations on specific trafficking networks. In order to maintain niche traffic to an market orientated ad spot, to convert quality controlled traffic into sales.

blah blah blah blah.

Terms you use every day to describe normal shit about this business is going to fly right the fuck over a normal person's head. They won't understand a damn thing you're saying and it'll sound all technical to them. You can describe everything you do, just don't mention it as porn. Mention it as ads, marketing, traffic. Not nude pictures, banners, and surfers.

This will end any other questions.

Tell them to go Suck a donkeys Ass..

c=COCK
c=CUNT
B=BOOBS
I=interracial
L=Latina
L=Lesbian

Here u go that's how they came to a conclusion that your in the Adult business:1orglaugh

This is actually very true.

I have had to explain to a few bank managers online business, or try. I get half way into the business end and they either admit defeat, or their eyes glaze over.

The end.

RBC pulled that shit on me after receiveing 30K in 5 payments of 6K... they flagged my account as suspicious activities... the same day I closed my account, and told them to go fuck themself:thumbsup

So there we go. thats what ya gotta do;)

Stange of the Royal ....

I have a US checking account with them and never had a problem . Also one with the TD as well as BankNorth ( actually a US bank in the US ).


But for people that are so inclined to " cascading billing " , you should thing of " cascading banking " ...

If the Royal cuts me off, I already have an operating account at another bank ... just switch merchant account deposit info ... thats all .

The numbers are actually the following:

$9,999 transaction or more (wire, check, deposit, withdrawl)or above gets reported to DHS and IRS.
$2,999 cash transaction or more gets reported to DHS and IRS.

Also any wires to/from a country on the OFAC list gets immediately reported as well and the bank will most likely ask you questions about it, or freeze the funds, etc.

Thanks, I wanted to say it was $2500-3000.00 but I simply could not remember. :thumbsup

As for the IRS, and $5000.00 (irs.com website).

He told me some other shit HLS can do in tracking electronic transfers, money, and so forth if they really wanted to. They have used this tactic apparently when they can't make some HLS charges stick.

I said, well why doesn't the IRS use this to track down bank fraud and such? He said they could, and do. But they are overwhelmed and underfunded. So until something 'pops' on the radar. They do not typically just do random searches.

Kinda weird but whatever.

9,999 transations get automatically the 5000 is if there is suspicion of something crooked.

Right.

However, as previously mentioned, I have been asked about international wires, incoming and outgoing, as well as what the bank considers 'big dollar transactions' before. Both at my bank, and credit union.

However, as I also said, I start talking to them about 'affiliate marketing' and the online business, and their eyes glaze over and they are lost in no time. They do not ask again.

The point being, getting back to the O.P., the bank can, does, and is supposed to ask about what they consider transactions out of the norm. Face the facts. Most average Joe's are not doing international wires, nor know how to. Or are depositing $2000/5000/10000.00+ dollar transactions repeatedly.

So, realistically, a financial institution is/can/should ask.
:2 cents:

name the bank... pls

I merely state that I am an independent contractor and work online for various companies doing both marketing and some technical services ( I keep my own servers running :upsidedow ). I leave it at that. If they asked more questions I would politely refuse and close the account if they persisted.

Sometimes the people asking this are asking for nothing more than their own curiousity, believe it or not.

+1

My bank wouldnt ever ask personal questions like that and they are somewhat small of a bank. However the last business account I opened they had a new rule where they needed to know the nature of the business. I just put marketing.

As far as my personal account though that majority of my checks come into they have never said anything. I would switch banks straight away if they gave me any shit.

mine does annoy the hell out of me, although "advertising on websites" with a detour into seo if need be will make them lose interest. a few times i've told them it was none of their business. i hate my bank.