Has this ever happened to you at a bank?

On my weekly stop to banks, I got one eisenhower. Not in great shape at all, but fun finding. I gave it to my 15 year old and he was thrilled!!!! It is so nice that one of my kids is in to coins.

But here was the strange thing. I get rolls to look through every week, just because it is fun. But I tried a new bank yesterday. They didn't have most of what I wanted, so then I was just going to settle for a couple of dime and penny rolls. I was then asked if I have an account and I said no. Then she said that since 9/11, they won't sell coins to anyone except to those with accounts at their bank.

Huh?

I've never run into this before. I asked, "So I can't pay you in cash for an equal amount in coin here?" She said "No." I was only asking for 11 bucks worth of coin.

Has anyone else had this? I thought this was quite strange.....

 

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i just started a month ago and they always ask me if i have an account.. which i do.. but i just respond with yes and they dont ask for a number or anything just hand me the rolls...

never heard the 9/11 though

 

My wife is in banking and is manager and in banking for 31 years.....what you heard is because of privacy act....from homeland security.....banks where i live ...say the same thing....my wife says it's usally up to a manager......and they should they may get a new customer....or as bankers say new money....hope this sheds alittle light...
Neal

 

I've been at the same bank for over 30 years...and they still ask if I have an account when I exchange any amount of money. Of course, they always have, so I just assumed all banks did. They won't let members flat exchange. We have to deposit and then they'll withdraw whatever you want. So, it takes 15 minutes to get a few dollars in coins. This is why I rarely roll search.
Guy~

 

Interesting. The 4 other local banks I stopped at were all very helpful. One even called around to other branches to see if any of them had any new pennies, Harrison Dollars, or large size dollars for me. When this bank wouldn't even sell me 11 dollars of coin for cash, I just thought it was weird. Thanks for responding

 

The four banks I talked about let me even exchange. I can see why they don't like to as one teller gave me back too much. I told him about it, gave him back the extra he accidently gave me and he was grateful.....extremely grateful. Hopefully, that have him help me more in the future....

 

Only have had problems at credit unions in college towns so far.

 

i get the same response at all banks around me... so i opened accounts at 3 of them keep the minumum balance needed, and then i can say 'YES' i do have an account, now give me my change lol (yes, i say it very nicely )

 

Most banks want for a person to have an account there to buy change.
It cost money to handle change and they wish to only spend it on account holders.

 

I have never had any problems. I go to a few bank in the area to get rolls. I usually go once a week so most of them know me but most don't know that I don't even have a account. I have one lady at a certain bank that saves certain coins for me!!

 

I've never heard of the 9/11 thing and I worked at a bank last year. But, I do understand not selling rolls to a non-customer. It's true that it is face value for face value...but it does cost the bank money to roll the coins and transport them. So, some consider rolled coins to be a service only offered to their customers. I think the 9/11 was probably just a line, but not selling you the coins does make sense.

 

no, I've never had that happen.

 

It depends where I live. Bank of the West won't give me any coins without an account, but there are several others that will, although in limited quantities. Unless I am looking for a specific coin (I have been going around trying to find the new pennies) I usually just order the rolls I want from my main bank.

Also, I never heard 9/11 as the explanation for it.

 

I don't know if here is a specific directive caued by 9/11 tat covers the purhase of coin rolls, but the banks do have a lot o new restrictions and requirements that have been placed on them because of 9/11. Latest one n my area is you must now present government issued photo-identification (Your papers please!) to open a new account or for several types of transactons.

 

Just as a matter of interest how do American banks react to overseas visitors when they call in asking for change etc? Over here banks are quite happy to help visitors

 

Yes several times

Yes several times - sometimes I think it's just one of those perky young women who wants to not "be bothered" by me and other times I think I have been seen before asking or getting some rolls then the next time I come in they have been told by higher/ups to tell me that.
Often when asked and not having an account I say" no, I don't have an account but may want one some day here" - it don't matter anymore, either they are regular people who will help any customer of they are full of themselves and arrogant.
I'm hardly ever looking for new coin either (except this year Lincoln's) - I want the stuff turned in by other customers to look for varieties. This type stuff they have to verify and turn in to other banks, (IE: it cost them) - the new stuff they do have to pay for from Brinks or whatever so I sort of see it on stuff they had to pay for but not much.
I know one guy, a professor at U.T. that loves searching half dollars - he has opened accounts at about 60 different banks and credit unions in town keeping a minimum amount like five dollars just to ask them for coin.
Like every business they are all trying to save money - my credit union used to have free coffee, candy and offer copying if you wanted along with free Coin Star service. In the last six months they only have the coffee left - "what are you gonna do"?

 

Now that's what you call loves searching half dollars.

 

Yes, this has been standard practice at the banks I use from long before any privacy acts or Homeland Security. It makes sense for a bank not to tie up the time of employees and make customers wait while someone else is served.

 

It's also possible that it actually is the bank's policy. Many tellers don't really care about the smaller policies. The bank I worked at, it was our policy to not sell rolled coins to non-customers. Now, I would because it didn't really matter to me. But, some of my coworkers took even the smallest rules very seriously. It has nothing to do with being "full of themselves and arrogant" but more with how many of the rules are you willing to bend. If I was still working at the bank and you came in and asked for 4 rolls of cents and didn't have an account...I would take your $2 and give you them. But, if you came in with a $20 and asked for 40 rolls of cents with no account I would have said no. Was it against the rules to give you those $2 worth of cents...yes, but it was such a small amount it wouldn't have been missed. I made that call to keep a "customer" (even though you really aren't a customer since you don't have an account) happy. Some tellers wouldn't have done that because it was against the rules. But, giving someone without an account a lot of rolls would be an absolute no.

This is one of those times where it's good to befriend on the tellers.

You have to remember, banks have a certain number of rolls on hand for a reason. They cater to account holding businesses for change orders, that is why they have rolled coins. They know what business come in and based on that estimate how much rolled coin they need to have on hand each week. you can't give out a large chunk of that to a non-customer out of the blue because that would hurt the bank's large business customers.

Even for a normal account holder...if we were short on rolled coin and they asked for a lot out of the blue we told them no sometimes if we were short.

 

Strange. Never heard of this.

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