Has anyone considered using digital cameras to take pictures of ID used to open accounts?

I would think as long as you have what the CIP regulation states as a "copy" and you can retrieve it, any way you complete this process would be sufficient.

Yes, we are. Retention and retrieval may be easier this way. But we are still early in the thought process. As opposed to sticking it on a copier, this will require more time AND expertise.

You also have to worry about state laws. There was a recent thread that stated photocopies were OK, digitized retention was not for one state. And will your customer be more afraid of ID theft seeing you do this?

I am also in California and I do not believe we have any laws that state "digital" is not sufficient, in fact, I know in CA copies are considred legal documents of the original.

We're currently using flatbed scanners, and we did alot of digging for a better mousetrap. So far, there isn't. Digital cameras were one solution we explored, and it simply wasn't practical- they're too costly and more error prone than the flatbeds.

The all-in-one machines - fax, scan, copy - are usually best. An example is HP G85.

You can preset most defaults, such as format and resolution. Many scanners will use up to 2400dpi, but 200 dpi is probably sufficient.

Even so, a typical scan and save will take at least a minute, maybe longer if the machine needs to warm up.

Because we put a customers picture on their Picture Perfect Check Card anyway (hence the name) we have digital cameras available. Getting good shots of an ID will require some testing or a jig though.

Andy:

I hope everyone who uses the digital photos takes better pictures than "Costco" (one of those bulk super markets). Recently, I had the experience of having this done. Beauty/handsomeness may not be my forte, but I certainly looked better than the picture. If you can picture a rotten cantaloupe, that's what I looked like!

Actually, this little graemlin looks more like me than the picture on my Costco ID card!

Seriously - look for the WaMu commercial where the New Accounts Rep staples the bar code to the customer's forehead. Then you see the frustrated teller dragging the customer's head back and forth muttering "I HATE it when these don't scan!"

Are we that far off?

Strictly speaking, the proposal says you need a copy. It didn't say how READABLE the copy had to be. Perhaps you can take a digitial photo of your customer holding her/her I.D.? It will, after all, still be a "copy."