Accepting ID Issued at the City Level, OK or No?

We had a banker question but didn't want this in an Anonymous forum, so we are posting it here for the banker. This is a policy and maybe a safeguard issue but shouldn't need to get into any private/proprietary issues. So keep in mind this is a public area, but what IDs you take isn't really a private issue, so...

My institution is considering accepting the new identification cards like those now being offered in various cities in the United States the most recent is New York City.

Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_identification_card

Is any financial institution accepting these cards for identification, as they look similar to the Marticula Consular ID cards? What are your comments on accepting such an identification card? Please don’t ask me to follow my bank’s policy as I am the one who makes the policies.

I think that you would need to look at who the issuing authority is - is it the city government or another non-government group, what the standards for obtaining the ID are (what documents are required, what is the process for obtaining the card, what type of verification is done to prevent fraud, etc), and what type of forgery safeguards are contained on the ID (are there holograms - etc that would make it hard to duplicate). If there is more than one city in your market area issuing ID's, I think you would have to do this for each one, make your decisions based on your comfort level that the ID is accurate, and document which ID's are acceptable and which are not.

Do you currently open accounts for non-resident aliens or individuals without a green card?

California has begun offering driver's licenses to individuals who can't estabish residency in the US. I've looked at the requirements. While not great, the California DMV has determined that they feel their requirements are enough to issue them a driver's license. Once the document is issued, personally, I think it meets the requirements of unexpired government-issued identification for CIP.

I know of several banks in California that are accepting them as ID. Personally, I don't have a problem with the ID, I feel it's enough to establish identity.

I do wonder about what type of monitoring or BSA issues may arise since by accepting this ID. You have knowledge that they are in the country without documentation, so what BSA problems arise for source of funds deposits? What type of monitoring should you do? Just some of my thoughts.

Edited to add: I should have looked at the link you provided. The situation you're asking about I think is a bit different than the DMV issued identification. So I guess you can disregard my info.

NYC bank here and we will not be accepting the NYC issued ID cards.

Some banks actually target this segment of the market; they readily accept alternate forms of ID. Others have decided that in an era where new deposits aren't exactly at a premium, they're just not worth the time they consume and the headaches they cause.