Privacy Act and the SSN

In the Compliance section today, there is a question about a customer stating that we cannot require or even ask for a SSN because of the "Privacy Act". Mr. Burnett correctly answered that we have to require it. But many times customers will insist that the Privacy Act applies and supercedes the Patriot Act and will sometimes threaten to sue. This is usually based on something they read on the internet or heard from a friend of a friend and there are still attorneys that will take such cases. It is important to note that this case has been heard by the court already (Ford v Bank of America et al.) The court held that the Privacy Act applies only to government agencies and that Bank's are not government agencies. We can and Must require the SSN.

Sample handout for customers alleging it's "against the law" for a bank to require a TIN.