excessive amounts of information required to open a bank account

If it is just a 'bog standard account' you are looking for, this would mean issuing you with a Bank Guarantee Card. This could easily leave the Bank exposed for the amounts of cheques in ones possession, written to the limit of the Card on each cheque. I'm no lover of the Banks but they are certainly not free or risk free money lenders. It is a business they are running, not a public service.
 
You don't have to require a credit facility to obtain a Bank Guarantee Card. Most places will accept a Cheque with a current Bankers Guarantee Card. The OP did not state they did not require a Bank Guarantee Card.
 
I would imagine they want an ATM card which is not offered on savings accounts. and does not need credit
 
PTSB & AIB only require u to provide a picture id and proof of address well when I opened a/c's last yr thats all they needed!... pretty basic stuff... irish banks very good to deal with! try open an a/c in the states or somewhere like that!
 
BadSanta said:
PTSB & AIB only require u to provide a picture id and proof of address well when I opened a/c's last yr thats all they needed!... pretty basic stuff... irish banks very good to deal with! try open an a/c in the states or somewhere like that!
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Actually, opening a bank account in the States is NOTHING compared to Ireland. All you need is a photo ID. No proof of address, no letters from the employer, even if you don't have a social security number. You get a checkbook and a Visa debit / MasterCard card within a week -- at least this is how it works where I live.

I am currently considering opening a basic personal account with BoI, have called three branches in Dublin today and each person I talked to had a different set of rules for me. They agreed only on the photo ID. One branch wants to see my payslips, another doesn't want the slips - instead they want a letter from the employer stating that I am employed. One utility bill or maybe two utility bills? One bank statement or perhaps three bank statements? Seems I will need a separate suitcase for the paperwork when I fly to Ireland.
 
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Current accounts carry a potential risk - loss to bank through forced credit, abuse of lasercard / cheque guarantee card etc
Therefore sufficient information must be gathered at the beginning to assist with credit scoring the application to open the account.

From experience I found that the people who were reluctant to divulge information at the account opening stage were the very same people who caused trouble later on - i.e unreasonable demands / spurious complaining / poor account operation / systematic unpaid items / broken promises to lodge etc.
 
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