I Think I Would Prefer Not ...

I have an account with the online bank ING Direct. I also had an account at Preferred Federal Credit Union — until today. We've had the PFCU account for several years. We started originally a few years ago with a car loan.

Lori had started a separate savings account for the kids' college funds. Today, we went to PFCU to add me to that account. We filled out the paper work. Then, the teller asked for my drivers' license and social security card.

I said, "You have my account information right there." She said okay and called Greenville since we opened the account there. Then she said, "How long has that account been open." When I said five years, she told the person on the other line "never mind" and told us that since it had been opened "so long ago" they would no longer have a copy of the card.

She didn't even have the folks at the other office look for the information. I repeated, "You have my information there in that account — I repeated the number."

"We have to have your social security card," she repeated.

I explained once again that she had our information in front of her and that it would be easy to add me. "We just filled out the paperwork. We should be set."

"No, you'll have to bring in your social security card so we can make a copy of it ..."

"Never mind," I said. "I'll just withdraw the money from my account and close it."

I'll put the money in my ING Direct account. I only had to provide some information and no copies of my drivers' license or social security card to open that account a couple of years ago.

Strange.