New Banking Protection
Procedures are now in place following the 2009 federal ruling that allows some banks and credit unions to accept a "contact address" designated by the California Secretary of State's Safe at Home program rather than a program participant’s actual residence address when the participant applies for a bank account. For bank mail, participants can provide their Safe at Home post office box address.
When opening a new bank account or updating the address in an existing account, a Safe at Home participant must visit a local branch of the financial institution in person and show the Safe at Home identification card. After informing a bank representative of Safe at Home enrollment, the representative will contact the Safe at Home office for verification and a unique contact address than cannot be used anywhere else.
Further details about the procedures are at www.casafeathome.org/ap-fincenruling.htm.
The United States Department of Treasury ruling, which recognizes the need to protect victim anonymity while establishing the true identity of every bank customer, is at www.fincen.gov/statutes_regs/guidance/pdf/fin-2009-r003.pdf.
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