Consumer complaint received 2021-11-08
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Problem accessing account
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO. (NY)

On Thursday, XX/XX/2021, my wife and I went to our local Chase Bank brach to add her as an authorized person to our safe deposit box. We have had a checking and savings account at this branch ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, NY XXXX ) since before I retired some XXXX years ago and have done a lot of our banking in person as a walk in. 
On this occasion, after we were seated at a work station with a bank officer to start the documentation, first thing we were asked was if we had thought of using the banks mobil app. I said no, that I wasnt comfortable installing third party apps on my phone. The officer said I should try it, that I would like the convenience. I said she was wasting her time, because there was no way I would use a mobil banking app. She seemed disappointed but seemed satisfied to move on and immediately asked if we had any other bank accounts outside of Chase. Without hesitation, I told her thats none of your business. To this she bristled and said we need to know how you are supported. I said that I was retired and that my wife and I live on our retirement income. She then asked how much our annual income and our assets are. I told her she could list our house as our asset and I did not respond to her inquiry about our annual income. After my wife said she was a long time retired XXXX XXXX, the bank officer turned to me and asked me what I had retired from. I told her I didnt see the relevance of what I retired from XXXX years ago being germane to our banking relationship. By now the bank officers supervisor had joined the increasingly loud conversation, and she said they need to know all this because of the banks Know Your Customer policy ( i.e. KYC ... look it up on the internet ) and that the Patriot Act authorizes the collection of all this information. Then she said they might call you. I told her I would be glad to deal with them myself, that she should have them call me, and she said thats not the way it works. I was getting increasingly angry at their high pressure sales techniques and told them that every so often I have gotten notices that one or another of my accounts at financial institutions, health care networks, banks or credit bureaus had gotten hacked ; which the supervisor acknowledged, saying yes, youre talking about the XXXX breach. She understood that I dont have confidence in their ability to safeguard my personal information so why should they be permitted to warehouse so much more information than they would need to service our checking account. I also told her that with the importance they were putting on the collection of this information, I was beginning to think they were motivated by more than just the verification of my account ( which had been done some XXXX years ago when we opened our accounts, with no glitches in the interim ). It was only after I said it looked to me like they were motivated by a desire to develop a financial profile to sell, did the supervisor look around the room and dropped the whole thing. 
This experience was very upsetting to us both, and not for the reasons one might think. Yes, it was harassment and attempted intimidation. But at my age and life situation, I can readily deal with such dynamics. What really upset me is a powerful financial institution throwing its weight around and chucking spaghetti against the wall to see what sticks. They likely thought an elderly couple would be an easy mark, as I imagine its worked for them with other elderly customers in the past. Maybe its me, but I think they should be obliged to make money the old fashioned way ... and earn it, instead of just pretending to be a bank and going for the really big bucks as information brokers.