Building Credit Score without SSN

[Anonymous]

my experience with bank of america went like this ...

my wife asked for me to be added onto her accounts etc. and was told i couldnt be added until i had my ssn .

in anticipation of getting my ssn i  went to bank asking for information and leaflets etc. on opening accounts , and they opened checking and savings there and then telling me to bring in ssn when i could !!!. 

i never did and was never asked .... until i applied for a secured card .  they wouldnt even start the application process until i had produced it .

even then i got a letter a week later saying i needed to show it before the cc dept could proceed . i called them , then went back to my branch and they faxed my ssn to them .

then i got another letter saying they could despatch my card until they had seen ssn !!!

i'm not sure what other banks rerquire .

maybe a prepaid card will work for you ??

[RobertEG]

If a creditor is denying you credit based on lack of an SSN, I would be interested in hearing from the legal wizards on the site as to the legality of requiring an SSN for banking or credit transactions.  Seems arbitrry to me, but I dont know the law on this puzzle.

[Anonymous]

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@RobertEG wrote:

If a creditor is denying you credit based on lack of an SSN, I would be interested in hearing from the legal wizards on the site as to the legality of requiring an SSN for banking or credit transactions.  Seems arbitrry to me, but I dont know the law on this puzzle.

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Unless you are a US citizen, not having a SSN can be a a clear sign of either illegal immigration or being in the country as a tourist -- both valid reasons to take into account when considering creditworthiness.