# What can a bank teller see about your account?



## Causalien

Out of curiosity, can anyone in the banking world tell me what's displayed on the terminal after I swipe my card in front of the teller? Does it make any difference in attitude towards the customer you are facing?


----------



## HaroldCrump

From an article published in the Money Sense magazine in Fall 2013:

*What your Bank Teller isn't telling you*

_*5. Some of us love to gossip.* 
Tellers have exclusive access to your chequings, savings and investment accounts. 
While they're not supposed to sift through personal transaction details unless there is a reason to, that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. 
"We can see everything and sometimes chat among ourselves about how much money so-and-so is making and spending," said another source at a bank._


----------



## DayTek

I am a bank teller. I can see pretty much everything - Chequing/Savings accounts, TFSAs, Mortgages, Loans, Credit Cards and Investments (Although most tellers have limited access to IA details besides the dollar figure because it's not required of us to discuss things like that on the front line. Most tellers are not licensed to discuss mutual funds, so we can't even talk about most IAs anyway). 

They give us access to your information so we can provide you with good customer service...Or, yes, "sell" you something of value. I only scroll through a client's transactions to see what kind of fees they are paying - I've seen clients with a basic chequing account ($4/month, 10 free debits) pay *$30* in extra debit fees! And they had no idea! If I'm doing what's best for the client, I'm going to talk to them about that.  Some people turn my advice down simply because they feel I'm trying to sell them something...I can't really blame them with the bad reps banks get, but when I'm spilling logic, well, it's there call in the end to reject that I guess.

The article by @HaroldCrump is mostly true. #3, not so much, though; We are trained to scan cheques in detail, especially for fraud. I always check the date on cheques...It's my job! Tellers who miss post-dated cheques are either new trainees or sloppy tellers. People should check their cheques either way before hand. #5 I try not to take part in, but some tellers do.

I don't play favourites with my clients in terms of who has what in the accounts; Everyone deserves to be served with a pleasant and courteous attitude - Doesn't matter if you are on welfare or a millionaire.


----------



## Canadian

Notes and alerts can also be placed on customer profiles. Some can be as simple as "Mr. X likes to go by ___". Others may be about if the customer was overly rude, has been told that the bank will no longer reverse fees, if an empty envelope has been deposited, etc.


----------



## Beaver101

DayTek said:


> I am a bank teller. I can see pretty much everything - Chequing/Savings accounts, TFSAs, Mortgages, Loans, Credit Cards and Investments (Although most tellers have limited access to IA details besides the dollar figure because it's not required of us to discuss things like that on the front line. Most tellers are not licensed to discuss mutual funds, so we can't even talk about most IAs anyway).
> 
> They give us access to your information so we can provide you with good customer service...Or, *yes, "sell" you* something of value. I only scroll through a client's transactions to see what kind of fees they are paying - I've seen clients with a basic chequing account ($4/month, 10 free debits) pay *$30* in extra debit fees! And they had no idea! If I'm doing what's best for the client, I'm going to talk to them about that. *Some people turn my advice down simply because they feel I'm trying to sell them something*...I can't really blame them with the bad reps banks get, but when I'm spilling logic, well, it's there call in the end to reject that I guess.
> 
> The article by @HaroldCrump is mostly true. #3, not so much, though; *We are trained to scan cheques in detail, especially for fraud. I always check the date on cheques...It's my job! * Tellers who miss post-dated cheques are either new trainees or sloppy tellers. People should check their cheques either way before hand. #5 I try not to take part in, but some tellers do.
> 
> *I don't play favourites with my clients in terms of who has what in the accounts*; Everyone deserves to be served with a pleasant and courteous attitude - Doesn't matter if you are on welfare or a millionaire.


 ... I would say 90% of the time the teller is trying to "up-sell" the customer (as trained by upper management) and not because of better customer service. If banks want to provide better customer service, how about starting with fees reduction? 

Also, teller checking dates on the cheques would seem to be over-kill considering there're several days of hold on cheques. Moreover, how are cheques being "checked" now when they are accepted as "pictures" via smartpones and the likes? 

Playing favourites is not a concern with bank tellers but *"privacy" is a Big issue*. And this goes for personal bank managers too.


----------



## andrewf

Perhaps another reason for me to prefer my highly automated online bank. No nosy neighbours looking through my financial information. If bank employees really gossip about these kinds of things, I can see how that might be highly damaging (ie, revealing that someone has more assets than they'd like their peers to know about).


----------



## Beaver101

Yes, highly automated online bank is very efficient but you can't possibly do all your banking online without having to see a teller. eg. purchasing travellers cheques or money orders.

It is not a question of "*If* bank employees *really *gossip about these kinds of things, I can see how that might be highly damaging (ie, revealing that someone has more assets than they'd like their peers to know about).", they do as they are nosy-humans.


----------



## Toronto.gal

Beaver101 said:


> 1. If banks want to provide better customer service, how about starting with fees reduction?
> 2. Moreover, how are cheques being "checked" now when they are accepted as "pictures" via smartpones and the likes?
> 3. *"privacy" is a Big issue*. And this goes for personal bank managers too.


*1. *I keep telling you to buy the banks.

*2.* Did my 1st eDeposit last week with CIBC, which appears to have been the 1st bank here to have launched the convenient mobile app. 
http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/126...s-canadians-deposit-cheques-with-their-phones

*3. *Yes, it's privacy! Same goes for any business; underwriters/claim adjustors, etc., also view plenty about you, but are not supposed to gossip about it. I really wonder how many out there would risk their jobs for the sake of gossip?

They still sell 'travellers cheques' these days?


----------



## Nemo2

Toronto.gal said:


> They still sell 'travellers cheques' these days?


They _sell_ them....but _cashing_ them is a whole 'nother story.......last time we were in Mexico we took some, (in $US), that had been sitting in our 'strong box' for years......went into a Bank of Nova Scotia branch there, Canadian passports in hand....they wouldn't take'em!


----------



## Dibs

One time a teller told me that I've been a loyal customer for X years. So I assume they know when I joined - I don't even remember how long I've been with them..


----------



## Beaver101

Toronto.gal said:


> *1. *I keep telling you to buy the banks.
> 
> *2.* Did my 1st eDeposit last week with CIBC, which appears to have been the 1st bank here to have launched the convenient mobile app.
> http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/126...s-canadians-deposit-cheques-with-their-phones
> 
> *3. *Yes, it's privacy! Same goes for any business; underwriters/claim adjustors, etc., also view plenty about you, but are not supposed to gossip about it. I really wonder how many out there would risk their jobs for the sake of gossip?
> 
> They still sell 'travellers cheques' these days?


 ...

1. LOL! and the answer remains "no, thanks". 

2. No risk to their jobs as how do you, as a customer, "prove" gossips? 

3. Yes, as under CIBC's site: 

_How can I order traveller's cheques?


American Express Traveller’s Cheques are a safe and convenient way to carry money while travelling.From the moment you purchase and sign them, you are protected from loss or theft. Your cheques can be replaced with a single phone call - refundable usually within 24 hours if lost or stolen.

American Express Traveller’s Cheques are stocked at branches in the following currencies:

Canadian dollar (CAD) 
U.S. dollar (USD) 
Australian dollar (AUD) 
Euro (EUR) 
British pound (GBP) 
All other currencies must be pre-ordered._


----------



## wendi1

Yes, they still sell travellers cheques. The question is, will anybody cash them for you at the other end without a hideous fee? Almost all credit cards and debit cards work in other countries, now. And with paypal, it's been a long time since I needed a money order.

I bank with PC, and have needed to get a certified cheque once in twenty years (for a car purchase). It's a simpler world out there.


----------



## Four Pillars

Toronto.gal said:


> Did my 1st eDeposit last week with CIBC, which appears to have been the 1st bank here to have launched the convenient mobile app.


Cool - thanks for mentioning this. I need to try it.

I remember hearing about this 3? years ago with US banks. About time!


----------



## Beaver101

And why is Toronto.gal doing an eDeposit of a physical cheque? Aren't we suppose to be in the electronic age doing easy EFT/EDIs?


----------



## Retired Peasant

andrewf said:


> Perhaps another reason for me to prefer my highly automated online bank. No nosy neighbours looking through my financial information. If bank employees really gossip about these kinds of things, I can see how that might be highly damaging (ie, revealing that someone has more assets than they'd like their peers to know about).


Particularly so in a small town. In a larger place, the teller behind the counter is likely unknown to you.


----------



## blin10

can a teller lets say search for a name an open up somebody's accounts ?


----------



## Toronto.gal

Beaver101 said:


> And why is Toronto.gal doing an eDeposit of a physical cheque? Aren't we suppose to be in the electronic age doing easy EFT/EDIs?


LOL.

Ok., I'll tell the couple that rent our huge & never used locker, to pay me electronically. :chuncky:

I accept cheques for other things coz I'm flexible. :tongue-new:

If 'travellers cheques' are still around, why not regular cheques?


----------



## Video_Frank

blin10 said:


> can a teller lets say search for a name an open up somebody's accounts ?


According to a friend of mine, who is in the banking business, unauthorized account access is grounds for instant termination.


----------



## Video_Frank

We opened up our Investorline account at a BMo branch. The bank employee asked if we wanted to link the two accounts (i.e. our BMo accounts and the investorline accounts). When asked why, she replied it was so BMo could "see" our Investorline accounts. I declined.


----------



## DayTek

Video_Frank said:


> According to a friend of mine, who is in the banking business, unauthorized account access is grounds for instant termination.


This is true. 



Beaver101 said:


> ... I would say 90% of the time the teller is trying to "up-sell" the customer (as trained by upper management) and not because of better customer service. If banks want to provide better customer service, how about starting with fees reduction?
> 
> Also, teller checking dates on the cheques would seem to be over-kill considering there're several days of hold on cheques. Moreover, how are cheques being "checked" now when they are accepted as "pictures" via smartpones and the likes?
> 
> Playing favourites is not a concern with bank tellers but *"privacy" is a Big issue*. And this goes for personal bank managers too.


There is typically an agenda for sales under a teller position, which is influenced by management. As a teller, I have never been driven to sell myself personally. I have been in the game 8 years and have never been a #1 seller in that time; I carry the mentality that if the client doesn't need it or doesn't want it, then management will just have to suck it up or sell it themselves, because I'm not pressuring anyone into anything for my own benefit. 

Bank fees are a common complaint. When I get sassed about fees, I simply tell clients that their fee pays for the service they are getting…The _personal_ service. There are ways to reduce or eliminate fees, depending on the products a client has. Sometimes they are happy with that. But we have had clients leave us for "other banking" because they are sick of paying fees, only to have them come back to us because they couldn't operate completely in an automated world - They wanted human interaction with human advice…You have to pay to get that sometimes. It's the same with any business you step foot into, really. Pretty much anything you buy that is rung out by a cashier you're already paying a "fee" for, which has bee topped up on the price of the item - The fee pays that employees wages.

My days as a Teller are numbered - I'm starting an Admin role in the bank next month. I can't lie, the increased agenda for sales has a lot to do with it. Because of the slowing traffic in branches, the Teller role is evolving into more selling and less "CSRing". I started banking in 2005 and 3 banks later, the sales push has only gotten worse. Every role in the branch is either Management or Sales, and I favour neither. I have a great respect for the Teller role and Customer Service in general after starting my career at 19. It's one of the most stressful and crappiest paying positions out there. I stuck it out because I love my clients and I love helping people. The role probably won't exist by the next decade, so I'm getting out while the getting is good!


----------



## Toronto.gal

^^ Also opened up IE accounts at the branch, and declined to link the accounts.


----------



## kcowan

Nemo2 said:


> They _sell_ them....but _cashing_ them is a whole 'nother story.......last time we were in Mexico we took some, (in $US), that had been sitting in our 'strong box' for years......went into a Bank of Nova Scotia branch there, Canadian passports in hand....they wouldn't take'em!


Mexican banks have specialized in recent years. Bancomer and Scotia do C$, Banamex and Banorte do USD.


----------



## Beaver101

DayTek said:


> This is true.
> 
> *There is typically an agenda for sales under a teller position, which is influenced by management.* As a teller, I have never been driven to sell myself personally. I have been in the game 8 years and have never been a #1 seller in that time; I carry the mentality that if the client doesn't need it or doesn't want it, then management will just have to suck it up or sell it themselves, because I'm not pressuring anyone into anything for my own benefit. ... * I applaud you for your honesty on this.*
> 
> Bank fees are a common complaint. When I get sassed about fees, I simply tell clients that their fee pays for the service they are getting…The _personal_ service. There are ways to reduce or eliminate fees, depending on the products a client has. Sometimes they are happy with that. But we have had clients leave us for "other banking" because they are sick of paying fees, only to have them come back to us because they couldn't operate completely in an automated world - *They wanted human interaction with human advice*…You have to pay to get that sometimes. It's the same with any business you step foot into, really. Pretty much anything you buy that is rung out by a cashier you're already paying a "fee" for, which has bee topped up on the price of the item - *The fee pays that employees wages.* * ... I'm not disputing about fees - of course, you have to pay for service or getting a product and someone has to pay employees' salaries and overheads, etc. but customers are made to do the work and absorb the costs while no sight of fees reduction. E.g. no paper statements or print your own. Also, how are your Executives' '00s or '000s times the average worker's salary justified when tellers are the front-line workers who sees and hear the colour-ful customers everyday? *
> 
> *My days as a Teller are numbered* - I'm starting an Admin role in the bank next month. I can't lie, the increased agenda for sales has a lot to do with it. Because of the slowing traffic in branches, the Teller role is evolving into more selling and less "CSRing". I started banking in 2005 and 3 banks later, the sales push has only gotten worse. Every role in the branch is either Management or Sales, and I favour neither. I have a great respect for the Teller role and Customer Service in general after starting my career at 19. It's one of the most stressful and crappiest paying positions out there. I stuck it out because I love my clients and I love helping people. The role probably won't exist by the next decade, so I'm getting out while the getting is good! *... not necessarily true as have seen more branch re-openings in downtown TO than when it was 5 years ago when all the rage is to move to automation / ATM. Perhaps there will be no more "tellers" classification per se in the next decade as tellers will all have been promoted to personal banking assistants since there will also be customers (especially the older generation) in need of the human-help/interaction.
> 
> Good luck in your new role :encouragement:.*


----------



## m3s

Toronto.gal said:


> *2.* Did my 1st eDeposit last week with CIBC, which appears to have been the 1st bank here to have launched the convenient mobile app.


ING had that since last spring or so, copied from the US I think (US definitely had it long before). It's HUGE for me because I had to mail cheques to ING before that. IIRC TD wouldn't even let me mail them a cheque... I think Canadian companies use cheques just because of the chance you won't deposit them... no reason they can't just email/direct deposit/bitcoin or something today


----------



## realist

Years ago I had a teller ask me about one of my favorite bands. I was very confused since I wasn't wearing anything to tell here I was a fan. She had seen the charge for concert tickets on my credit card statement. She was cute and close to my age at the time so I enjoyed the conversation but it was also a bit disconcerting!


----------



## BoringInvestor

For anyone still interested in hearing 1st hand-info on what tellers see:


I was with one of the major banks for a couple of years (2006-2007).

As it was: once someone swiped their card you'd immediately see an overview of all their banking accounts, lines of credit, credit cards, and possibly their investment accounts (depending if the client elected to share that information). It's the same type of summary you see when you go online and access your accounts. 

Very rarely someone's information would be blanked out - this means they made a specific request to hide their summary from tellers. Depending on the transaction, it might take me a lot longer to process the request.

I can confirm you can search for anybody by name/address/banking info/etc. at any time - however, doing so without a proper reason was treated very seriously. 
During training we were told about tellers who were dismissed because they looked up information about a Canadian celebrity/politicians/etc. 
Search history was logged, and I wouldn't be surprised if all searches for well-known people were flagged and investigated.


On top of the client's banking summary was a popup message with any relevant information about the client. 
For most clients the message contained very general information that you could quickly dismiss (I think this included how long they've been a client). 
For others there would be specific notes about something - such as how to address them, any recent suspicious activity, etc. 


I had two main jobs during client interactions:

1. Ensure all transactions were properly executed and 'made sense'. 

What I mean by that is if you were depositing a cheque from a "Mr. Smith" for $1,000 into your chequing account, I'd look at your chequing account history to see if there's a record of receiving $1,000 cheques from Mr. Smith on a monthly basis. If I didn't see any history of the cheques, or that the amount was usually $450 and this is the first instance of it going up to $1,000, I'd ask the client some questions about the cheque. 

Depending on the transaction, the client's answers to my questions, my familiarity with the client (do they come in every day/week, or is this my first seeing them?) the client's profile (i.e., if the cheque bounced can they easily cover it?), client's history and relationship with the bank (i.e., have they been with us for 20+ years and have numerous products with the bank, or are they a brand new client with just a chequing account and a recent deposit?), my limit (I could deposit items up to $1,000, but had to get my supervisor's signature on anything above that), and if I got a sense of everything being 'normal', I'd make a judgment call and would either fully deposit the money, or place a hold on it. It's basic KYC (know your client) stuff.

Ultimately I'm responsible for everything I accept. If the cheque ends up bouncing they may come ask me why I accepted it and why I didn't place a hold - I'll need to justify my decision based on the factors above. Part of the my proof are any similar account transactions and/or your total balance. This is why I often printed items during an interaction - this 'proof/justification' would be kept with my receipt.

We were more-or-less trained to start every transaction with the mentality of "I'm holding this cheque unless I feel comfortable enough to release the funds based upon the evidence." 


2. Up-sell/cross-sell 

There was a strong sales push in the organization. We'd have goals re: how often we spoke to a client about a product, how often the client accepted the offer, branch-goals like 'x' number of new credit cards, etc. It was made simple in that in most cases there was a banner atop the client summary indicating what specific product to promote.

The promotion message was based upon what they already had (i.e., they could increase their credit card limit to $10,000), what they didn't have (i.e., they only have a chequing account so ask if they want to open a savings account), and if they've recently turned down an offer (if in the past couple months they rejected a credit increase, the message wouldn't appear again for a while). 


All our interactions were tracked - we either had to say a) the client accepted the offer, b) the client rejected the offer, c) ask again in 'x' days, d) I didn't ask the client. 
All stats were tracked and part of our evaluation was based on these numbers.

For my part if I was in a busy branch with a long line I typically ignored these promotional messages. I put myself in the shoes of the clients-in-line and I wouldn't want to know a teller was spending 5-10 minutes talking about a credit card or a new savings account when I wanted to do a quick withdraw.

During less busy times I'd only promote what I felt comfortable promoting. For instance - if you had a credit card I'd ask if you wanted an increase. If you had a chequing account and I noticed you were spending a lot in fees I'd tell you about a better chequing account for you. If you had a lot of $$$ I'd ask if you were looking to invest and wanted to speak to someone about options. I'd never do a hard-sell, if you were interested I'd tell you more, if not I'd complete the transaction. If you looked like you were in a hurry I wouldn't ask. I never put up great sales #'s, but I like to think I improved the client experience by using my best judgement on when to clear the line v. when to promote.


Re: chatting about clients.

I don't recall specifically chatting about so-and-so's balances, but topics that would come up are: a) has Ms. 'Y' come in with her deposit yet? (Ms. Y ran a business and came in daily with large cash-transactions. It would take a good 10 minutes to process the deposit), b) general anonymous stories about an unique/challenging experience (i.e., a guy wanted to deposit a draft but we couldn't verify it, and he needed the money right-away for a down-payment on a home, etc.), c) recent frauds/fraud attempts and what to look-out for. I can't recall ever talking specifically about clients and balances.

Just a general note on clients: one thing working in the bank taught me is you can never judge a book by its cover. 
All-too-often a very professional/well-put-together person would come into the branch with multiple maxed out lines of credit and a home-equity lines of credit plus overdraw chequing accounts, while other times a little old lady would have a balance in the hundreds of thousands. You really never know the true financial situation of anyone by looks alone.


With each encounter I tried to treat the client with respect and provide the best service I could; while also maintaining my responsibilities to the bank (including selling when applicable).


----------



## Guban

Video_Frank said:


> We opened up our Investorline account at a BMo branch. The bank employee asked if we wanted to link the two accounts (i.e. our BMo accounts and the investorline accounts). When asked why, she replied it was so BMo could "see" our Investorline accounts. I declined.


Would linking accounts allow easier transfers? I've never been asked, but I imagine that linking is for more than just "seeing" for curiosity. I think that RBC has something like that in their e-accounts. Settlement is instantaneous, and then you can utilize transfers/RRSP contributions for purchases right away, without them verifying if the money is actually there.


----------



## KaeJS

Guban said:


> Would linking accounts allow easier transfers?.


Yes.

I work for BMO Investments and have seen BMO Investorlines work.


----------



## Video_Frank

Guban said:


> Would linking accounts allow easier transfers? ... Settlement is instantaneous, and then you can utilize transfers/RRSP contributions for purchases right away, without them verifying if the money is actually there.


Yes. Settlement for my accounts takes three business days to / from BMo or BoM IL. Odd, because it's only one business day for People's Trust to push or pull funds into or out of my BMo account.

I simply wanted a separation between the two entities and i'm willing to take the time delay hit for it.


----------



## Addy

realist said:


> She was cute and close to my age at the time so I enjoyed the conversation but it was also a bit disconcerting!


Is she no longer cute? Or no longer close to your age?


----------



## Nemo2

Addy said:


> Is she no longer cute? Or no longer close to your age?


Haha (Great Minds...an' all that)


----------



## andrewf

Addy said:


> Is she no longer cute? Or no longer close to your age?


This is the imperfect (or past imperfective) tense. It means that it's ambiguous whether the statement still applies. "I was out for a walk" does not preclude you still being out for a walk.


----------



## donald

I must have a setting that does not allow my home branch to see my investments(which is good)even though they are linked together(not sure if they see my business acct either.I have about 7 or 8% of wealth in my personal acct so i prob look at first glance as ''somewhat'' poor
Few years i sold my residence privately and had a cheq made out to me for 126 k,it took about a half-hour(had to take a seat)it went from the teller to someone else and than i am assuming the senior person(if i recall i even think they went/opened up the vault in the back for some reason,might be dreaming that though lol)
Felt like a boss(pretty young mid 20's teller)
I also have funny personal names to my accounts(nicknames)i wonder if the tellers see that!(somewhat funny,childish)


----------



## HaroldCrump

realist said:


> Years ago I had a teller ask me about one of my favorite bands. I was very confused since I wasn't wearing anything to tell here I was a fan. She had seen the charge for concert tickets on my credit card statement. She was cute and close to my age at the time so I enjoyed the conversation but it was also a bit disconcerting!


I think she was asking you out ;o)
IMO, she took a big risk bringing it up with you.

If you were an irate customer, you could have complained and it could have cost her a slap on the wrist (or worst).
Bank tellers are authorized to use your personal information to offer you better products or services, not talk shop.


----------



## m3s

donald said:


> I also have funny personal names to my accounts(nicknames)i wonder if the tellers see that!(somewhat funny,childish)


Probably, I've had chuckles about some of my earmarked account names even though it had nothing to do with the conversation. I only buy things in cash and I move it into its own account before, maybe a cooling off period or just basic planning. The real numbers are far out of their sight so they can chuckle all they want. I've never had a problem waiting a day for funds to move to the brokerage.. selling a house, yes that cheque was a hassle to cash. Bring on the bitcoins


----------



## donald

Bank tellers are human,not robots.
the local branch level,i would't be that upset(if it's right there in view-visa transactions)
Smart way to break the ice.
I can't imagine to many young guys making a compliant because the young good looking bank teller is hitting on them.
That would of made my day,who doesn't like being hit on(good for the all important EGO)


----------



## Addy

donald said:


> I can't imagine to many young guys making a compliant because the young good looking bank teller is hitting on them.
> That would of made my day,who doesn't like being hit on(good for the all important EGO)


And good way for said good looking bank teller to increase her sales


----------



## donald

no doubt addy,it actually seems like the bank has a high number of young female tellers(at my bank they are all young and women)i might be wrong but i don't seem to see that many older or male for that matter on the front lines in tellers.
Maybe its the same as the restaurant industry screening the waitresses(some chains hire only good looking women)
I don't think i have every seen a man past 30 as a teller(what's behind that anyways)
very young/female centric-teller jobs.
some of the best looking women in the general public i have seen are bank tellers(seriously)
sexist i tell ya!
time to hire 55+ men lol jk


----------



## Addy

It is sexist but I wouldn't kick a fuss if my local bank hired a buff good looking man to give me some eye candy to look at while waiting in that sometimes very long line. In fact, I may visit more often.


----------



## donald

mode,i should change my acct nickname right before i go into my branch and go to the single teller i like and instead of acct-chq 324567543.....(i should put)''shelly,would you like to go for a coffee"'
I would either get huge points(on originality)or maybe i would be labeled a creeep!If indeed the tellers see the nicknames(break the ice)lol


----------



## m3s

There are a lot of cute tellers.. Maybe next time I should earmark a chunk for puppies or something just to see the reaction. Start image crafting bank accounts and perusing the branches at lunch :stupid:


----------



## m3s

donald said:


> mode,i should change my acct nickname right before i go into my branch and go to the single teller i like and instead of acct-chq 324567543.....(i should put)''shelly,would you like to go for a coffee"'
> I would either get huge points(on originality)or maybe i would be labeled a creeep!If indeed the tellers see the nicknames(break the ice)lol


Even better! Try this and report back. You should probably use a branch out of town :tongue-new:


----------



## Sherlock

donald said:


> no doubt addy,it actually seems like the bank has a high number of young female tellers(at my bank they are all young and women)


Where is this? Most of the branches around me have older women tellers or young men.


----------



## alingva

Dibs said:


> One time a teller told me that I've been a loyal customer for X years. So I assume they know when I joined - I don't even remember how long I've been with them..


Why do you think many stores offer loyalty cards and you get discounts (or points) using these cards??? Because they want to know everything about you. What you buy, when you buy, how much, what is your favorite etc....Banks are the same, they want to know everything about you, they record what you say in meetings with their reps and they have very good track records about you.. it is much simpler to sell to a customer what he/she might want,they do not need to guess


----------



## realist

Addy said:


> Is she no longer cute? Or no longer close to your age?


LOL. I meant that this happened a number of years ago. I would assume she is still close to my age, but can't speak to her cuteness since I haven't seen her recently.


----------



## marina628

When you scan your bank card they see everything that you see when you log into the online banking screen ,at least at TD Bank it is this way.I do not go to my bank often but when I do I usually have a few things to do transferring between accounts ,buying Forex cash ,depositing cheques and the teller sees everything.I live in a small town and the teller I seem to get is the mother of my daugther's friend.Sometimes it feels a bit weird but at end of day what can she do with the information.


----------



## Toronto.gal

donald said:


> Smart way to break the ice....That would of made my day, *who doesn't like being hit on* (good for the all important EGO)


It would make your day, really? So are you now saying that it would not make you think that it was more like a 'gold-digger' type hit, not even if she was well dressed & could see your $$$? :biggrin:


----------



## Beaver101

^ +1 :encouragement: bingo! jackpot! ka-ching! :biggrin:


----------



## m3s

She still can't see what's in his investment accounts, so she can only gold dig the 7-8%  I wonder how many tellers ever snoop through the accounts of their dates/significant others.


----------



## donald

tgal-who said anything about a contractual relationship?lol


----------



## marina628

Investments such as Mutual funds and GIC RSP show ,webbroker does not.Seen this with my own eyes at the bank few days ago.I am in a wheelchair so I get to sit at the desk they have for the special people and got good view of the screen


----------



## marina628

Next time I visit I will case the place for single ladies for Donald lol


----------



## Toronto.gal

donald said:


> tgal-who said anything about a contractual relationship?lol


I was clearly talking about assumptions, you know, like the ones you immediately make of a woman even before she opens her mouth? You have told us about these assumptions on this forum many, many times.

Ti ricordi ora? Ebbene!


----------



## HaroldCrump

m3s said:


> I wonder how many tellers ever snoop through the accounts of their dates/significant others.


Most banks have sophisticated audit reporting systems in place that tracks every single access into every account.
All 5 Canadian banks have these systems in place.

Every time an account's data is "hit" - either direct access by the account holder, or a teller, or a bank manager, it gets recorded into an audit log.
If an account so much as shows up on a report (not directly accessed), such as a report of accounts not accessed for 90 days, it still gets recorded.

In case of privacy complaint by a customer, the bank's internal control/auditor can examine these logs to determine when the account was accessed, and by who.
There is non repudiation built into the system.

I am sure no one is manually checking these logs for millions of hits a day, but those controls are in place if/when privacy concerns arise.

Any teller or employee accessing customer data without authorization is doing something very silly and dangerous (to their job).


----------



## donald

I prob said one time that i am leery of a women wearing high priced labels!
outside my pay grade!
How would i be able to buy stocks on a reg basis and afford that!
I am still bootstrapping here T!


----------



## Addy

donald said:


> I prob said one time that i am leery of a women wearing high priced labels!
> outside my pay grade!
> How would i be able to buy stocks on a reg basis and afford that!
> I am still bootstrapping here T!


LOL! Sometimes wearing the right clothes and dressing the part gets you higher paying jobs. She may be earning enough to more than pay for those labels.


----------



## Addy

marina628 said:


> Next time I visit I will case the place for single ladies for Donald lol


LOL if you start asking ladies if they are married Marina you may get a date yourself!


----------



## Retired Peasant

marina628 said:


> I live in a small town and the teller I seem to get is the mother of my daugther's friend.Sometimes it feels a bit weird but at end of day what can she do with the information.


You were the one that started this thread, no?


----------



## Pluto

I have read that if you have a mortgage, "you lose all financial privacy". Apparently the company you have your mortgage with routinely monitors all your financial transactions - bank transactions, stock accounts, credit card purchases in great detail, and whatever. Of course they are not supposed to talk about it, and they are not supposed to admit the degree of detail they have access to. I don't know how accurate this claim of "lose all financial privacy" is, but if you want to be sure of your privacy on a particular purchase, pay cash.


----------



## Beaver101

> I don't know how accurate this claim of "lose all financial privacy" is, but if you want to be sure of your privacy on a particular purchase, *pay cash*.


 ... how? anything over $10,000 would require an anti-money laundering declaration.


----------



## Pluto

Beaver101 said:


> ... how? anything over $10,000 would require an anti-money laundering declaration.


Anything over 10,000, buy Bitcoins, and pay with that. If the seller does not take bitcoins, you're sunk...unless gold coins and wafers would work?


----------



## Longwinston

Beaver101 said:


> ... how? anything over $10,000 would require an anti-money laundering declaration.


I've deposited cheques for over 150k (house construction) and never noticed anything pertaining to this although I have heard about it. Is this just something done behind the scenes?


----------



## RBull

^ he/she is referring to cash transaction, not cheque deposit.


----------



## Compounding1

I'm at a bank quite regularly for my business and one day one of the tellers got hit on by an older man. After he left she said to me "Eww gross the nerve of some people... and why is it always the creepy guys with no money that hit on me!?" So I'm sure the girls at my bank at least talk about the details of some peoples accounts... especially if she was telling another customer about it!


----------



## Longwinston

RBull said:


> ^ he/she is referring to cash transaction, not cheque deposit.


Ahh, gotcha. Makes sense now


----------



## DayTek

It's so funny where these threads go sometimes...LOL.

Firstly, I do NOT discuss person's banking transactions. To me, that's does say "snooping". I only go through it to check their service fees. If I happen to notice they shop at the same place I do, I don't bring it up.

Lastly, as a female bank teller, I can safely say that it makes my job very awkward when I get hit on! 
I've been a teller since I was 19 and was engaged at 20, so I've never been single while working. Men would still hit on me, even with my engagement ring on! It's not like getting hit on at a bar or club where you'll likely never see the person again - I have to serve these people on a regular basis! So when I've turned them down, it just makes future dealings really uncomfortable.

I guess if you are interested in pursuing a teller, make sure they are single before even going into that territory


----------



## Addy

DayTek said:


> If I happen to notice they shop at the same place I do, I don't bring it up.


That could be quite awkward depending where they shop!


----------



## Beaver101

Pluto said:


> Anything over 10,000, buy Bitcoins, and pay with that. If the seller does not take bitcoins, you're sunk...unless gold coins and wafers would work?


 ... okey, dokey ... I would like to see you wheelbarrow your BIG bag of $450,000 of Bits, gold coins and wafers to the lawyer's office for final payment of the house and see what he does to you. :biggrin:


----------



## RBull

Longwinston said:


> Ahh, gotcha. Makes sense now


Great.:encouragement:

They've been requiring these declarations on real estate transactions now for years as well.


----------



## Pvo

DayTek said:


> It's so funny where these threads go sometimes...LOL.
> 
> Firstly, I do NOT discuss person's banking transactions. To me, that's does say "snooping". I only go through it to check their service fees. If I happen to notice they shop at the same place I do, I don't bring it up.
> 
> Lastly, as a female bank teller, I can safely say that it makes my job very awkward when I get hit on!
> I've been a teller since I was 19 and was engaged at 20, so I've never been single while working. Men would still hit on me, even with my engagement ring on! It's not like getting hit on at a bar or club where you'll likely never see the person again - I have to serve these people on a regular basis! So when I've turned them down, it just makes future dealings really uncomfortable.
> 
> I guess if you are interested in pursuing a teller, make sure they are single before even going into that territory


Why complain? Just take it as a compliment and go on with your day. 

It's only uncomfortable if you make it that way..


----------



## Eclectic12

marina628 said:


> Investments such as Mutual funds and GIC RSP show ,webbroker does not.
> Seen this with my own eyes at the bank few days ago.I am in a wheelchair so I get to sit at the desk they have for the special people and got good view of the screen


Hmmm ... I suspect this may be driven by one's account and any restrictions setup. 

I know that I was able to see in web broker my bank LIRA that I hadn't transferred to the brokerage yet. I suspect that if I can see it from home in a web browser included with the bank account & brokerage accounts, the teller would see it too.

I didn't have any GIC RRSPs so I have no idea for those.



Cheers


----------



## Eclectic12

HaroldCrump said:


> Most banks have sophisticated audit reporting systems in place that tracks every single access into every account.
> All 5 Canadian banks have these systems in place.
> 
> Every time an account's data is "hit" - either direct access by the account holder, or a teller, or a bank manager, it gets recorded into an audit log.
> 
> ... I am sure no one is manually checking these logs for millions of hits a day, but those controls are in place if/when privacy concerns arise.
> 
> Any teller or employee accessing customer data without authorization is doing something very silly and dangerous (to their job).


Manually, no - but if it's anything like where I work, there's programs that mine the audit log and flag specific events for the security/application team to followup on.

As an example, I get called every couple of months because depending the application bundle I'm applying, my name gets tagged on the objects. If the objects are security related - it gets flagged on the automatic report, prompting a phone call shortly after.

Then when the auditor visits, they usually pull a few instances and ask the security/application group for proof that they acted on it and appropriately resolved it.


Cheers


----------



## Causalien

Thank you for all the tellers... 
I asked because I noticed some difference after I came back and after I finally attached some accounts together. Now I know what I am dealing with.

I asked thhis question specifically because I was wondering why the tellers are asking me what I do for a living and how come I am in canada only for a few months. I this part of the Know your client thing? Although all interactions are pleasant, the differences I think, is that the tellers wants to k ow more about me. Oris this a new rule to get the tellers to extract more info from clients? 

I can at least rest easy in knowing that the summary note that pops up probably say something along the line of. "easy going joker"


----------



## fraser

Of course the tellers have access. I assume that at the very least they see everything that I do when I log into my account...and more.

Always had great tellers. Never, ever had any of this up sell nonsense-in fact the opposite is true.

They are people just like us. Most very good with a small percentage of not so good ones. 
Working with the public all day is not exactly a treat and I am certain that they get their fair share of abusive customers.

My sister in law has been held up five times In her career at the bank. Who would want that?

Time to pick on some other vocation!


----------



## Canadian

@Causalien - most of the notes, etc., is to get to know the customer. On top of the sales numbers, tellers are monitored for customer service. They are trained to get to know the customer and make him/her feel like a regular. I'm not saying that _all_ tellers actually do this, but it's encouraged. The other reason for looking through a profile, account history, etc. (while the customer is present) is for security - for the customer and the bank. There's a surprising amount of impersonation fraud in Canada - more so in certain provinces. Also, there's a lot of people who are unknowingly involved in scams (mystery shopper "jobs" found through kijiji, etc.). If the teller takes a look at the customer's regular banking patterns and the current transaction is out of the norm, they will ask questions. A lot of the time these questions enlighten the customer and save both parties a lot of stress and money.

@fraser - hold ups aren't that common anymore. It really depends on the neighbourhood where the branch resides. A lot of branches have security guards now and not a lot of cash.


----------



## Synergy

What's the consensus at TD. If you have a personal account and a TDW account can the tellers see your investment accounts (TFSA, RRSP, Non-Reg, etc.) and their respective totals ($$)? Personally I don't think tellers should have access to your investment info - not really necessarily IMO.


----------



## marina628

A practical reason tellers have to see some account info is to facilitate the needs of the clients ,transfers etc.But when I worked at BMO in 1986 -1989 there were codes on bank accounts for instance ,9 meant they bounced many cheques so you had to hold all these client deposits.Tellers seeing the account info and in my friend case that a bank employee suggested a family member ask them for a loan is a bit different


----------



## Causalien

Synergy said:


> What's the consensus at TD. If you have a personal account and a TDW account can the tellers see your investment accounts (TFSA, RRSP, Non-Reg, etc.) and their respective totals ($$)? Personally I don't think tellers should have access to your investment info - not really necessarily IMO.


I think at TD, you have to specifically be doint something with the investment acct for them to see it. I remember clearly that the person said "wow" when bringing up my TFSA after instructing him to do so. Since he was surprised,,I assume the number was not shown on the first screen.


----------



## Guban

Synergy said:


> What's the consensus at TD. If you have a personal account and a TDW account can the tellers see your investment accounts (TFSA, RRSP, Non-Reg, etc.) and their respective totals ($$)? Personally I don't think tellers should have access to your investment info - not really necessarily IMO.


I think that they do have access to the discount brokerage balances at the branch level, but no details. When I had a full service brokerage account many years ago, they didn't even see balances, just the fact that one existed. For the types of accounts I held, it showed a US and a separate Can dollar account, both with zero balances.


----------



## NorthKC

While I don't work at a bank, I'm an accountant who can have access to a client's account with the CRA when the client grants my firm authorization. I can see everything that they have, their tax returns, their GST/HST, T5s, T4s, etc. However, the firm AND CRA can track every single click that I make on that client account. I am not allowed to go beyond what I need to get from the CRA for specific information. This includes checking out friends that my firm may have access to and they definitely watch like a hawk on those accounts. These can be grounds for termination.

Personally, I don't really care if the teller sees everything that I have. They do have to do their job, after all. I just care that they don't do anything beyond what they need to do to perform transactions. Like everyone else, I have noticed that the tellers are moving towards becoming salespeople that started constantly pushing me for products that I have absolutely no interest in despite having a note on my file not to sell me anything which is part of the reason why I switch to PC.


----------



## Sherlock

My understanding is that they have to push products on people, and they get reprimanded if they don't. They probably don't want to push anything on you any more than you want to buy it.

I have yet to get any sales pitch from a teller and I think that's because I keep very little cash (~$2000) in my chequing account, almost all my money is in stocks and ETFs in my investment accounts.


----------



## yupislyr

Sherlock said:


> My understanding is that they have to push products on people, and they get reprimanded if they don't. They probably don't want to push anything on you any more than you want to buy it.


Absolutely they are. If you were ever in the staff areas of some banks you'll find white boards with various metrics the staff are being judged against (how many mortgages they reigned in, how many credit card signups, how many appointments they got for the mutual fund salespeople, etc)


----------

