I recently went to a BEA branch to place a USD time deposit. Strangely, I was asked to provide proof of address, even though I already have an account with the bank (for which I provided the proof when opening). So I went home and made another trip with some proof of address. I had to wait for an amazingly long time at the teller's window before the deposit was placed. Later, I received a call from someone at the branch asking if I could also provide proof of address in a certain middle eastern country I had written under "place of birth." I told her it was absurd, I am a permanent HK resident and have not lived there since I was an infant. Then I was asked something even more stupid: "are you living with your mommy and daddy in Hong Kong?" I replied "umm, no. I'm not living with my mommy and daddy." Later, I received a voice mail from someone at the bank asking me to call them back urgently. This time, I was asked to supply my birth certificate. I told the lady that this was becoming very annoying and asked why there was a need for all this extra information. She giggled sheepishly, then fell silent. I asked her again and she said that someone else would call me back. The only explanation I can think of for all this stupidity is that I've somehow been flagged as a suspicious character. Does anyone know if there is some new policy behind this type of treatment?