IS SSN really required for Extended KYC of NRIs & Americans at HDFC Bank ?

I have been reading reviews of HDFC customers who are NRIs and American citizens and I agree that by asking American customers to share their Social Security Number for KYC , HDFC is making them vulnerable to identity theft and fraud risk in India . Indian banks have no sense of information security as it is.  SSN is tied to medical records too. In America too , people think twice before sharing SSN and thst too in its entirety . NRI customers may have no choice but to consider closing their accounts with HDFC bank for this reason . One is even advised to only share the last 4 digits of Aadhaar Card and so why should it be any different for SSN at Indian banks ?  

In my view, self-attested copies of Passport , OCI , Pan Card or Aadhaar card in addition to address proof in India/Abroad should be sufficient to establish identity of a customer. 

HDFC like Axis Bank should consider other alternatives instead of asking NRI customers to provide SSN. No wonder most NRIs are opting for Axis Bank as that bank is NRI friendly bank and gives importance to the security of NRI customers. In fact, people in my circle have never ever been asked for their SSN or even State ID cards at Indian banks. There should be One Rule for All Customers & RBI should ensure uniformity in rules for all Indian banks so that each bank does not interpret those rules differently!  They should provide a booklet of instructions to NRIs and Foreign Nationals so that banks don’s harass them. Accurate information and valid alternatives concerning bank processes for NRIs are required ! 

In the absence of TIN, any other document should be acceptable.It is written in the Extended KYC form that “ incase TIN is not available, kindly provide functional requirement”.

Therefore, why is HDFC being so rigid about it ? 

HDFC should provide clarity on the modes of submission of documents for Re KYC / Extended KYC that a NRI customer has a right to as well as explore valid alternatives as a “functional equivalent “ for SSN . At the bottom of the CBDT Terms and Conditions, on the Extended KYC form , it is also mentioned under “List of Acceptable documentary evidence needed to establish the  residence for tax purposes, valid Identification issued by an authorized govt. body ( e.g. Passport, National Identity Card ) can be accepted. 

I hope HDFC bank will find a deviation from that for all their American clients by researching as to how other banks like Axis Bank are going about it. And if even after that the bank insists on the requirement of SSN, then customers who are NRIs and foregn nationals have a right to know about the secure channels that are provided by the bank for handling such sensitive information. However, most clients will not readily accept that due to security concerns and may consider other banks here instead. Like I usually do, one will have to consult one’s lawyer or tax consultant too for advice before sharing one’s SSN with banks or anyone else.

One never feels comfortable sending one’s full SSN via email. The safest method would be to call the bank’s dedicated line if any and provide the SSN over the phone rather than transmitting it in a standard , unencrypted email. I wonder how HDFC can even think of asking its customers to provide a physical copy of the Social Security Card as that would be compromising the security of its customers ! Please note that submitting the same through Netbanking is also not an option as there are several errors and technical gliches in that process on their Netbanking’s both old and upgraded version.   

Is SSN really required at Indian banks for Extended KYC of bank customers who are GC holders and Americans? If it’s mandatory, it should be clearly mentioned in the hard copy of the KYC norms and Extended KYC forms as well as RBI circular. And then , One has a Right to Know as to how our securities our protected by the bank when SSN is demanded by Indian banks like HDFC!

HDFC- THE BANK THAT COMPLICATES THE SIMPLE PROCESS OF RE-KYC & EXTENDED KYC

 In the name of Re-KYC and Extended KYC, HDFC has started misusing its assigned power by harassing and bullying customers as clearly evident from the posts of customers on the HFFC FB page! 

Unlike other Indian banks, HDFC Bank has unnecessarily complicated the entire Re-KYC process particularly because of their staff not being on the same page about the “modes of submission  of documents” , “forms involved” and the “documents required” for the process. 

Customers will be given entirely different forms by each of its staff for the very same process even when there’s a simple update of a telephone number too  despite customers successfully updating their contact number on their own through ATM  . 

The senior management will advise the customers to safely submit the documents through Netbanking while other staff at fhe branch like the NRI team for instance will   repeatedly contradict that.  At the end of the day, different options of submission of documents that are given in writing by the bank should be easily available to its customers and the choice should be entirely left to the customers. Senior citizens may find it easier to submit physical copies of documents while others particularly NRIs may want to  opt for submission of documents through Netbanking.  

HDFC phonebanking team, online customer service team, NRI team, RMs and Branch heads are never aligned with each other. They have different versions of their own bank’s products and services. Now that can be so comfusing for the customers !  

There’s total lack of co-ordination between various teams and depts. of HDFC bank which results in causing endless inconvenience to its customers ! Because of that, there are long delays too ! They don’t even get back to the customers with a resolution ( positive or negative) if complaints or queries are raised ! 

There’s total lack of ownership and accountability by the bank regarding the incorrect or incomplete information their staff gives to the customers. Instead its management blames the customers for not co-operating and threatens to disrupt account services or freeze accounts as a cover up to protect its own unprofessional people ! They gain from deliberately disrupting services and there have been instances where the customers’ money is misused particularly when the customer is denied to access one’s own account. Some customers are so fed up with HDFC banking experiences that they are even breaking their FDs to immediately end their association with the bank but the bank gains from that as well . According to customers’ feedback, HDFC charges more than expected as penalty for prematurely braking FDs. Everyone should read about whats going on at HDFC.  The feedback of customers are available in the posts on social media. In this way, for these reasons, could HDFC Bank be gaining from complicating the Re-KYC/Extended KYC process more than other banks and adopting a rigid aporoach towards the process by not making it work with the customer ? 

Customers have a “Right to Information”and can request for hard copies of HDFC KYC norms and RBI circular regarding KYC process but HDFC bank will deny that too. Naturally one can look that up on the internet  on ones own too but the instructions on a hard copy are more accurate and hold relevance. Basically HDFC Bank does not want its customers to access accurate information or seek clarifications on bank processes as for some reason its process of Re-KYC totally differs from other banks when actually there should be uniformity in rules amongst all the banks on this. 

There are different ways to submit Re-KYC related self-attested documents and the customers are entitled to choose from those given options in the written instructions of Re-KYC norms ! However, HDFC staff denies you that and enjoys violating privacy of customers and jeopardizing security of customers  by contnuously insisting on only physical copies that are seen easily by all at the bank and not even handled securely.

For NRIs and foreign nationals , submitting those documents through courier from overseas  or in-person at the branch within a certain time limit becomes highly inconvenient ! Earlier on HDFC customers were allowed to send the scanned copies of self-attested KYC related documents with a scanned letter to the branch manager theough email  but that does not happen now. 

Now the option of securely submitting Re KYC / Extended kYC documents through Netbanking is exhausted too as it never works because  of constant errors and technical glitches on Netbanking in both the old and upgraded version. Instead of resolving the technical issue, their customer service team and branch staff leaves the customers with the sole option of submitting physical copies of documents. That makes most customers uncomfortable as they want to submit their sensitive  tax related documents securely through Netbanking only. There should be secure ways to handle documents handed over in-person and submitted online.  

Above all , there should be One Rule for all the Indian banks regarding KYC documents submission ! 

#OneRight

#HDFC

#HDFCBank

#hdfccustomers

HDFC Bank-The Bank that has lost its professionalism & refined customer service

HDFC Bank’s services have drastically declined over the years particularly NRI and Imperia customer service. 

Their so called Relationship Managers are just not interested in building or preserving banking relationships with the clients unless you help them to meet their targets by investing only in the investments they choose for you. Earlier on the RMs used to be refined and knew how to deal with the customers and motivate them to invest correctly to match the customers’ needs. HDFC now has a crude approach to dealing with clients which lacks the professionalism expected from a reputed bank. 

Their complaint management is the worst amongst the Indian banks ! Their staff is just not equipped to handle escalation of complaints and ignore resolving complaints continuously in order to avoid taking ownership of their stand. What’s unprofessional is that the so called NRI branch and the RMs have a different version of their own services, policies and products which results in complicating matters more! 

A reference number is given to queries or complaints so that they could be addressed effectively and there’s a follow up. But HDFC Bank does not even address the complaints or provide a negative/positive resolution based on the assigned reference numbers so that they could be customer is not able to escalate it to other levels. The Sector-18, Noida branch in Ansal ‘s Fortune Arcade is the worst when it comes to customer interactions and complaint management! 

Their website has constant technical glitches which prevents one from completing Re KYC through Netbanking. HDFC’s upgraded website and Insta services have problems all the time. 

Most of their branches are not senior citizen friendly too in services and accessibility of locations.