Confusion about Bangkok Bank and SSI direct deposit

[tiger99]

My question is; If I am disabled how can i withdraw my ssI by sending someone else to the bank. The teller says there is no way anyone can withdraw from this account but me. So what if I am bedridden what the?

[tiger99]

what then?...I'm an american women retired here in Bangkok, but would like to send my ex- husband-partner to pick up my check if I don't feel like going, or not able to show up in person. Does anyone know the procedure for doing this, or can it just not be done? I don't have a us bank account.

[Langsuan Man]

These are US Social Security rules that Bangkok Bank must enforce for the being the only Thai Bank that is allowed to accept direct deposit of US Social Security payments overseas

The rules are in place to prevent fraud or dead recipients from continuing to receive benefits after death

You have two options, email Social Security and explain your situation and see if there is any exception for "disabled" individuals living overseas or get a US bank account and have your Social Security payments direct deposited to a US bank where proof of life is not required and then EFTS your payment to Bangkok Bank in Thailand via the New York Branch using their US routing number and then anyone can use your BB ATM card to get your money

But you must try and contact Social Security during business hours since their web site only works during the following hours:

But considering the US East Coast in under a record amount of snow I doubt if you will get them today

[JimGant]

It's been done by others, apparently. See post 31, here: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/888084-only-for-retired-usa-expats-in-cm-on-ssa-deposits/page-2

[retiredaamt]

You may contact the Social Security Administration in the Philippines at the following email. [email protected]. Their phone number is (632) 301 2000 Ext. 9.

[Pib]

If you need someone else to have access to your Bangkok Bank Direct Deposit account your only hope will be possibly making some arrangement with "Bangkok Bank" (not the Social Security Agency (SSA)) like described in JimGant's reference above. Basically, see what you can work out if your local Bangkok Bank branch which has your account which will make that bank feel confident fraud is not occurring. Or, first have the funds sent to your U.S. bank account and then you manually or automatically transfer over a similar amount each month/periodically to your "regular" Bangkok Bank account...more on than further down.

Anyone with a Bangkok Bank Direct Deposit account knows that this account comes with restrictions such as no joint account, no ATM, no transfer-out ibanking capability. These are not restrictions set by the SSA or govt agencies--but by Bangkok Bank to comply with some of the fraud prevention intent of U.S. govt payments such as SS pension, SSI, military retirement pension paid by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS), Veteran Administration (VA) and various other U.S. govt agencies that issue govt payments.

Bangkok Bank wants to comply through development of their own internal policy to help ensure their Bangkok Bank "New York" branch ABA/ACH "routing number" is not placed on blacklist of sorts and to ensure this highly profitable service for them stays in place. Just for example for the typical under $2K U.S. govt payment that is routed through the Bangkok Bank NY branch Bangkok Bank gets approx $10.50 in fees at current exchange rate of that payment ($5 at the NY branch and Bt200 (approx $5.50). So when the payment posts to your in-Thailand Bangkok Bank account your payment is lite that fee amount...that fee is not reflected anywhere on your statements as it's applied before posting of the funds. This fools a lot of people into thinking the transfer was totally free and also expands why they can never get their personal exchange rate math to match any of the daily posted Bangkok Bank exchange rates.

So, Bangkok Bank wants to protect the integrity U.S. govt fraud prevention program where the govt never gets notified of a pensioners death which usually means the pension payment immediately ends and some family member/friend with access to the pensioners account never notifies the U.S. govt of the pensioner's death and fraudulently continues to receive, withdraw and spend the pension payment to which they are not authorized. So, Bangkok Bank...not any U.S. govt agencies--places restrictions on the account such as requires the person to prove he/she is still kicking (which usually means a personal visit to the bank branch) and no ATM or ibanking "transfer-out" capability.

A person can have their U.S. govt pension payment sent to a "joint account" if the bank allows it...and every bank in U.S. will allow it. U.S govt payment agencies don't care whether it's a joint account or pensioner's only account. When setting up such a payment all they care about is getting a ABA/ACH routing number and bank account--they don't care if it's a joint or pensioner only account. They don't care because they know in the U.S. when a person passes the death is quickly reported by various means...the hospital, local/state govt & law enforcement agencies, etc., even if a family member fails to report the passing of the pension. So, the paying U.S. govt agencies gets the word fairly fast, at least within a month or two, regardless of whether family members directly report the pensioner's passing to the U.S. govt payment agency.

However, but, outside the U.S, especially in 3d world nations like Thailand, it can be a very different story in prompt reporting of a pensioner's passing. If Mr Pensioner passes away out in the sticks (or cities) of Thailand unless the U.S. Embassy somehow finds out about the death then there is no U.S. govt agency to initiate that automatic reporting to other U.S. govt agencies like the SSA, DFAS, etc. And the now the saddened Mrs Farang--quite possibly a Thai lady--decides just to have her loving husband barbecued at the local temple in a private ceremony (or just buries him in a hole out back), does not notify the U.S. Embassy of the passing, and also had access to Mr Farang's Bangkok Bank Direct Deposit account (like joint access, ATM, or ibanking) which the pension payments continue to flow to then unfortunately she may be tempted to spend that money. And to be more blunt, she knows it's illegal what she is doing and from day one of the pensioner's death had no intention in reporting the death because she wanted/needed to receive the money and didn't fear the long arm of Uncle Sam. Unfortunately, this type of fraud has happened too much over the years.

U.S. govt payments come with ABA/ACH coding which allows the receiving bank to easily identify where the funds are coming form such as a U.S. govt agency. If a person wants their U.S. govt payment to come directly from that govt agency to their Bangkok Bank account then they are going to have to setup a the special Bangkok Bank Direct Deposit account. Nothing special about such an account number...it looks like any other Bangkok Bank account number except it has restrictions applied as already mentioned.

To get around these restrictions a person is either going to have to have his U.S. govt payment sent to his U.S. bank and then have funds automatically or manually transferred to their "regular" Bangkok Bank account which can have ATM, full ibanking...and you can have a joint account with who ever the bank allows...even your girlfriend or boyfriend of the month. Actually this not really a relay of the funds, it just you doing a transfer of funds, manual or automatic, to another bank account. Coding in that transfer is just money coming from another bank...not a U.S. govt payment. This is another good reason for U.S. folks retiring in Thailand to maintain an U.S. bank account.

Another possible approach is a person getting a Direct Express Debit Card (Mastercard) and having your U.S. govt payment direct deposited to the Direct Express card account. But the fees for withdrawal outside the U.S. are high...3% plus $3 for every withdrawal high with no ATM fee reimbursement like the Thai bank Bt200 fee for Visa/Mastercard. Within the U.S. the fees are low to free.

Another approach is getting a American Express Debit Card and having our U.S. govt payment direct deposited to your AmEx BlueBird account. Fees for withdrawal outside the U.S. are much lower than the U.S. govt Direct Express Debit Card program. Bluebird only charges a total of $4 per foreign withdrawal...but no reimbursement of local ATM fees. Some good news here though is the Thai bank ATM withdrawal fee is only Bt50 for AmEx cards compared to Bt200 for Visa/Mastercard. Not all Thai bank support the AmEx network but banks like Bangkok Bank do. The Bluebird card can only be mailed to an address within the U.S. so you'll need to have the card mailed to a U.S. family/friend for remailing to you if you have such a deal setup.

I think contacting your U.S. govt payment agency such as SSA to get a waiver to Bangkok Bank Direct Deposit account polices will be like peepeeing into the wind. The SSA don't control individual bank account policies--they just transmit payments via ACH to a bank's ABA/ACH routing number and account number...they are done. And don't confuse this Bangkok Bank Direct Deposit account with the U.S. International Direct Deposit (IDD) program--that is a completely different program where the U.S. govt agencies do transmitted govt payment to foreign banks...but Thailand/Thai banks are not part of that program.

[JimGant]

(or just buries him in a hole out back)

Well shucks, and she said that new hole was for a mango tree......

[gk10002000]

what then?...I'm an american women retired here in Bangkok, but would like to send my ex- husband-partner to pick up my check if I don't feel like going, or not able to show up in person. Does anyone know the procedure for doing this, or can it just not be done? I don't have a us bank account.

As far as I know Social Security payments are ONLY direct deposited. It would be news to me if you have been getting social security paper checks. Neglecting that part of your post, there are several ways to get money into Thailand. Opening a Charles Schwab account might work for you, then you can transfer the money to a Thailand bank.