Undocumented Immigrants Offered Credit Cards, Loans
Filipino Express, News Report, Anthony D. Advincula, Posted: Apr 08, 2005
SAN FRANCISCO---When Ronaldo Labindao came up to the bank officer’s desk on Monday, he looked like any other person here applying for a credit card. He signed a few papers and couldn’t wait to buy a new computer.
But Labindao is neither a U.S. citizen nor legal resident. He came to this country from the Philippines in 1995 and illegally overstayed his visa.
Labindao is one of the beneficiaries of a new program by California’s Wells Fargo Bank, which gives loan opportunities to individuals without a Social Security Number.
“You don’t need to have a credit history to get approved. Not many people are aware of our program,” said Stephanie Wong, a Filipina desk officer at Wells Fargo, in San Francisco.
Wong said that Wells Fargo normally offers clients without a Social Security Number a $300 credit card limit. After a year, if the credit card holder maintains a good record, the bank will increase the credit limit.
In a CNN report last week, a Wells Fargo spokeswoman said the bank doesn’t deal with their clients’ immigration concerns.
Nationwide, an increasing number of financial institutions offer such programs, including mortgage loans. According to the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals, the nation’s roughly 6 million undocumented Latinos alone are a potential $44 billion market for homes.
The number of people using taxpayer identification number (TIN) has increased over the last decade, an Associated Press report said. The IRS accepts their tax payments, and financial institutions seek them out as customers, despite their having no legal right to work or remain in the U.S.
“These are our best-performing assets,” James Maloney, chairman of the Milwaukee-based Mitchell Bank, told the AP. “These are folks who are appreciative of the fact that we’re willing to take a chance on them.”
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