I have a business in Europe and so I am a frequent flyer there for rather long-term business trips. Naturally, the access to credit is essentially important to me and up to recently I've hade a number of credit card accounts in the UK. But on my last trip there I was suddenly required to close the account without a hint on the possibility to open a new one in the future.
I felt infinitely abused as they treated me like a common criminal and told me I couldn't possibly have credit cards with them as presenting a high credit and other risk.
Why did it happen? What did I do wrong? I thought somebody stole my credit card number and used credit card and ID fraud against me, thus making unauthorized purchases on my credit card and accumulating a gross debt.
No, my credit card accounts were in just in perfect state and there was nothing really to find fault with. So, I decided to trace the case and what I discovered is of no good not only for me but to all US citizens who have or going to have bank accounts in Europe.
Well, as a native American, I do not see anything so dreadfully slighting or humiliating in the protection measures taken by our government against non-citizens (presumably after September, 11). That's what the EU is accusing the US of - requiring travelers to provide their personal financial information, credit card information being the top priority - and the requirement stirred great discontent among the European Parliament members as well as those from the British Air Transport Association.
Now, I do understand that our government is very concerned with severe security measures applied to non-residents but why should in-born US citizens be suffering from the suchlike police-like policies?
It appears that EU is being warned it can lose its US clients or have US assets confiscated from bank accounts if an American cardholder is suspected of abusing law. But, I am a law-abiding citizen and have never had problems with police that could question my reputation. My credit history has always been stainless and the credit score is approaching excellent.
But with all this, it didn't stop the European bank I had an account with from closing my credit cards. On the other hand, I do understand that banks do not want to lose their earnings in case their American assets are confiscated and they are opting not to have American assets at all or refuse credit card accounts to US citizens.
Credit card industry is not the only sphere where the Gestapo ways are practiced, however. Being assured that September, 11 is a good excuse enough, US officials allow themselves to demand tourists or just travelers going through the US border any sort of personal data, including credit card details and even fingertips!
As to my financial, credit in particular, goings-on in Europe, they have run into such an impasse that sometimes it seems to me my resentment will take me to regret my citizenship.
I think the government should be more scrupulous about the measures they undertake and more exact about what they think as law breaking.
