Looking around for no interest/travel credit cards today, and I stumble upon this when checking the details out on an American Express card:

www66.americanexpress.com/cards/Fmacfservlet?csi=67/7011/b/4/2882462406/28810404375/0/n&from=3&afflSID=f4ZxzrOb9C8&appPageId=57

Patriot Act Notice: Federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each person who opens an account, including your name, address, date of birth and other information that will allow us to verify your identity.

Ok, I've seen similar stuff written up (minus the patriot act part) at several credit card companies websites, but nothing claiming it was part of the Patriot Act except here.

And before anyone asks, yes, I've heard the crickets chirping over in the "patriot act challenge" thread (or whatever the title was). And no, I haven't read any part of the act that says anything that even seems remotely close to saying what AE's website does.

I assume the govt is nosing its business in everything by some other means, but thought it was interesting they claimed it was cause of the patriot act.

Any input?

It's a CYA move that allows plausible deniability i nthe event that someone slips through the system. IMO it's smart to verify someone's ID before I gave them several grand in credit, but that's just me. I think the intent was to monitor every fucking penny that people in America spend in order to "track terrorists".

There's a Patriot Act clause that has to do with house purchases...I didn't pay any attention to it, but there was a form or something I had to sign, that the girl was required to inform me of.  

you get a notice on your bills as well regarding the patriot act. It is the new eye of our goverment.