Well, this is fun.
Department of backstory (hands around popcorn):
We made arrangements before we left with our branch managers for the trip; they've known we were going to move in two stages for a year. We went through stopovers in Toronto and Iceland and spent the first two weeks here without problems, then our account and credit card came up blocked for "suspicious activity". One of the managers had to contact fraud prevention and was told it would be taken off and noted that we were legitimately out of the country. We got cash out to keep on hand in case it happened again. Miles had a job waiting for him to get a local bank account for direct deposit, so we kept working on getting an address for the bank.
Then we tried to transfer the money for a deposit and rent on a flat, with the all the correct routing info, and that got blocked at the US end. Then our account and card were blocked again. Our manager got me on conference call with fraud prevention and we were told that my and Miles' SSNs had been permanently red flagged as suspicious fraud risks, and they instructed the manager that that was a Federal security algorithm and could not be overridden even if the bank had reliable information otherwise, and this was going to keep happening as long as we were far enough from our previous zip code to "look suspicious", and we weren't allowed to change the primary contact information for the account that defines where we're allowed to use it even though our file had our UK address and phone numbers in it. That's the worst I've ever heard the guy swear in the three years I've known him.
He worked it out with admin that we might be better off just closing the account and doing a check, even if that would take a long time and I'd have to be in the branch in person to do it, because if our SSNs are the trigger any account we open will likely have the same problem. They knew I was going to fly back over to get the dogs and cats as soon as we had a regular place to stay other than his cousins', so I borrowed the cash for a ticket, went back early, sent some money via a friend's Paypal, and did the paperwork for a check for our savings account, with the account to close once the check cleared.
Got the animals and me back over, deposited the check with RBS, marked the calendar to check in with them if it hadn't gone through in four weeks as instructed, with the understanding that it could take longer. Six weeks went by, and we got the check back in the mail with approvals stamped on it and then "endorsement cancelled"stamped through them, with a letter from RBS and Cross Border Cheques that the check had been refused at the US end. Called them, they can't get any information about why it was refused. Called my US branch manager; they haven't been given any information on the refusal or why the money has not reverted to the account. They're going to email me with a time to call tomorrow.
Haven't seen anyone else run into this on here, but haven't had a good chance to read back much yet. If there's a similar thread, is anyone game to point me at it? Thanx muchly (salutes)
