Name is not on our joint bank account statements

[didopage 337]

Hello!

Time flies and I'm getting ready to file for ROC next month but I have an issue...

I arrived with the K-1 on April 2012, got married May 2012. My husband always shared his checking account with his parents so there was always their 3 names on the statements. To add me to the account, we needed all 4 of us to be present at the bank. Well, it wasn't easy (one of my in-laws was overseas for a while) so we opened a separate account just for the 2 of us (right before my AOS interview in August... we were worried it would be bad if we had no joint account).

In October 2012, we were able to add me to the checking account shared with my in-laws. That's the one we have always been using. We never really used the other one...

Well, months passed and I was starting the organize some paperwork for ROC when I realized something pretty horrible... My name didn't appear on our checking account statements !! After going to BoA and inquiring about it, turned out they can only display 3 names on statements. We went to the bank several times to make them change the order of the names so that my name is displayed, and every time we got an answer like "Ok, I will submit a request and it should be fixed on your next statement"... And every month my name was still not there. Finally, one day, someone apparently more knowledgeable at BoA told us we needed again the 4 of us to be present and resign a paper in order to change the names' order. What a pain... We all went to the bank, did it, and my name finally appeared on the next statement... of October 2013.

So, I have bank statements with my husband's name and I from October 2013 to April 2014... That's better than nothing but that really doesn't seem enough. I have a copy of the paper that we signed in October 2012 when I was added to the account but is that enough? I'm thinking of writing an explanation on why I don't appear on all those statements.

Should I also include the statements from the account we don't use? (seems useless and could be interpreted as fishy...)

I really don't want to get a RFE about that.

Thank you! :-)

Edited April 23, 2014 by didopage

[thasheda 3]

Why didn't you and your husband open a joint account for yourselves???

[didopage 337]

Why didn't you and your husband open a joint account for yourselves???

Hey thasheda,

As mentioned, we have an account shared by the 2 of us only but it was just simpler to keep using the original one because lots of things were already set-up with it (bills, my huband's paychecks, and other things). As said, we don't use the other one because there is no need.

Anyway, the question is not "why we did it" but what is best to submit to the USCIS.

Edited April 24, 2014 by didopage

[KayDeeCee 4,893]

Hey Dido, show a few statements from the joint account you opened together. Send a copy of the paperwork that shows you being added to the account, and show statements from the time you were added, even if you name is not on them. You can use a statement from every 2-4 months instead of making copies of them all. You can provide a statement along with the paperwork that shows you were added explaining that your name did not always appear on the statements themselves and you went through a great effort to rectify that.

it should be fine, since you will have other evidence too. I kind of think having his parents on there with you could even be helpful for proving your marriage is valid. Your whole family is accepting of you and willing to sign to put you on their bank account.

[flora01 37]

You were probably added as authorized user initially and not as joint account holder,thats why your name did not appear and they were asking all of you to be present to sign it again.

You can ask bank to give you letter stating when your name was initially added and add the statements which have your name on them.Also you can ask bank to issue letter of your joint account with you husband ,which is not in much use so don't add its statements.

One of my friends applied in sep 2013 and got approved without any rfe or interview in jan'2014.To my surprise she just sent last 5 statements of joint bank account.So don't worry too much about it.try to collect other financial evidence if you can and they will fill the gap.

Good luck

Edited April 24, 2014 by flora01

[didopage 337]

Hey Dido, show a few statements from the joint account you opened together. Send a copy of the paperwork that shows you being added to the account, and show statements from the time you were added, even if you name is not on them. You can use a statement from every 2-4 months instead of making copies of them all. You can provide a statement along with the paperwork that shows you were added explaining that your name did not always appear on the statements themselves and you went through a great effort to rectify that.

it should be fine, since you will have other evidence too. I kind of think having his parents on there with you could even be helpful for proving your marriage is valid. Your whole family is accepting of you and willing to sign to put you on their bank account.

Thanks Kay!

That's what I will do. I also have some Amex statements with both of our names on it for almost a year, which should help a little. I am an authorized user on another credit card since our wedding but unfortunately my name doesn't appear anywhere on those statements.

As you said, I have other evidences so I'm not that worried. I wished I would have caught the issue earlier though. Especially since in-laws are not really using the account, but we do exchange some small transactions sometimes.

[KayDeeCee 4,893]

We had some authorized user accounts too. I made copies of both our cards, which showed we each had a card in our names under the same account. I blacked out all but the last 4 numbers when doing that. I think you might be able to print out something if you can log into your account info online. It might show there something about authorized users. One of our accounts did.

Just provide all the evidence you can think of and muster up. Hope it all goes quick and smoothly for you!

[didopage 337]

You were probably added as authorized user initially and not as joint account holder,thats why your name did not appear and they were asking all of you to be present to sign it again.

You can ask bank to give you letter stating when your name was initially added and add the statements which have your name on them.Also you can ask bank to issue letter of your joint account with you husband ,which is not in much use so don't add its statements.

One of my friends applied in sep 2013 and got approved without any rfe or interview in jan'2014.To my surprise she just sent last 5 statements of joint bank account.So don't worry too much about it.try to collect other financial evidence if you can and they will fill the gap.

Good luck

Thanks flora.

I was a joint account holder from the beginning, it's just that BoA statements can only display 3 names. We were all present when I was added, and again when they made the correction. My mother in-law is now the one who is not on the statements... Because she's last on the list.

But I'm less worried now.

[didopage 337]

We had some authorized user accounts too. I made copies of both our cards, which showed we each had a card in our names under the same account. I blacked out all but the last 4 numbers when doing that. I think you might be able to print out something if you can log into your account info online. It might show there something about authorized users. One of our accounts did.

Just provide all the evidence you can think of and muster up. Hope it all goes quick and smoothly for you!

Yes, I can do that. We gave the same document during my AOS interview and the IO took a photocopy of our cards but I guess it doesn't hurt to send it again.

I will send them everything we have! Thanks for your help, it's always nice to read your replies.

[Jon and Krissy 452]

Don't sweat too much over this. My wife and I still don't have a joint bank account, and we didn't have and problems with ROC or naturalization. Of course, I included tons of other evidence.

[didopage 337]

Don't sweat too much over this. My wife and I still don't have a joint bank account, and we didn't have and problems with ROC or naturalization. Of course, I included tons of other evidence.

Thanks Jon.