-->Banks are reporting even slightly 'abnormal' transactions to comply with the law. The result: A deluge of reports, a lot of confusion and more government intrusion....


A government program designed to track down terrorists and money launderers is frightening bank customers, frustrating financial institutions and inundating federal agencies with secret reports of dubious value.

It's called the Suspicious Activity Report, or SAR, and critics say it victimizes honest citizens who are conducting legitimate financial activities through legitimate banking channels, while generating a flood of useless paperwork and burdening financial institutions with billions of dollars in costs....

What can trigger a SAR? Almost anything out of the ordinary that rouses the suspicion of the personnel where the transaction took place...


Scared of paying off a debt

Unlike other government spying programs, this one is out in the open -- and it's creating fear among people doing ordinary banking activities....

"A guy said he paid off his credit card and got a call from the bank," says the graduate, who asked not to be identified."They held his funds for three weeks because his payment deviated from his normal payment. I did my own research and found it was realistic.