¡No account for you!

Yesterday (Wednesday) I went to my local Banco de Chile branch to finally open my checking account. I've already posted about my adventures with government and institutions in Chile, so why was I surprised when I was turned away again Wednesday. It's as if the bureaucrats really enjoy their bureaucracy, and are all but happy to continue it. I arrived at 9:25 a.m. yesterday (giving them a full 25 minutes for their morning cafesito and conversation!) with photocopies of lots of documents:

- Contract from the university
- Notarized apartment lease
- Receipts of my last 6 months of paychecks
- Passport photo page
- VISA page in my passport
- National Identity Card
- University of Oklahoma diploma

These documents were requested by my first meeting with an executive of the Bank of Chile (Alejandra Négreier), and I was happy to finally be able to present them and request my checking account. Alejandra was relocated to another branch in the intervening 4 months since Feb., so yesterday I met with Isabel. She took a quick glance at my documents, and after no more than 15 seconds, told me again that it wasn't possible for me to open an account because I am a foreigner without permanent residence status. But I told her I work for the Univ of Chile (even using the word "para", which my colleagues have told me is a very strong way of presenting your employment... "trabajo para la Universidad de Chile"), and that I had a 2-year contract. She then examined my the copy of my employment contract and pointed out that it only listed my payments up to July of this year, and did not state anything about my 2-year agreement. Thus I was sent back to the University to search for a copy of my contract.

This morning I spoke with the financial secretary of our department (who, of course, was out of the office yesterday), and she told me that no such document - with the official signatures of the decanos of the University - existed. Instead I am being paid in thrice-yearly "revolving" contracts, their convenient way to avoid having to pay my health insurance, retirement, or other benefits. Not to be deterred -- I really want this checking account, you know, since I really look forward to paying that $10-$15/month maintenance fee for THEM to safeguard MY money and let me write checks (I only think I'll use the checks to pay the Gastos Comunes in my apartment building, or maybe if I buy something really large!) -- I asked my supervisor (who's now the director of our department) and he is working with our section secretary to produce a "Certificate" that states my monthly salary, dates of employment (the two-year deal), and the terms of my pay period (that I'm paid through a revolving pay schedule).

Hopefully when I return to the bank today or tomorrow, I will be a proud (?) customer of the Bank of Chile. Stay tuned!