Banks, Treasury Staff Push Back on Citizen-Verification Proposal

Longtime Treasury employees are pushing back against the Trump administration’s plan to make banks verify citizenship information, amid stiff opposition from lenders.

Some career staffers have been trying to guide the agency’s politically appointed officials toward a softer proposal for banks to certify US citizenship, according to people familiar with the matter. The effort follows concerns raised by banking industry groups about the feasibility of checking immigration status and the potential impact on customers.

Last month, the Wall Street Journal and Semafor reported that the administration was discussing an executive order forcing the collection of such data. No official decision ...