Cellphones Banned From Branches

First it was no shirts, no shoes, no service. Then it was no hoods, no hats, no glasses. But now it's no cell phones at one bank.

That's what one small bank decided when its CIO saw potential security threats posed by cell phones that are also digital cameras, according to a report by The Credit Union Journal's affiliate, US Banker.

"Everything that it takes to steal a person's identity passes back and forth in a new accounts process or in a loan-interview application process," Citizens Bank of Nevada County CIO Michael Behn said. "I'm concerned about somebody walking through the office seemingly speaking on the cellphone, clicking a picture of somebody opening a new account. And that's it, they've got everything."

Even so, there is some debate over just how much danger cell phone cameras really pose at a financial institution. "It's a pretty far-fetched assumption to think that a camera-enabled phone might be used for that purpose, because the resolution is not that good," Cedric Laurant, policy counsel for the Electronic Privacy Information Center told US Banker.

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