Maybe it's just me, but I think big corporations have no right to ask people trying to do business with them to submit to being fingerprinted.When I first heard about Bank of America branches around here requiring thumbprints from people trying to cash Bank of America checks, I thought maybe someone was pulling my leg.

When I first heard about Bank of America branches around here requiring thumbprints from people trying to cash Bank of America checks, I thought maybe someone was pulling my leg.But no, a Bank of America spokeswoman kindly confirmed for me this week that indeed it is the bank's policy to require a thumbprint from anyone without an account who wants to cash one of the bank's checks.

But no, a Bank of America spokeswoman kindly confirmed for me this week that indeed it is the bank's policy to require a thumbprint from anyone without an account who wants to cash one of the bank's checks.They also charge nonaccount holders a fee for checks written from a commercial account with the bank.

They also charge nonaccount holders a fee for checks written from a commercial account with the bank.This fingerprinting is something that banks have been doing for some time now around the country, the Bank of America spokeswoman said, and her bank has been doing it in Connecticut since 2008.

This fingerprinting is something that banks have been doing for some time now around the country, the Bank of America spokeswoman said, and her bank has been doing it in Connecticut since 2008.Bank of America and Wachovia, which has its only eastern Connecticut branch in Old Saybrook, are the only two banks fingerprinting in Connecticut, according to a spokesman for the Connecticut Bankers Association.

Bank of America and Wachovia, which has its only eastern Connecticut branch in Old Saybrook, are the only two banks fingerprinting in Connecticut, according to a spokesman for the Connecticut Bankers Association.The practice, the Bank of America spokeswoman told me, is meant to act as a deterrent to people who might think twice about cashing a forged or stolen check if they know they are going to be fingerprinted.

The practice, the Bank of America spokeswoman told me, is meant to act as a deterrent to people who might think twice about cashing a forged or stolen check if they know they are going to be fingerprinted.The bank doesn't keep a database of the prints, she said, but actually records them on the checks that are being cashed. In the event a check turns out to be a fraud, the bank can turn over to authorities the print of the person who cashed it.

The bank doesn't keep a database of the prints, she said, but actually records them on the checks that are being cashed. In the event a check turns out to be a fraud, the bank can turn over to authorities the print of the person who cashed it.Of course the person who cashed the fraudulent check already has the money. And if police can't make a match with the print, then the bank is no closer to getting its money back.

Of course the person who cashed the fraudulent check already has the money. And if police can't make a match with the print, then the bank is no closer to getting its money back.Good old careful checking of IDs would seem to be more effective.

Good old careful checking of IDs would seem to be more effective.Fingerprinting people with whom you conduct routine business strikes me as an unacceptable practice, and Connecticut lawmakers ought to take notice before it becomes more widely used.

Fingerprinting people with whom you conduct routine business strikes me as an unacceptable practice, and Connecticut lawmakers ought to take notice before it becomes more widely used.Not only is it an intrusion of people's privacy, but it could be humiliating as well.

Not only is it an intrusion of people's privacy, but it could be humiliating as well.How often is someone required to be fingerprinted, unless they are being accused of a crime?

How often is someone required to be fingerprinted, unless they are being accused of a crime?Of course what makes it even more offensive is that the bank is essentially targeting the underprivileged, because those are the people mostly likely to not have a bank account where they can deposit a check.

Of course what makes it even more offensive is that the bank is essentially targeting the underprivileged, because those are the people mostly likely to not have a bank account where they can deposit a check.I can't believe this demographic reality slipped the bankers' minds, when they dreamed up the idea of fingerprinting people.

I can't believe this demographic reality slipped the bankers' minds, when they dreamed up the idea of fingerprinting people.One extreme example of the intrusiveness of this policy turned up in Florida last year, where Bank of America refused to cash a check for a man who was born without arms, since he was unable to give a thumbprint from his prosthetic hands.

One extreme example of the intrusiveness of this policy turned up in Florida last year, where Bank of America refused to cash a check for a man who was born without arms, since he was unable to give a thumbprint from his prosthetic hands.The bank apologized after news accounts of the incident surfaced.

The bank apologized after news accounts of the incident surfaced.Curiously, the policy seems to be not only an affront to noncustomers but one not in the best interest of the bank's good customers, either, since they may ultimately be frustrated that their checks are not readily accepted even at the bank from which they are issued.

Curiously, the policy seems to be not only an affront to noncustomers but one not in the best interest of the bank's good customers, either, since they may ultimately be frustrated that their checks are not readily accepted even at the bank from which they are issued.Fingerprinting by banks has caused some offense in the libertarian-minded state of New Hampshire, where there was an attempt last year to outlaw it.

Fingerprinting by banks has caused some offense in the libertarian-minded state of New Hampshire, where there was an attempt last year to outlaw it.The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts in 2008 decried the practice and suggested that people refuse to cash checks at banks that require fingerprints.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts in 2008 decried the practice and suggested that people refuse to cash checks at banks that require fingerprints.The ACLU also suggested that people complain to lawmakers about the practice and urge them to ban it.

The ACLU also suggested that people complain to lawmakers about the practice and urge them to ban it.Those sound like good suggestions to me.

Those sound like good suggestions to me.

This is the opinion of David Collins.