Swiss Banking question

Does anyone on here know how the Swiss banks worked from 1919 through the 1930's? Internal details matter not, but how someone in the USA conducts banking through the Swiss.

Would they have to go to Switzerland to start an account?
Would they be able to deposit and withdraw money without going to Switzerland?

And how anonymous could a depositor be back then?

Thanks!

(And where else wouldd be a good place to stash money that you don't want Uncle Sam, or Wall Street, or anyone else to know about?)
 
Would they be able to deposit and withdraw money without going to Switzerland?
Some of the 'Swiss' banks were international & had offices in other nations, so the short answer is yes. Most large banks would arraign a deposit of funds in a foreign bank for favored customers. Not something the lesser customers could expect. Such international transfers were subject to a variety of government scrutiny, however the concept of Public Record that exists in the modern US is not commonly recognized, so the question would be Who Wants to Know?

(And where else wouldd be a good place to stash money that you don't want Uncle Sam, or Wall Street, or anyone else to know about?)

Until the increase in banking regulation in the 1930s it was fairly easy. Gold or other precious metals could be purchased by anyone, bonds and other securities were not closely tracked. Large sums of money were shifted about daily with a lot less regulation or oversght than today, or in the 1940s.
 
Thanks!!! Anonomous and wealthy

It sounds like it would be better to nip off to Switzerland to start off, so there's less to look into, and deposit a bunch of money. My time traveller has lots of downtime money (or rather, perfect copies) in gold and silver--hence, no serial numbers, as well as whatever raw and cut gems and jewelry would be easy to sell.

She'll also have some genuine paper currency from some transactions here ans now, and some stock certificates.

Thanks for the feedback :)

(Even though I'm working on an ASB scenario, I put this here because Swiss banking would be real world, rather than ASB..THANKS!)
 
So your time traveler will engage in forgeries and fraud?!!! For shame. :D

I will agree that it would be best to go directly to Switzerland for deposits. From there the time traveler could write checks/drafts on the account while in the US or another country.
 
...
And how anonymous could a depositor be back then?

...

To elaborate on this. Bank records then and now are not public records. In those days you would need a court warrant to get at them. For most cases you still do. The exceptions these days surround things like depositors insurance and regulations relating to felony violations of securities & other banking law.
 
morality...

So your time traveler will engage in forgeries and fraud?!!! For shame. :D

I will agree that it would be best to go directly to Switzerland for deposits. From there the time traveler could write checks/drafts on the account while in the US or another country.

Well, the value of the gold and silver coins is in the metal, so she's not really disrupting anything--though perhaps she should show up with raw gold. The jewelry and gems are very real--just made in a 24th century machine instead of naturally formed beneath the earth--and they are indistinguishable from the natural ones. So they are not forgeries, since she isn't adding a halmark or making any claims about where they came from.

The paper currency will not be counterfeit; if she made perfect fakes, the serial numbers could still trip her up. Risks must be minimized, but seed money is essential.

Thankfully, Switzerland is only a few hours away by aircar--and the days of strict border control are not yet. Making the initial deposit should be easy. Would it be practical to make deposits later without going over there?

Here's what the time traveler is involved in...
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=383235
 
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