There is another myth we want to ensure is not perpetrated: that Swiss banking and US clients = criminal activity, people hiding assets and worse. The longer those ideas linger, the longer the current situation will continue to create a burden for many individuals. I can only suggest that the people we’ve talked to and been referred to aren’t part of the group you’ve seen.

There are far too many clear cases of US citizens who have indeed had problems with banking here – we’ve talked to them but also to the banks, and there is plenty of evidence that it often complicates people’s lives, creating a real burden. This is not a myth. True, there are plenty of Americans who manage to live in Switzerland and maintain Swiss bank accounts, but they often cannot also maintain a bank account in the US, which creates another set of problems for many students, for example, young workers and families. We think this is a story that has not yet received enough attention.

A US citizen or tax person who intends to use an account as a clearing account and who lives in Switzerland does not have a problem in doing so.

That Americans and US tax persons choose not to file is their issue. For them to claim lack of knowledge is outright naive, if not a lie. I have made them aware of their problems since 1982 when entering Switzerland as an American.

Please make the record straight and don’t rely on the anguished Americans who have been living at their own risk and peril.

On the other hand, you may well investigate the criminal activities of some Swiss bankers, who blatantly ignored Swiss law and who acted criminally on US territory.