[Jack of all Trades]

While its's dangerous to make blanket statements, I would say that yes, all banks do operate the same. $10K is the requirement for federal reporting, but banks will notice much smaller transactions. They look for patterns of activity, dates for example, or cycles that don't fit the norm of a clients history. This has been developing for the past twenty years or so.

[Betty Jane]

i tried to pay an american express bill with cash. I was told they won't take more than one thousand dollars in cash due to the WOD. I believe there was some additional reporting requirement if they received that much in cash. So, yes Big Brother is here and he's watching our every move

[onyx]

This has been developing for the past twenty years or so.

Exactly. Banks prefer credit card transactions and cheques, both of which generate income for them.

I do however, maintain that I would find a bank that handed me my cash in one transaction. I'd go to the branch manager and tell him my reasons along with my expectations (demands).