George:
You bring up some valid points. You and I have conversed numerous times, via email, on this subject matter (bank protocol).
As stated before, seller don't have a problem engaging prospective buyer(s) - all they request is that buyer submit LOI outlining exact parameters of what they are looking for and provide sanitized proof of funds (SPOF) before interacting.
Its part of bank's vetting/screening process.
Sure, I can totally understand high net worth private, corporate investor's point of view. They want to ensure that their information is not placed in the wrong hands and/or data shopped around. However, you have to look at the flip side of things as well. Most Asset/Portfolio Managers don't have the time or resources to field calls from anonymous sources. They want to know who they are dealing with in advance; and ensure buyer capability.
I think some of you are confusing bank protocol with that of a private seller. Private seller SHOULD provide potential buyer with POP, statement of rightful ownership, HUD statements, etc. After all, they are reselling, redistributing packages they received from banks/financial institutions. Banks don't have to do this. They have the product. Impetus falls on the buyer to prove they have the financial capacity to purchase the product.
Let's also kill the notion that banks have pre-existing, pre-packaged, off-the-shelf tapes/portfolios floating around on the market. That's simply not the case. Most, if not all, portfolios coming from banks are customized. From time to time you might see customized portfolio hit the market resulting from another buyer's inability to take it down - but rarely do those heavily discount packages sit around for long (1-5 days), especially in high demand areas such as SoCal, AZ, NV.
Personally, I am not in the business of chasing tapes or dealing with unreliable sources. For those looking for REAL product - I am here!