If true, this has many layers of intrigue; such as, the fact that that information had to be provided by Society authorities to Rome.  It stands to reason that aspect would be part and parcel of the acquisition.

How can we verify this information, Matthew?  Or are you confident in the source?

Don't bank auditors have access to personal information, including spending habits? How would someone at the Vatican bank know about this?

I can tell you that the SSPX recently upgraded its Accounting practices to be much more centralized.

Every chapel uses the same software, the same procedures, etc. Every week all information is uploaded to the Hive.

The Hive knows all details about all chapels, in near real-time. Bishop Fellay, IF HE WANTED TO, could rig a device to his computer that would ring a bell and flash a red light if any chapel's income dipped by more than 5% on a given Sunday. You can see how this could be useful.

Why did the SSPX suddenly want to be so "corporation-like" when it comes to accounting? The old system was good enough for decades. But everything is professional and centralized now, as of only a few years ago.

And this much I know first-hand.

I got to read the new "rules" and detailed procedural changes from SSPX headquarters. They decided to stop trusting anyone, and started requiring 3 un-related people to count the money, they mandated when it would be deposited, they started using special "tamper-proof" bags for the money, etc.

They wouldn't care if the person counting the money founded the chapel in question 30 years ago with their own life savings. No more trust. Everything by the book.

The SSPX has grown too big. They have become a large, international greedy corporation. They have lost it.

I wouldn't really worry so much about this.  It's pretty extensive as far as bank auditing goes but the Vatican has a lot of diplomatic "pull" and the Vatican Bank is probably just as sophisticated as any bank out there in the world.  Checks all have routing numbers on them in addition to account numbers and identifying factors printed on the check.  Each SSPX chapel has an account at a local bank and probably some streamlined info to SSPX headquarters.  

The info could be gathered by any bank examiner and there are probably laws and bylaws for church activity to maintain tax free status.  So gathering the names of donors to each SSPX chapel would be something the Vatican would be interested in, if only to write each one of us a canonical warning letter some time in the future.  Remember how Archbishop Mueller stated, after negotiations stalled, that he was going to consider writing letters to each individual priest.

Then again, using the "crass side of my brain" the Vatican or the SSPX could be using amounts of donations as a bargaining chip.  One negotiator says to another, "Look at how much we gather every Sunday and then look at how much financial dire straits the dioceses are in and these SSPX chapels could be donating to the local diocese if you just give us what we want."

With the advances in accounting technology and tracking devices, finding out the names and amounts donated weekly would be a pretty simple task for any investigator or auditor.

This priest must have contacted the IOR first, and someone in turn called him back (their phone number is on their web site https://www.ior.va/en-us/contact.aspx).  Why would the IOR just out of the blue contact this priest unless his "Roman connection" is a friend in Rome and works at the IOR.  If that is the case then he does indeed have "connections."  Is your source an SSPX priest Matthew?  Can you tell us that much?  Or no?  I don't want to get him in trouble, I'm just curious.  

I can tell you that the SSPX recently upgraded its Accounting practices to be much more centralized.

Every chapel uses the same software, the same procedures, etc. Every week all information is uploaded to the Hive.

The Hive knows all details about all chapels, in near real-time. Bishop Fellay, IF HE WANTED TO, could rig a device to his computer that would ring a bell and flash a red light if any chapel's income dipped by more than 5% on a given Sunday. You can see how this could be useful.

Why did the SSPX suddenly want to be so "corporation-like" when it comes to accounting? The old system was good enough for decades. But everything is professional and centralized now, as of only a few years ago.

And this much I know first-hand.

I got to read the new "rules" and detailed procedural changes from SSPX headquarters. They decided to stop trusting anyone, and started requiring 3 un-related people to count the money, they mandated when it would be deposited, they started using special "tamper-proof" bags for the money, etc.

They wouldn't care if the person counting the money founded the chapel in question 30 years ago with their own life savings. No more trust. Everything by the book.

The SSPX has grown too big. They have become a large, international greedy corporation. They have lost it.

I know exactly the changes to which you are referring but I disagree.  IMHO the professional and centralized accounting procedures were long overdue.  I get what you are saying about not trusting anyone, but when someone you believe to be trustworthy steals from the church, well, it's time to put in some safeguards. Or, if a treasurer (well-intentioned though he may be), doesn't take care of business with the IRS that is a problem which professional oversight would have prevented.

Judgement fails, but strict application of reasonable procedures rarely does. It removes subjectivity. This is a good practice for any organization with regional "affiliates".