Are you from the US? I do know banks have special rules for US Persons, but I have no idea what kind of impact those rules have on opening a bank account.
Yes. Most people seem to blame FATCA, but while it's a pain in the ass for me personally, no bank I've ever used has blinked at it. They just ask for my SSN and a declaration of tax residency and move on.
Could very well be. Like I said, I don't know what kind of impact it has on the creation of a bank account. I do know that banks have to report about US Persons to the IRS, so there are special rules for you, and they do need to know that you count as a US Person.