If you have a good credit rating, those guys will bend over backwards for you. All you need to do is ask. While the fax thing was annoying, it worked like a charm (Schwab wanted to charge me $15 for the expedited service, but they didn't do so in end). For a 20 year old, the calculus might be slightly different, but phone calls from the mom (e.g. my son is in China, doesn't have any money, and I will close my account if you don't help him) could work wonders.