Nowadays, Maybank does not seem to welcome people opening savings accounts with them unless you are some kind of high net worth individual. Unemployed cannot open account, employed but no employment letter cannot open account, primary school student also need chop from school just to open an account? It is getting ridiculous.

Even for existing account holder who wants to open another savings account, it is not easy. They will ask you all kinds of questions and you have to justify your reasons for doing so to discourage you from opening another account. One would have to close his / her savings account with another branch if one wants to open another savings account in another branch. Kinda ridiculous if you ask me. Give them money also so difficult.  

They are getting arrogant because they think they are the biggest in Malaysia. Maybe they think the customers need them more than they need the customers. They will usually blame everything on Bank Negara. I agree Bank Negara has tightened the rules to prevent money laundering but that does not mean it is Bank Negara's policy, rather it is that bank's policy or that branch's policy only in some instance. Otherwise, all the banks in Malaysia would have implemented the same policy.

Other banks like OCBC would be more than willing to open an account for its customers. They even volunteered to open new accounts for their existing customers. You can have multiple savings accounts in the same branch and it would not be a problem at all. But sometimes, it depends on the staff too.

I would suggest to try with a different branch unless they tell you cannot open in that branch because you don't live or work near that branch. Maybe can lodge a complaint with HQ too if you don't mind the trouble.