. $200 and 15 minutes will get you all the documents, register with the state, tax ID, and paperwork to open a bank account.An LLC is useful for two things: anonymity and legal protection.

There won't be anonymity.   

I feel I'm loosing anonymity protection if I put my name on the W9. 

These have been talked about elsewhere, but it is important to consider them... taxes, anonymity, etc.

You want anonymity and charging order protection. 

An LLC is useful for two things: anonymity and legal protection.

Could this be a case where we used a land-trust to purchase the property and then have the LLC be the beneficiary of it to get the liability protection and anonymity?

I've been doing a ton of reading on Asset Protection and one of the combinations I've come across is purchasing the property using a Land Trust and LLC.A Land Trust can provide anonymity on the Deed (so that the tenants, or anyone else for that matter, don't know who owns the property), but it does not provide protection against suit.

If so, this will probably be even less of a problem than a subject to with some anonymous bank.

More than likely you're just shopping rate and don't want to do a "mini-application" and want to stay somewhat anonymous and in control of the conversation.