As a UK resident with a UK card it's been a long time since I swiped or signed. I think you must have the "require signature always" bit set on your cards because someone in the issuing chain doesn't trust EMV.
Correct. I HAVE a PIN for purchasing, but the card is set to prefer signature so I end up having to sign unless I'm purchasing somewhere without signature capability (eg, an automated kiosk). And yeah, US resident, US card.
You're correct. From my understanding, most issuers have determined that Chip and Signature is secure enough for the US market provided they support DDA. Both of my EMV cards do not even provide a way to create a PIN for them. It will most like be this way for a year or two.
As a UK resident with a UK card it's been a long time since I swiped or signed. I think you must have the "require signature always" bit set on your cards because someone in the issuing chain doesn't trust EMV.