Via PM system (not profile mural which I'm well aware it is public) I informed another poster that I was planning to leave the forum. A few days later a mod (on the Real Madrid board) mentioned this user (who is now banned) and me as "his want-away friend". That is, he knew about my desire to leave the forum which was only expressed via PM. Can mods read our private messages? Is it allowed? Thanks.
A few things: 1 - Mods cannot read PMs. There may be a few exceptions, like Admins for reasons of safety (stalking, threats of violence, etc) and such, but mods have never been able to read PMs, and that lack of ability still exists. 2 - As mods of a forum, we generally know who is likely to communicate with whom, and who are on bad, good, or friendly terms. Longer term mods have developed a good eye for this, and based on what I read, it was a sarcastic comment based on the relationship between you and the poster who had just been redded. Further, reading the profile messages between you and the redded poster do not paint a picture like you voluntarily want to stay around. 3 - If you want a direct answer, PM the mod in question. To reiterate your question(s), no, mods cannot read your PMs.