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Robert Mickley
01-17-2006, 2:11 PM
I built a cue rack a few weeks ago for a friend, stopped at his bank to cash his Check. They wouldn't cash it :mad: :mad: Said they had a new policy of not cashing checks unless you have an account there, even if the check was drawn on their bank. Talk about a bunch of malarky :mad:

Lee DeRaud
01-17-2006, 2:34 PM
"New policy"? Don't know why it would be different where you are, but that's been the policy of banks out here for at least 15-20 years.

Joe Pelonio
01-17-2006, 2:47 PM
I hate them too, but here they will cash it for a $5 fee, plus they will
fingerprint you.

Robert Mickley
01-17-2006, 3:25 PM
I hate them too, but here they will cash it for a $5 fee, plus they will
fingerprint you.

My wifes bank, if she writes you a check, you can go in there and cash it as long as there is funds to cover it, no fee. They will get your thumbprint though.

Used to be Sky bank would cash checks, my pay checks where from a sky bank account. Went in there every friday to cash them. No questions. I know what they are up too, they want you to open an account, not gonna happen. Its a sky bank check they should be required to honor it.

Art Mulder
01-17-2006, 3:30 PM
Agree with Lee, I'm pretty sure that is fairly normal practise.

Actually, I can't remember the last time I cashed a cheque. I always deposit it, nine times out of ten using the bank machine, and then withdraw some cash.

Lee DeRaud
01-17-2006, 3:37 PM
Actually, I can't remember the last time I cashed a cheque. I always deposit it, nine times out of ten using the bank machine, and then withdraw some cash.Ditto. But if I'm depositing a check from an "untrustworthy" source, I'll take it inside and let them verify it. (My bank didn't used to charge for that, but it's been 5-6 years since I did that last.)

Scott Donley
01-17-2006, 3:50 PM
I would betcha Bill Gates would not have that problem. Depends on who you are ( your worth ) The banks seem to forget that they are using our money for their paychecks. I could go on and on, but I hate typing :)

Jeff Sudmeier
01-17-2006, 4:15 PM
:) Reminds me of the time that my ex wrote me a check for some money she owed me after we broke up. Took it to her bank (where my personal account was) and she didn't have the funds. Took it to another bank (Where my commercial account was) and they took it. Found out later she got an overdraft charge... Ahh the little things :)

Christopher Pine
01-17-2006, 4:33 PM
Yep Banks in general... I don't want to offend... do not offer very good service any longer....
They wanted a 10% fee to count a jar full of change I had and I was goiung to deposit it into my account that was with there bank.... They are jerks!
I have very little need for them any longer and every chance I get I use them less.

Chris

Jack Hogoboom
01-17-2006, 4:55 PM
Count me among the ranks of the disaffected.

In college, we used to fantasize about vandalizing the ATM on campus....

My roommate once tried to cash a check his mother had written him. The bank refused to do it. So he took out a piece of paper, wrote his account number on it and made it payable to cash. He then went back to the teller and asked her to cash the "check". She refused, at which point he informed her that under Article III of the Uniform Commenrcial Code, the bank was legally obligated to cash any draft that bore his account number and was signed by him (he was right, by the way). The teller had a 5 minute conversation with the branch manager, then came back and told my firend they would cash his mother's check.:D

If they had had to honor his check, they never would've been able to feed it through their magnetic sorting machines and it would have cost them a fortune to process it by hand. So, if you ever want to mess with your bank, or don't have any checks on you and need cash, just remember this little trick.:D

Jack

Kirk (KC) Constable
01-17-2006, 6:14 PM
I've been told, or read somewhere, that a bank HAS to cash a check written on their bank if presented. They can make you jump through hoops, but they have to cash it if the funds are present. Maybe one of the lawyers will jump in and clarify...

I won't do bizness with the CU my wife uses because they play the 'jump through hoops' game.

Dennis Peacock
01-17-2006, 6:38 PM
Good subject here....but this helps raise my blood pressure...!!!! Catch my drift.:rolleyes: :D :mad:

David Fried
01-17-2006, 9:37 PM
...So he took out a piece of paper, wrote his account number on it and made it payable to cash.
Jack

My father once "created" a check on a brown paper bag to demonstrate this to me. We had no problem at the bank.


Dave Fried

Norman Hitt
01-18-2006, 12:57 AM
I had a checque from a fellow that had a somewhat dubious history of giving checques and then stopping payment on them, so I took it straight to his bank to cash it, and they suggested that I deposit it in my own acct at another bank since they couldn't cash it if I didn't have an acct at their bank. To make a long story short, I created quite a scene by talking to all the customers in the bank and asking them fairly loudly, if they were sure their bank was sound, as they seemingly didn't have enough money to cash a legitimate checque drawn on their bank, on an acct that had adequate funds to cover the checque. It didn't take long before a group of VP's huddled and decided to cash the checque for me. Needless to say, I won't accept any checque drawn on that bank anymore.

There are a few more "New Practices" that are now allowed that I consider nothing but Pure Theft of our money and Should Be a Felonious Practice.

Bill Grumbine
01-18-2006, 8:26 AM
I hate banks too, and for lots of reasons. My personal biggie is trying to go through the drive through window to save time. HAH! The tellers are ALWAYS having a conversation about anything BUT what they are supposed to be doing, and it is literally faster to park and get out and go in to do my business. It does no good to speak to the manager, which I have done on several occasions. I get a lot of corporatespeak with an artificially cheerful smile, and sent along my way with promises that it will never happen again - until I show up at the window again. Then, when said teller puts the wrong account number on the deposit slip, and I mention it, I am told, "No problem."

NO PROBLEM LADY!?!:mad: You mean its no problem that you put my money in SOMEONE ELSE'S ACCOUNT?

Yeah, I hate banks.

Bill

Dennis Peacock
01-18-2006, 11:42 AM
Reminds me of when I was working on getting my construction loan for my house in Alabama....when I still lived there.

Me: Gone to the XYZ Bank so I can finish the construction loan.
LOML: OK...see ya later.
Arrive at the XYZ Bank and go inside to talk with the Branch Manager about said construction loan. We've already had previous discussions and was told that it's no problem since I pre-qualified, interpreted that I knew what I was doing.
Mgr: So Mr. Peacock....I already have the paperwork filled out for ya to sign.
Me: Great! Let me sign it and let's get the show on the road.
Mgr: I'll also need a check for $1,785.00 in order to approve your contruction loan.
Me: What!!!!!???!!!!????
Mgr: That's correct. I have to have a check from you with valid funding in order to give you the construction loan.
Me: So.......what you're telling me is that I have to PAY YOU money in order to get a construction loan for my house on property that I ALREADY OWN?
Mgr: That's correct.
Me: So.....is this just a "legal" way for you to require me to bribe you to give me a contruction loan?
Mgr: Well.....(pause)......Yes it is.
Me: .....:mad: :mad: :mad:

Jim Becker
01-18-2006, 11:43 AM
Hmm...I bank online and at the ATM the majority of the time. In the last year, I've only been "in" the bank twice...once to get a bunch of pristine cash to take with us to Russia (can't get "dirty" money exchanged over there) and to deposit the big check when I sold my truck recently...drawn on the same bank. (and with the buyer in my presence) They were quite accomodating and nice both visits, especially considering the extra work they had to do to cull the cash for only new or nearly-new, unmarked bills.

As to the "no account, no cashing rule"...that's been normal for many, many years at all the banks I've done business with.

James Owen
01-18-2006, 1:03 PM
Banks rate right up there with the DMV and the local school district, in my book.

A couple of weeks ago, my bank -- a national operation whose name I won't mention, but initials are B.o.f.A. -- decided that all web banking customers must use their photo identification gizmo; up until then, it was optional. Well, it took about 20 minutes to go through all of this nonsense to get this set up. After it was finally done and I was finally able to access my account information, I sent the bank an email detailing my dissatisfaction with this requirement. The bank replied to me in an email, purportedly written/signed by a real live individual, full of the usual corporate pap: lots of words saying exactly nothing. I made the rather educational mistake of replying to that email/to the individual that "signed" it, and received another email from the bank that said EXACTLY the same nothing -- word for word -- as the first email, but signed with another individual's name.

Reminds me of a speech that the Soviet ambassador to the UN gave in the 70s: he spent over 45 minutes talking and said some very appealing things that got lots of applause from some of the members. After the speech was analysed, it turns out that EVERY single thing the ambassador said was cancelled-out somewhere else in the speech. An exceedingly well-crafted speech, but in reality, he spent 45 minutes saying exactly zippola. If nothing else, you have to give him credit for a well-done speech.

Too bad my bank ain't that ingenious.....Totally ignored the cause of my dissatisfaction and just sent the standard "We're sorry for any incovenience this may have caused..." kind of corporate legal and HR dept approved non-answer.

And this is what they call customer service??? Unfortunately, this only the latest in a series of "high quality" customer service incidents in the last year or so.

As soon as I get all the direct deposit paperwork completed and through the system, I'll be changing banks...

Butch Spears
01-18-2006, 9:00 PM
Just to clear up a point or two.Please consider. Todays technology makes it pretty easy to Fraud a bank or you as a customer.We would love to be able to do business like we have done in the past BUT IT IS JUST NOT POSSIBLE,ID theft and Fraud is the #1 crime today.I am head of Security for a group of Banks in Dallas /Ft Worth You would not believe what loses have become in Todays Market.Someone has to pay the tab either in some inconveniences or in cash.If you let me have your company payroll check for 1 minute,I will reture it to you to cash and I will have a unlimited supply of your company checks with a good sig. and what ever amount I want to write it for. B

Robert Mickley
01-18-2006, 9:05 PM
As to the "no account, no cashing rule"...that's been normal for many, many years at all the banks I've done business with.
Well apparently its aginst the Law in some states, ohio for one,

I emailed the state yesterday and got a response today

Here it is



Dear Mr. Mickley:<o =""></o>
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I will attempt to answer your question.<o =""></o><o =""></o>
Under the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), when you took the check in to the drawer’s bank to be cashed you made an over the counter presentment for payment of the check. The general rule of thumb under the UCC is the bank on which the check is drawn then has until the close of the next business day to decide whether to pay the check or dishonor the check. Also generally, the bank can only dishonor the check if there were insufficient funds in the account or the check is not properly payable, i.e., it has some specific deficiency. If a bank does not pay a check that is properly payable, under the general rule the dishonor is wrongful and the drawer of the check, who has a contract with the bank to pay on the drawer’s order, has an action against the bank. The payee of the check who wasn’t paid still has an action against the drawer of the check but not against the bank because the payee has no contract with the bank in relation to that check.<o =""></o>
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These general rules notwithstanding, the UCC permits the parties to contracts under the UCC to vary from the general rules by contract. So, many banks now include in their deposit contracts with their checking account customers provisions that refusing to pay a check for some other reason, such as the check not being properly payable or there not being sufficient funds in the account, is not a wrongful dishonor. The most common reason I’ve heard of is if the person presenting the check for payment refuses to pay a fee to the drawer’s bank to have the check cashed. In that particular case many courts have upheld the contracts, so the drawer doesn’t have recourse against the bank. The payee still does have recourse against the drawer. The check is a contract by the drawer to pay the payee even if the check is dishonored by the bank on which it is drawn. Also, if the check was given to effect payment on an underlying obligation, such as for a service done on goods sold, the underlying obligation to pay remains intact.

While I can't do anything about it the person that wrote the check can file a complaint

Frank Chaffee
01-18-2006, 11:07 PM
Robert,
The man who owns the bank I use was a mere child when I delivered the morning newspaper to their house seven days a week. His father owned the bank then. Doesn’t everyone do business this way?
Frank

Robert Mickley
01-19-2006, 8:24 AM
We could dream Frank. Your one of the lucky few. The bank my wife uses is local owned only has 3 or 4 branchs.

Ken Fitzgerald
01-19-2006, 9:11 AM
A lot of the problems in dealing with banks is a result of our mobile society. During a recent trip to Illinois to attend my FILs funeral, we reached a point where we needed more cash. We walked up town to the local bank. As soon as I identified myself as being the SIL of my ILs, they accepted my out-of-state (Idaho) personal check...no problems and no fees. My ILs had banked there for years and their reputation within the community gave the bank tellers the courage to take a chance with my check.

For years we dealt with the same bank locally. When it got sold for the 2nd time, they brought in new tellers and we no longer knew them. With the previous tellers I'd made many deposits from local fundraisers....some of which were exceeding $49,000 the morning after a local fundraiser. My math was never off, I found several deposit errors on the banks side. The tellers I worked with all those years never felt intimidated when we "cleared" the books. We became business friends over the years, inquiring about each others children, giving vacation advice etc. Shortly after the 2nd buy-out, we changed banks. These folks are friendly....I can joke with them.....They showed pity to me during the 2 months I was paying the bills while the LOML was attending to family in Illinois.

Some of problems are a result of a mobile society and some of it's business. Find a bank with which you feel comfortable and stick with it as long as you feel you're being treated well!

Dave Anderson NH
01-19-2006, 10:04 AM
I had problems with a couple of the iterations of my bank after it got sold a few times and changed names after mergers. I wasn't happy with their service, let them know, and changed banks. The bank I now use (BankNorth) is wonderful. They have extended hours, polite and helpful people, free checking with no hassles or catches, and they are even open at the driveup on Sunday. I think it all comes down to the attitudes and philosophy of top level management. A bank is a service organization. If they don't provide good service, they aren't fulfilling their misson and should be penalized by the customer going elsewhere. Money talks and..............

Bart Leetch
01-19-2006, 10:32 AM
A few years back my Uncle was having trouble with his bank & they would not straighten out a mistake they had made so he asked to speak to the president & he ended up having an attitude too so he looked into the presidents eyes & said I want to close my account now give me my money. A little scrambling went on & a little over 100 thousand dollars later he took his money & went to another bank. Sometimes you have to vote with your money.

Christopher Pine
01-19-2006, 12:03 PM
Fair point... A thread like this all the bad will come out rather easily... However some of the discourteous, ridiculous issues raised IE: chargeing me 10 % to count coins.. a jar full not a wheelbarrow full, is ridiculous... some of the other stuff is too.
One issue in general .. not just banks but any business these days.. seems to me that the employees are not empowered to serve the customer.. Like saying hey no prblem is it just this jar of coins you have? we can do that... NO they have a "corporate" rule of 10% fee no exception.
My Step Dad used to close accounts with the bank if they did not do the service he thought was appropriate... They allways seemed to respond a lot more courteous when he told them ok give me all my money out of this bank... but it was too late...
Credit unions are very popular for a reason, however i bet we could get a thread going about there pitfalls as well.. Oh well..
Have a nice day.

Chris


Just to clear up a point or two.Please consider. Todays technology makes it pretty easy to Fraud a bank or you as a customer.We would love to be able to do business like we have done in the past BUT IT IS JUST NOT POSSIBLE,ID theft and Fraud is the #1 crime today.I am head of Security for a group of Banks in Dallas /Ft Worth You would not believe what loses have become in Todays Market.Someone has to pay the tab either in some inconveniences or in cash.If you let me have your company payroll check for 1 minute,I will reture it to you to cash and I will have a unlimited supply of your company checks with a good sig. and what ever amount I want to write it for. B

Jason Roehl
01-19-2006, 6:32 PM
I only had trouble once that I recall, probably because I never cash checks. The bank said there was a $5 fee to cash a check drawn on the account of one of their customers. I said, "Oscar Mayer. It's a check from your bank. Pay up." They did. I've heard of quite a few people having problems with that "Fifteenth" bank, er...Third Fifth (!), oh, whatever the heck it is...if they can't do fractions, it's no wonder they're an awful bank...

I stick with a local credit union and a local savings bank. In ten+ years with them, I can't say I've ever had a problem.

Vaughn McMillan
01-19-2006, 7:41 PM
...A couple of weeks ago, my bank -- a national operation whose name I won't mention, but initials are B.o.f.A. -- decided that all web banking customers must use their photo identification gizmo; up until then, it was optional. Well, it took about 20 minutes to go through all of this nonsense to get this set up. ...
I do my banking online with BofA, and like you, I had to go through the hoops to set up their new security ID stuff. In principal, I have no objection to the bank making it harder for the bad guys to get their hands on my money. Still, the new added layer of security does not work if you're using the Firefox browser, so I'm now forced to use Internet Explorer (which I don't feel is nearly as secure) to access the most critical data I have. (I'm not a MS-basher, but I prefer Firefox over IE for a number of reasons.)

Even with the hassles of using IE, I don't know if I could give up online banking and bill-paying. I've not stepped foot in a bank for over a year, and that was only to deposit large checks from home sales. And I like the fact that I can pay a month's worth of bills in just a couple minutes.

- Vaughn

Bart Leetch
01-19-2006, 8:05 PM
I've never done banking on line or on line purchasing. I use Quicken to do my check book but the accounts have a fictitious names & no account numbers are ever entered into my computer. I have always figured that if it is in the computer there is probably someone out there that is smart enough to figure out how to get it. If its not there they can't get it.

Just about the time you think your safe you won't be.

Besides that what if someone broke into your house or place of business & stole your computer what then.

I am not a computer whiz so the easiest way is to leave no tracks.

Butch Spears
01-19-2006, 8:23 PM
It is a shame that things have gotten so bad. But as some have said,I havent been to the bank in Forever, Lost is the customer/banker connection that once was the norm. Banks are buying out other Banks and getting bigger, more lose of the connection,It also is a shame when customers are not treated nice ( in any Business ) But Corporate decisions are made by others( CEOs who have no contact with customers ) Crooks who want no contact with customers( except to take their money) Employees who ( if get taken by Fraud ) have to have contact with the CEOs and the Crooks and the security people. It is not an easy fix. But there is no EXCUSE for Bad ,Rude customer service. We are the second largest PRIVATE Banking Corp in Texas and our CEO will not tolerate Bad service. But it is a struggle some times when you hold the check in your hand and you are surrounded by everyone whom you have to answer to.It is not easy in todays World. This is not a commercial for our Bank just an observation. sorry for the long post. B

Joe Mioux
01-19-2006, 8:30 PM
One of the benefits or living in a small town with a locally owned bank is that for the most part, but not all the time, are more than accomodating.

Like Ken Fitzgerald stated, many locally owned banks will accomodate people they know.

Occaisionally, I have vendors that sell me certain items, (these people are ussually pretty rough looking) when they leave they go to my bank and cash the check. The teller will call me and ask me if it is o.k. for the check to be cashed and I will say yes.

So sometimes, these check cashing rules are there to protect the bank's customer, not the person cashing the check.
Joe

Vaughn McMillan
01-20-2006, 3:29 AM
...
Besides that what if someone broke into your house or place of business & stole your computer what then.

I am not a computer whiz so the easiest way is to leave no tracks.
As I see it, it's no different than someone breaking into my house and stealing the checkbooks and a couple of bank statements. I agree your approach keeps your computer data safe from 'net hackers, but a burgler in the house would hit either of us about the same way. ;)

I'm not a computer whiz either, although I know my way around them pretty well, and have taken a lot of measures to keep my data safe. (Same with my house, too.)

- Vaughn