Bank Error

Ugh!!! So you actually went in and deposited the check with the teller? You didn't just deposit it in an ATM machine?

Did the teller give you a deposit receipt? If the teller gave you a receipt, then I would think that the bank would have to honor the deposit as having been made. And it definitely should be part of the teller's responsibility to check the back of the check for endorsement and account number. I know that whenever I make a deposit at my bank, the teller turns the check over and looks at the back of it.

Good luck!

Don't they run checks through some machiney-type of reader when you take them into a branch? I haven't been in a bank in years so I'm not really sure, but thats what I thought they did.

Stay calm, be persistent, and don't be rude when speaking to the manager.

Or you could always go over her head as US Bank is a pretty big national bank.

Good luck and keep us updated!

Yes I actually took the check in and handed it to a teller and I have the deposit slip. The problem with going over the manager????????s head is the responsibility of fees lies solely with your banks home branch so the final word on fees comes from that home branches manager generally and not from a corporate manager.

Another key point I forgot to mention is I made the account good by noon Monday. The bank was technically only short over the weekend and I think it was their fault. They are charging me $140 dollars for 2 weekend days of being short by $300 or so.

The manager will be in again tomorrow. I have been putting all my evidence together which is mainly verbal testimony of all parties involved. So far everyone is pointing their finger at the bank being in error accept the bank itself. This list includes me, 2 people at the accountant????????s office, my office manager, my company????????s president and a representative of the bank that my pay check is drawn from. On top of that 6 people actually saw the physical check before it was deposited and not a single one of them noticed anything wrong with the check. That list includes the teller that took the check whose responsibility is to inspect the check.

Most banks don't run a check through any machine at the branch itself other than a simple printer that prints a few things on it like the date and some basic info. The bank then sends that check to a processor and that is where the check is scanned into a computer. People at the processor actually physically handle the checks and do other things besides just scanning but once they are done the check is destroyed there and only a scan is left.

I am generally a very persuasive arguer especially when I have pretty solid evidence. I am generally not rude until I am sure I can not convince them to take my position and then in some cases I have been known to really lay into someone if I think I am really being screwed.

well good luck and I'll be looking forward to reading the (hopfully good!) resolution tomorrow or Friday!

(thinking good thoughts for you!)

I still think that if there was a problem with the check, then the teller should not have accepted it and given you a deposit receipt.

so how do they catch counterfeit checks if they aren't "checking" checks?

I agree Alias. Someone should have noticed that the account number was all smudged up on my check but especially the teller. The thing is I don't think anything was wrong with the way the account number read when I presented the check which is exactly why no one noticed a problem with it. I think the check was fouled up when they processed it at the processing office.

My case isn't really the same as a counterfeit check case Smod. The image they showed me of my check had the account number all messed up so it was unreadable. It looked like someone typed overtop the account number with other numbers a couple times. My argument is someone should have seen it out of the 6 of us that looked at the check if it was there on the original. I would think it would be obvious even if you weren't inspecting specifically for that problem.

A counterfeit check would not have that problem. A counterfeit check just goes to a non existent account but the check looks perfect. That is why a counterfeit check can not be caught until after it is processed where as my pay check supposedly was messed up right from the beginning but no one noticed it according to the bank.

A perfect example of counterfeit checks is in that movie "Catch Me If You Can" with Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks. Basically the checks look perfect but DiCaprio alters the routing and account numbers to non-existent banks and accounts and steals a lot of money.

makes me wish I was a criminal :)

Well I went to a different branch and the nice lady there refunded everything. She said my homebranch would probably call her about it but it should not reverse since she refunded.

She was really nice. I did not even need to present my case or any evidence. She just said it was not my fault that the account number was printed over and then she refunded.

Dang login got me again. hehe

The home bank didn't reverse those fees because that's more money in their pocket. They get bonues off that fee income. Wouldn't it be nice if somebody could breakdown the process of paying an overdraft item so we know why they charge us so much.

Great news, Dollars! I'm glad it worked out in your favor!!

good news, congrats and what a good way to start your weekend!

Yeah the fees they were trying to charge me were complete BS Pinklady. It all started because they conveniently pulled the money out on Friday evening making it impossible for me to redeposit until Monday morning. Over the weekend I had 3 charges hit which were roughly $1, $6 and $79. They chared me 4 fees at $35 each for overdrafts on the above 3 charges plus an overdraft on the account in general. Basically they were charging me $140 total in fees for what would have been 1/2 day in overdraft if they would not have pulled it on the weekend. It ended up being 3 days because the weekend but none of it was my fault anyway. I am still not very happy with the bank even though they did reverse the fees. They gave me a lot of hassle when they should have just reversed them to begin with. I am not sure what other action I am going to take but I may end up going to a new bank. Unfortunately there is not a decent local bank or credit union close to me or I would move to one of those.

they made good on the mistake, why penalize them more? NO bank or company is error free, and as they DID resolve it, why go to the hassle to move?

Well it is really the manager at my home branch that rubs me the wrong way. She has screwed me over twice now on fees in the past 6 months. Last time she gigged me for $105 and it wasn't my fault that time either. I asked the nice lady that refunded the fees at the other branch about changing my home branch but she said the only way to do it was to close my account and open a new account at their branch. It sounds kind of silly to me but I guess an account is locked at its home branch. In essence it works out to be the same as opening an account at a brand new bank because I have to go through the same steps either way. I would have to change all of my automatic payments and deposits. I would have to get new debit cards. Basically its a pain in the butt.

When something is the bank's error, a person should not have to go through what D&S did just to get the fees back. Just because they ultimatly fixed the error isnt' a reason to stay. They should've fixed it the first time since it was their fault. I'd switch banks if it happened to me.

I agree. Dollars actually had to go to a different branch to get it fixed since the branch manager wouldn't fix it. If this is the second time in six months, I have to say that I would probably change banks also.

Dollars, I changed banks recently. I was previously with B of A, and since I heard that they have something in their credit card agreements that allows them to take money from your bank account to cover the credit cards (and we had two late ones with them), I didn't want to take the risk of them seizing my funds. Anyway, we opened an account with a smaller, local bank. You're right, it was a hassle to get everything changed over, but now that it's done, I'm so much happier with my new bank. The people at the branch are friendly and helpful, and even though the bank itself is not as convenient for me, I'm so glad that I changed banks. I wish I had done it years ago.

I didn't know it was the second issue, I'm willing to forgive and forget one mistake, not so much on the second. At that point it becomes my fault for letting it happen again! Good luck in whatever you decide!

Yeah I am probably going to switch to either a local credit union or one of the small time local banks mainly so I can get away from the corporate crap one has to put up with when dealing with large institutions. I have no doubt that the the people in charge of U.S. Bank push the local managers to gig people with as many fees as they can. It is a poor business philosophy in my opinion and they use to not be that way. Unfortunately I have a mortgage with them too so even if I change accounts I will still be left dealing with them in some capacity plus it is more convenient for me to have my mortgage and bank accounts grouped. My mortgage is the main reason why I am considering just switching home branches plus the manager at the other bank was a whole lot nicer.