DAMN Bank America. . . just Goddamn them!

[ashling]

We have an ccount with them. . . as does my daughter . . . because it is the only bank that has a branch near her college and near here. We wanted to be able to transfer into her account and have it credited immediately.

This only attribute that I can think of.

If they insist on putting a hold on out of state checks, they should at least change their name! Maybe something like BANK OF SOME PARTS OF AMERICA, BUT ONLY WHEN IT SUITS US.

DAMN THEM!

Banks got the laws changed so that you and I would no longer be able to float a check over the weekend, but they can float one for 10 goddamn days because it suits them????!!!!!! GRRRRRRR!

DAMN, DAMN, DAMN, DAMN!!!!!!!!

They should have to pay the accumulated interest on this float into some fund for consumers. I bet it amounts to millions!!!!!

:puke:

Sorry, my wife said if I was going to rant I had to wait until she went to the store . . . and that just left you guys. Please forgive me.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. And...

The law says that these checks are supposed to clear a lot more quickly. Banks do this float thing figuring that in the unlikely event that they get fined for violations, that the amount is so small that it is just operating expenses.

They are defacto completely unregulated.

[redqueen]

11. They are definitely defacto completely unregulated

Addressing this problem is an issue that Americans from across the political system will support.

[GOPisEvil]

2. WTF?! You can't instantly transfer from one account to another?

That's screwy! That's just wrong. Bastards.

[ashling]

6. That is the one thing they CAN do

Sorry if my message was not clear. 'they can immediately credit money we transfer into her account.

They hold they put on out of state checks is another matter. Its just one of the many things that they do that pisses me off.

[GOPisEvil]

9. Ooooooooooohhhhhh....ok...so they put a hold on checks from the same bank?

That's just as messed up! Asshats!

Oh, and congratulations to your daughter. :thumbsup:

[ashling]

8. The good news is that Abby will be home this weekend

for the summer. I can't wait to see her.

Did I mention that she was elected president of the Young Dems at her college in Va. . . . and she is just a freswomen this year!

[gristy]

3. change banks

Banking on-line is so easy now - you don't need a branch near you or your daughter.

I left BofA about 10 years ago and am very glad I did. Their service sucked big time then - sounds like it still does.

[alarimer]

13. Try a smaller bank or credit union

I switched banks when mine merged yet again. So far so good but then I don't have to deal with out of state checks. All banks might be the same on that.

[Tux]

4. Welcome to the Free Trade

Where your money belongs to the banks and banks belong to Republicians.

[doodadem]

5. This has always driven me crazy as well

I'm self employed, and the checks that come into my business are from all over the country. I left my last bank recently because, after being a customer for 3 years, they were still holding checks for 2 weeks. My bank in Cincy never held a check on me, even quite large ones (ah--the good old days!)
You're absolutely right--in the age of electronic banking, there's no excuse for them to do that. My understanding is that there have been some recent changes to the laws, where a bank cannot hold an out of state check now for longer than 3 days. I guess I'll find out next week, when my accounts receivable are due.
The best thing you can do is talk to a bank manager directly, try to establish a relationship, and enlist their help.

[ashling]

7. Technology only helps them ,,,,

helps them screw us more!!!!

[HockeyMom]

10. Patriot Act

Apparently, that is a new requirement of the Patriot Act surrounding the transfer of funds. At least that is what they told my husband. He is living and working in Florida. He opened a Bank of America account near work. He wanted to deposit funds into my Bank of America account in NY from his account. The bank told him they couldn't do that because of the Patriot Act. He went there screaming at them saying, "She is my wife. What do you mean I cannot deposit into her account?" Nope, cannot do according to Patriot Act they said. The fact that we are married made no difference at all. It was not a problem due to geography either.

So, we had to open a joint Bank of America account in Florida. Just getting all the signatures and paperwork from one state to another was a nightmare. The signatures had to be mailed and not faxed. I have to write a check from our joint account in Florida and hand deposit it to my account in NY. I cannot transfer the funds on line from one account to the other.

It's a real pain in the ass.

[sendero]

12. BoA sucks...

... I had an IRA account (a cd) that had been there a long time, worth about $5-6K.

They suddenly started charging me an "adminstration fee", of like $30 a year, which was more than the interest I was making on the money.

I called them to transfer it out and they said "did you know that there is a $50 fee for transfering the account"?

Boy I gave her an earful, something like "yeah, but what choice do I have, I'm sure not doing business with this bank any more"

Grrr.....

[Zen Democrat]

14. Just ask for a supervisor and it's easy to get that lifted.

Everytime BOA has ever put a hold on my funds I ask for a manager -- and voila! they override the rule.

[adamd]

15. that's stupid

If it's all BOA checks there shouldn't be a problem. You should go talk to a branch manager, or have your daughter talk to the branch manager where she is, and see if they can clear it up.

I had an equally rediculous situation with Wells Fargo 4 years ago. I was out of work for 2 1/2 months, and when I landed a job I cashed my first paycheck from my employer. I waited a week, and the funds never cleared. Then I got a letter from the security office of WF saying the funds were put on hold for a month due to some issue with the validity of the check. I went in a talked to the branch manager, who told me the check was declined for insufficient funds. So I went and talked to HR at my work who in turn called the bank, and sure enough, the branch manager "fixed" the problem and the funds were transfered into my account that day.

It's stupid, and you shouldn't have to deal with it, but talking to somebody in person might resolve the problem.

[melissinha]

16. Thinking of leaving too

Yeah BofA sucks.... wanna know more??? They are a MAJOR customer to the diabolical Diebold.. you know.. you are using ATM machines made by the same people who guaranteed to deliver Ohio to Dubya in 2004 with their phoney baloney Voting Machines.

LIek I ever use ATMs anymore anyhow... but I want to tell them I am leaving because they are a Diebold customer. But apparently they service BofA ... its not just ATMs.

http://www.finextra.com/fullstory.asp?id=3147

Just checked Buy Blue.. the only Blue Bank is Bank of the West (which incidently bought out the bank that bought out my hometown bank..... but its not local as far as I know) So I at least have a littel $$ in a blue bank.

[Longhorn]

17. You may already know this

but if you and your daughter have already set up Paypal accounts, you can send money to her for free and it is instantaneous -- well, same business day. I've sent money to my son in Japan and my daughter in Denver with no problems. That way, you and your daughter can bank wherever you wish.

[melissinha]

18. you are SOOO right

Paypal!!!

I received money from a friend once when I bought some tickets for her.... its soooo easy. Wonder if Paypal contributes to any PACs...

[Longhorn]

19. Actually, I think ebay now owns Paypal and ebay is 57% blue.

http://www.buyblue.org/detail.php?corpId=77

I couldn't find a separate reference for Paypal.

[Javaman]

20. I dumped BOA years ago, went to a credit union, never looked back.

BOA charged for everything. I always felt like a number. I'm now apart of the University credit union. It's so much easier.

Dump them and move on.

[Dora]

21. I closed my BofA account after moving to Texas

This was my first-ever bank account too, opened in 1980 when I was in the 6th grade, so it was a wrenchingly sentimental closing for me.

I moved to Texas for grad school, and I thought it would be EASIEST to just keep my account with BofA, right? Wrong. They charged me a bazillion fees for transfering funds, creating a new account, and I don't remember what the final fuckup was, but I was in Texas less than a week when I went to the bank and closed my account, withdrawing my entire balance in cash. A MONTH LATER they sent me a box of checks! I wrote "return to sender" on the package, along with a nasty note on the back side of the box.

I opened a credit union checking account. Credit unions are also very good about cooperating with each other, so perhaps that might be a good choice for you and your daughter.

[Not_Giving_Up]

22. I had an account with them several years ago

I lived in SC at the time, my parents were still in TX. My parents put CASH into my account so that I could pay some bills. I wrote the checks, and they bounced. I called to find out WTF and was told that any out of state deposit has a hold put on it. It doesn't matter if it's CASH...they still put a hold on the deposit. I got the insufficient funds fees reversed, the checks ran through again, and all was well. The guy I talked to said they would only reverse the charges once, and made sure to educate me on the policy.

I laugh now when people say "You don't have a bank account at all???" My response is always the same, "No, I like to have access to my money." I pay a fee to cash my paycheck, but at least I can get to my money immediately.