I stood there in the bank on Saturday afternoon wanting to leap across the teller desk and claw the bank manager’s eyes out.
I’d gone to the bank with two checks: one, a wedding gift, made out to the Dork Lord and me, two, the Dork Lord’s paycheck, signed over to me. We did it that way because, as a new customer, Bank of America has held his paycheck for ten. full. business days. I don’t have to tell you that being absent his salary for ten days was something akin to being kicked in the face. With boots made out out hot molten magma.
What unfolded was one of the most frustrating experiences I have ever had with customer service. And in the end, I was left with the following explanation:
1. I cannot deposit his paycheck because they cannot prove that it’s really his signature on the back of the check. They have his signature on file, mind you, and I pointed this out very helpfully.
“Please just look at his signature,” I said. “I will happily give you his account number.”
No go, lady, sorry. Next.
2. I cannot deposit the wedding gift with my name on it because the Boy has not acknowledged, with his signature, that I have permission to deposit it.
“But, you just said you wouldn’t be able to prove it’s his signature anyway.”
“Yes, ma’am. That’s correct. You will have to ask {insert name of brother-in-law} to reissue the check in just one of your names.”
“I can’t even aritculate how little sense that makes. I have deposited a dozen checks with both of our names on them through the ATM and have not had a single problem.”
“Yes, ma’am. You should track those. Those funds can still be rejected as fraudulent within the next two to three years.”
“Two to three YEARS?”
“Yes m’am. New policy.”
“This is crazy. Absolutely crazy.”
“I’m sorry ma’am. But good luck!”
And so here we go again. Ten more days without his salary and ten more days of wondering just where the hell I’m going to get the money to pull it off. I’d take my ball and go home but I gather that every bank on the planet is a nexus of stupid and that it would be a losing battle.
One word of paycheck advice: direct deposit.
His company does not offer it. I mean, who wouldn’t get direct deposit?
I don’t know if this is an option in Dallas, but are there any small regional/local/county banks? Or are either of you eligible for some kind of credit union membership? If so, I suggest you switch your account(s) to such an institution. They’re all about customer service and branch level decision making. Good luck.
Blerg. So sorry. You are right though. ALL the banks done lost their minds. Closing an account is just as bad.
On another note: I totally saw you in Home Depot yesterday and wanted to introduce myself but got socially awkward. Then while my husband was trying to figure out why I was getting all flustered, we ran into the lady who works where we got married. So poo, I did not introduce myself. Hope all of your renovations are going well!
No way! You TOTALLY should have said something! Although, I can only imagine just how pretty I was yesterday. I don’t exactly make it a habit of going to Home Depot showered.
I was in all my zit cream, no makeup glory myself.
Definitely switch to a credit union. They are non-profit and work for the member.
Find a local bank or even better, a credit union.
Bank of America IS the nexus of stupid. I have a credit card with them from 100 years ago that I rarely use. I used it once online (when they didn’t take AMEX, my preferred card). Paid the bill in full. It got to BofA a day after it was due. One day. They attempted to tack on a late fee (mind you, I don’t pay a yearly fee, don’t use the card, have no other account with them and paid this bill in full so they don’t make any money off of me otherwise). I told them to remove it – one day late is not late. For all I know it got there on time and they posted it a day late. They removed the fee. The next month they attempted to charge me interest on the fee they removed. I told them to remove it and had to argue for 15 minutes that I cannot be charged interest on a fee that I am not responsible for paying. They claimed they removed it as a “courtesy.” As if that would suddenly make me want to pay the interest. I did get them to remove the charge and haven’t used the card since.
I’d have to agree with Barbara E. I know here in South Florida we actually have a credit union that’s open to just about anyone. Might be worth looking into.
Ugh. Stupid criminals have caused the banks to be so super-cautious that you almost need to take the person who wrote you the check to the bank with you. The ATM is always my first choice, until I get stuck behind the guy who thinks he’s Donald Trump, conducting major financial maneuvers through the ATM. I’m with Barbara–go for the credit union. My member number is in the 6000 range and they always know my name
Banks definitely suck. I have accounts with Wells Fargo, Chase and Compass, as well as a small credit union. ALL of them are less hassle than BofA.
Good luck. I’ve had zero trouble with similar check situations at both Wells Fargo and Chase…
I fifteen the idea of a credit union. I have never dealt with BofA on a personal level but do so through work. They are the epitome of a pain in the ass bank to deal with and I will never use them for my own banking. So I feel your pain and cringe when the work day comes that I have to call them and deal with their “customer service.” I hope you get it all sorted out.
A dude in my neighborhood posted a banner on the side of his house that says: “i hate bank of america” in full view of the BOA branch right across the street. It’s iconic in our hood.
http://consumerist.com/2008/06/after-one-error-too-many-man-places-i-hate-bank-of-america-banner-on-his-house.html
I second the credit union route. While they don’t have a ton of locations, nearly all of them develop relationships with other banks to avoid fees and increase convenience. Luck!
…and this is why we use a community bank. They know us by sight and name, and take care of what we need. This service still exists even here in Dallas:)
Seriously, what they all said: Community bank or credit union. I cringe at the idea of using any other financial services provider — Vikie at the credit union knows my name, my life story, and is a lovely customer-service oriented soul. I hope you can find something similar!
Local credit union? Also, I hate B of A with a passion and I finally converted my husband when (AFTER joining our bank accounts in 2006!) B of A suddenly claimed earlier this year that they did not to have my social security number and other important information on file. They threatened to freeze the accounts if we didn’t give them the necessary info, so of course we did… and they claimed not to receive that info… and threatened to freeze the account AGAIN while my husband was stranded in Tokyo after the earthquake. After that we closed all of our accounts with B of A and switched to Fidelity.
That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. I have deposited cheques with just my husband’s name on them (and not even with his signature to endorse it) into our joint account many times, and never had an issue with it.
I’m in Canada and I know our banking systems are very different, but jeez, if it has his signature on it, that’s all that should be required!
Sorry you’ve had so much trouble!
You can deposit a check into a joint account without a signature because they can just stamp the check For Deposit Only, the issue arises when you want cash out of that check or the person is not on your account. Because your husband is on the account it is not an issue.
I’m confused why his check is being held this long twice? I say find another bank. Or doesn’t Walmart cash checks for like $3?
Many years ago before I got married I banked at BoA. When I got married, I added my new husband to my account. When we got divorced, I changed banks and attempted to close the BoA account. They told me that he had to be present for me to do so. A week later he went in and was able to close the account without me. HUH? It was MY account FIRST! No more BoA for me, I use a credit union and it rocks!
Bank of America really is horrible. A friend used to cash her paycheck at the credit union on one side of the street and walk the cash over to Bank of America so they wouldn’t hold it before cashing. They told her the same thing – after they established the checks were good, they would stop holding them, but they never did! Credit unions are a great option. They usually offer the best rates on savings, have the same online banking options as larger banks, are safe (FDIC), AND are fabulous to borrow from if/when the time comes. To top it off, they work for YOU, not a parent company, so the service is undoubtedly better. If I were you I would leave a few bucks with BofA and move on. Good luck!!
I totally hate BoA with the white-hot passion of a thousand suns, and would not use them for anything. They screwed me on my mortgage when they bought Countrywide, and I almost lost my house because of them. I say dump them immediately and do what others suggest, join a credit union. BoA is the worst.
I do not know if this would help at this point, but you can cash his check at the bank where it was cut from. The problem is that HE would need to do this with an ID. So sorry you have to go through this.
Banks don’t hold the checks because of fear of criminal activity. They do it to invest the “float” in federal funds for a week or 10 days in order to receive the interest on a small checking account that otherwise earns them nothing. I was victimized by this as a young congressional aide when my (now defunct) bank would not even honor a Treasury check for a week. Worse, I could not even withdraw cash from an ATM until the float cleared. Direct deposit and cash deposits are the only way around the scheme. A credit union seems the most reasonable choice in this case. Take your business elsewhere and explain why.
Switch to a credit union or small bank. That said, that is some major bullshit that they wouldn’t look up his signature, and I’d be complaining higher up about that.
Update:
Under Treasury Regulation CC (1990), a check may be categorized as “local” or “non-local” with clear processing times for each.
A local check is one that is drawn on a bank within the same check-processing region. There can be several regions in one state, and one region can comprise more than one state. State lines are largely irrelevant in determining a check-processing region. A bank cannot hold local checks for more than a day–the funds must be available to you by the morning of the second business day after the day of deposit.
The exception is for accounts less than 30 days old.
I worked for a regional bank for a number of years and we had many tellers come from BofA because they hated their policies so much. But even working for a regional bank I would never have an account with them though I do have a credit card with them. I am Credit Union all the way. The only check I have ever had held was an insurance check and still a percentage of it was release immediately.
Also having worked at a bank I would never do direct deposit or automatic bill pay. I have seen so many messes out of that (that weren’t the banks fault) I would just rather take my bi-monthly trip to my Credit Union and see the sweet people who work there and get my sucker.
Can you go to the bank where his paycheck was issued and cash it? Or is it not local?
I l o a t h e BOA — I do bank there, but only because my employer banks there (convenience) and they have a zillion ATMs (again convenience) but I positively loathe them. You aren’t anything but a number there — I won’t torture you further with my stories of frustration with them — you have plenty, it sounds like. Good luck… many feel your pain.
This idea certainly isn’t easier, but I’ve done it and it takes the stress out.
Cash out the paycheck at the institution it was issued from and then deposit the cash into your bank account. You have your funds the same day.
They might require a thumbprint on the check if you don’t have an account with said institution (boy did I raise a stink at
“guilty until proven innocent”) but I had cash in my hand when it was questionable that it would clear if I went through the ‘standard deposit to my bank, wait for it to hit their bank, and see if it bounces’ delay.
I used BOA when I lived in Dallas. They tried to screw me out of “fees” and other non-sense all the time. I immediately hated them and switched to Wells Fargo, whom, I still use in Denver. Never had a problem with Wells Fargo and they have branches in Texas.
(In referrence to STUPID, my parents used them and BOA screwed up something resulting in them owing my parents $0.02. Parents told them to write if off, they refused and mailed a check for $0.02. Parents will not ever cash said check and it’s been about 3 years.)
I agree with everyone else, credit union is the way to go. I have savings and mortgage with them and my checking through a bank similar to BofA. The only reason I haven’t moved my checking yet is that I still have so many cute checks with the bank I’d prefer to use all of them up and then move. I did move my savings because 7 cents of interest a year is crap. The credit union has a much better rate.
Even though my sentiments are the same as the commenters above, I feel a strong urge to put my two cents in because of how much I despise B of A. I’m a consumer rights attorney and I regularly defend against foreclosure suits and other banking issues from B of A. The policy you just described is emblematic of the effed up way they run things. I firmly believe the lack of logic behind their policies is intentional and therefore evil.
Dealing with them is Kafka-esque/fell-down-the-rabbit-hole-esque and really, it seems like the policies are designed to just make you throw up your hands and stop fighting.
Also, I’d had a bank account w/ Wells Fargo for several years, and after fighting with them over ridiculous add-on package fees that I never authorized and that they never took off, I switched to a credit union. WHAT a world of difference. I’ll never go back to a big bank.
Adding to the BofA horror stories here. My dad has used them for years, and I still can’t get him to switch, despite all the fees, many unauthorized, they charge him, and the numerous times they’ve made a mistake (in their favor of course, and to his detriment). However he has now started cashing his check elsewhere, and depositing the cash into his BofA account.
Personally, I had my school loans through BofA, and was very disturbed to find out that they had sold my school loans to several other banks, without ever notifying me. I only found out because I pulled my credit reports before a major purchase. The funny thing is that on my credit reports, several of the loans for the new banks are listed as “Bank of America Collateral”. Maybe it’s something different (or abbreviated), but I thought we learned that lesson with the mortgage meltdown crisis?
I’m still trying to sort out the credit reports, since several of the “new” banks are still reporting the loans as current, which they are not. But luckily all my loans are now with the Dept. of Ed.
I’ve used Wells Fargo for over 15 years, and have never really had any major issues with them, and minor ones are handled very quickly. They just don’t give up the credit very easily, which is maybe a good thing. I also have a savings account with a credit union though, and would recommend that, too.
Have any of your relatives served in the military? Like ANY of them? If so – look to USAA. I love, love, LOVE them. They’re awesome. So awesome. Like a credit union w/ the advantage of a bank. And no branches, so they reimburse you for any fee another bank’s ATMs charge you. We do our banking, insurance, ROTH IRA – everything with them. And didn’t find out until after we were married that my husband could have open an account there before we got married because his ex-step-father was in the navy. They’re fantastic!
On a side note – I thought you’d appreciate this story (if you haven’t already heard it) about the couple that foreclosed on their BofA branch after BofA erroneously tried to foreclose on them. Sweet justice!
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/06/06/137002727/sweet-justice-a-florida-couple-forecloses-on-bank-of-america
I work for a small bank in ND and used to work for a bank in Alabama. USAA is legendary within the banking industry. We all want to be like them. Plus they’re really innovative…they introduced mobile deposit light years ahead of anyone else.
Yeah – I’ve been fortunate enough to bank with them since I first opened a checking account at 17. Some random experiences with other banks and their exceptional handling of a regrettable, my fault, car accident just reinforced how lucky I am to be able to bank with them.
When we went to get the car loan for my husband’s car, BofA, with whom he’d had an account for several years, wouldn’t give him a load – despite a credit score in the high 700s. USAA gave the loan, spent some time with us on the phone to make sure we had the right insurance starting at the right time, let us print out the banker’s check at home so we could negotiate for an all-cash price w/in hours of getting the loan approved.
And once, when a check I’d written cleared a day before my paycheck was deposited, I only had to spend about 15 minutes on the phone to get the charge taken off AND to have them overnight a new check to the company that had deposited the bounced check. All free! Granted, I was a long-time customer w/ a good track record, but I can’t imagine any other bank doing that for you…
Oh – and as far as not having direct deposit – USAA has the ability to scan your checks and deposit them on-line and that mobile ap where you just take a picture of the front and back of the check and it’s deposited. Or you can mail it in. Or if you’re near one of their financial centers you can drop by.
yep, I second credit unions and USAA- they are AWESOME. I use the mobile deposit thinger and it is almost always available immediately, even on a Saturday. Plus they are super nice and don’t outsource their customer service reps, which is a bonus.
You don’t need to be military to use USAA’s banking (just their insurance). And I second Jen’s comment: they are awesome.
I have B of A and USAA. I hightly recommend USAA as one of the best banks out there. I only keep my B of A account open so my friends and I can transfer money to each other when borrowing or buying tickets to travel shows etc. If you can open with USAA DO IT!
I agree, had horrible experiences with B of A while helping my aged uncle and then settling his estate. Wells Fargo is a good choice with many locations. And I cannot recommend highly enough – Frost Bank. It’s a Texas bank, but there seem to be quite a few location in the Fort Worth area and a few in Dallas. Without doubt they are the nicest banking people I have ever encountered. Always. Every trip. Without fail.
I equally hate BofA with the white-hot passion of a thousand suns. I think you’ve even mentioned before how much you hate BofA.
Local seems like a good choice but it really depends on where you are. I switched from Chase to our local credit union and it was HORRIBLE!!! They have high school graduates working there making minimum wage so they’re not the most motivated or focused (nothing against working for minimum wage or high school graduates!). It was easier to get money back for fraudelent charges from AOL than it was our local credit union. Just sayin’!! And I eventually switched back to Chase.
I have to add my despise of Bank of America. There was never the feeling that they cared at all. Customer service was non-existent. I switched to Wells Fargo and the branch I visit now; they know my name, follow up with phone calls to make sure there isn’t anything I might need and their personal banker took care of everything for me when our debit card number was stolen. I’m sorry for the horrible experience. Hopefully, everything works out!
Bank of America is The. Worst.
Please feel free to roll your eyes, but I bank with Nordstrom Bank, and they are AMAZING. They know me on the phone, I never get charged for Anything, no atm, no overdraft. Only Checks. No fees. They employ the true Nordstrom customer service goal. My debit card was recently stolen and the response I got was “I am so sorry this happened, I will give you provisional credit immediately.” you won’t get that anywhere else. Yes, it’s basically online, but well well worth it. Oh, and I earn Nordstrom rewards on my debit card and get about $20/month in gift cards to nordstrom. Just sayin.
My experience with USAA, as a person fully eligible for their services who happened to get hit by one of their insureds was possibly worse than BofA. If you are going online go Nords
B of A is Satan. I got out of there a few years ago, and I am SO glad I did! (Of course, the user-friendly neighborhood bank I transferred to was bought out by Chase, which is a different nightmare, but not as bad as B of A). I’d also recommend a credit union if you’re able.
I hate BoA, cancelled everything with them including my husband’s solo account only to get a letter charging my hubs fees for not having the required $ in his savings. Mind you he closed his account when I was pregnant and our little one will be 4 next month.
Had the same problem with a check made out to the two of us and we have seperate accounts, my hubs workss out of town so my friendly credit union just asked for a notarize letter and a copy of his ID and deposited the check and made the funds instantly available because of the inconvinience. I swear by my credit union! Ditch BoA ASAP and join the credit union ranks!
Wow. After reading your post and then the subsequent responses I am beyond confused by the banking system in the US. I by no means and trying to say that the Canadian banking system is perfect. The gouge you on fees and have all kinds of rules but honestly I have never had such difficulty depositing money. I’m sure your bank could go back and reverse cheques up to 2 or 3 years ago but really how likely is it they will do that? ATM transactions are done en masse and honestly there is very little quality control. They simply can’t review the volume. My only suggestion and it may have been recommended ad nauseum by now is joint account and direct deposit. It is odd that the Dork Lord’s employer doesn’t have him on direct deposit, it is actually less costly to produce the payment than actually issuing a cheque (oops check). The 10 day hold that is simply ridiculous. Good luck.
Is his check written out of a bank where there is a local branch? he could cash the check and then you can deposit the cash. I have done this when in a pinch.
Oh lord, this reminded me of the time my husband (now ex) deposited a bonus check into our BofA account. It cleared, we were good, and then somehow the money was “lost”, which meant that what we had spent so far put our account in the red. I went to the bank, in person, and was told there was nothing they could do until Tuesday (it was a Saturday on a long weekend with a Monday holiday). At this point I had two babies,an empty refrigerator, a checking account with a negative balance, and was told I would have no funds for three days. I basically stood there and refused to leave until they put the money back into our account. I have never been so furious in my entire life. I just stood there saying over and over again “but we have no money!” And to add insult to injury, when something was finally done they acted like they were doing me a favor by giving my back MY OWN MONEY. Oh boy, I just got angry about it all over again!
We got so fed up with BofA that we switched over to Charles Schwab. You even make interest on your checking there! It’s a one-stop shop as far as investment goes too. Downside: it’s all mail/online because their only physical bank is in Reno, NV, but they make up for it with great customer service via phone. But after BofA “upgraded” us to a business preferred savings account (without asking) and then started taking out $20 a month as a fee, we were DONE.
We kept the BofA checking open and keep a very small amount of cash there so that we have it handy in case of emergency, but everything else is handled through Schwab.
All the comments here have encouraged me to look into a local credit union for mine and hubby’s first joint checking account.
I have them and have been in your exact same position (my wedding is in 25 days). Here is the solution though you may not like it. Take dork lord with you to the bank. He provides his driver’s license to them with the wedding check signed by both of you. You’ll scan your debit card, show your license, and the teller can process the check into your account as normal. Should be the same routine on his paycheck. Good luck!!
BofA is heinous. They’ve been awful for years and have obviously only gotten worse. Do you have Compass in your area? I switched about ten years ago and haven’t had any problems.
Wishing you all the best!
You likely won’t find an end to the “say no to BOA” list. One more, here. I started an account with them when I was 18. They lost $75 of my money. This was when I was faithfully filling out my little bank card and found out that didn’t matter a whit (bank card? yes, i’m that old
We have had a credit union now for years. When they stop payment on a $5 charge because they weren’t sure it was legit, that tells you there are people personally looking out for our money.
Do you still have family in CA? Are any of them working or even slightly related to the education system? You might be able to get a membership with Schools First federal credit union. We still bank there. There’s the slight inconvenience of having to run to a local credit union to deposit checks but it can be done and it’s very much worth it. Hubby’s paychecks just get direct deposited.
After we were back from our honeymoon (in 2009) my husband’s bank let him deposit or cash checks with both of our names on them and just his signature, but the same bank would not allow me to do the same unless he had signed any checks bearing his name. Sexism? What the hell was that?
I have not had a good experience with BoA. They are big enough that they think they can do whatever the heck they want. I mostly have favorable things to say about my current bank: Arvest. Good luck working with your bank and not throttling someone in the process. Crying in frustration is totally acceptable, but it’s best left for the car unless you need to get a manager. Hey, desperate times… But really, I hope it works out.