I don't particularly mind government agencies shutting down on days like presidents day. I might miss the mail once in awhile but it's usually just junk. But what the hell is the deal with banks closing? They are private businesses that ought to be open as far as I'm concerned. I guess they do it because they can but I think it's bullshit. Rant off.

It is irritating, I guess though since most are FDIC banks that makes them think they are a Federal institution.

The same thing applies to City employees seems that they are forever taking a day off here and there and it really gets me when I see 10 men standing around on a three man job and only two really doing something. Seems a colossal waste of tax payers money.

quote:

Originally posted by Krazeehorse:
I don't particularly mind government agencies shutting down on days like presidents day. I might miss the mail once in awhile

A person would think that in this day and age, a bank's website would be useful for information like closings. Some banks actually do this. The credit union that I am leaving (a subject for a future rant) does not. Their website mainly tells us how wonderful they are. Not one word about holiday closings.

Worst one was a mid-week closing at noon so all employees could attend a company meeting. Not one word on the website. I arrived to make a deposit and found the door locked with a notice about the meeting. During the ten minutes that it took me to fill out the form for an envelope drop in the night deposit box, I counted fourteen customers who walked up to the door and tried to get in. Let's see, fourteen in ten minutes, that would be a rate of 84 / hour, times the number of hours that the place was closed, and this is just at one branch. That's a LOT of pissed-off customers!

Why should bank employees have to work when other government employees are hitting the beaches and slopes?

You say, “well, banks are private employers.”
Really? For true?

Banking is nationalized in all but name. Yes, there are “shareholders” who are allowed to think they are entitled to the earnngs of the bank, if there are any. Yes, there is a board of directors elecred by the shareholders, from a slate approved by the government regulators.

If the regulators want you off the board, you are gone. Bank officers are approved, or at least until disapproved. Every aspect of the bank’s operation is regulated, except maybe the types and quantities of candies offered at tellers desks.

Surely you jest. Banking hours are regulated by the government. It’s total bullshit and should be free market.

Try banking in Alaska. Wire transfers can only occur during East Coast banking hours but Alaska banks are only allowed to be open during 4 of those hours (aka screwed by 4 hour time difference).

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Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by Krazeehorse:
I don't particularly mind government agencies shutting down on days like presidents day. I might miss the mail once in awhile

A person would think that in this day and age, a bank's website would be useful for information like closings. Some banks actually do this. The credit union that I am leaving (a subject for a future rant) does not. Their website mainly tells us how wonderful they are. Not one word about holiday closings.

Worst one was a mid-week closing at noon so all employees could attend a company meeting. Not one word on the website. I arrived to make a deposit and found the door locked with a notice about the meeting. During the ten minutes that it took me to fill out the form for an envelope drop in the night deposit box, I counted fourteen customers who walked up to the door and tried to get in. Let's see, fourteen in ten minutes, that would be a rate of 84 / hour, times the number of hours that the place was closed, and this is just at one branch. That's a LOT of pissed-off customers!

Now, wait a minute. How long have you been on this green earth not to know federal holidays are bank holidays? Shutting down the whole company for a company meeting, that's different. One would think someone might consider whether a customer might be needing to interface with someone other than the security guard in the lobby.

I suppose you should be thankful you're not in England. It's like everytime the Queen sneezes, it's a bank holiday.

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:
security guard in the lobby.

Can't get into the lobby if the street door is locked, with a sign posted: "Closed for company meeting, yo! We have a website, but no need to post this sort of useful information, if we can inconvenience y'all customers by letting you burn the time and fuel to drive over here to see this sign."

Security guard? Last one was couple years ago. She was about 4'10" if that. I swear that the .38 SPL revolver on her belt probably weighed almost as much as she did. She was there for a few days, then disappeared. I have been doing business there for four years, maybe saw a security guard four days total, if that many.

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:
I suppose you should be thankful you're not in England. It's like everytime the Queen sneezes, it's a bank holiday.

I think I heard the country version of that one.

Why can’t car dealer service be open in the evenings? How come the drivers license can’t be open in the evenings. How about motorcycle dealerships open on Sunday’s? How about an evening dentist? I can go to a damn atm 24/7, Is rather have some stuff open in the evenings so I don’t have to miss work to do it.

Who the hell still goes to a bank?

I don't think I've been to a bank in years.

Yall still writing checks for your cream for your white russians arent you?

How often do you need banks to be open to use it? Most of the time I'm in the bank is to use the ATM, which is 27/7. Need to pay bills? On line bill pay, or other electronic method (Quick Pay mostly.) Need to deposit checks? Scan by phone or scanning ATM. ATM's are even doing cash deposits now. Need info on the accounts? Website or phone app.

Depending on what your bank offers, going there when they're open it not very necessary any more.

I’d say one of the big reasons they’re closed, is because the Federal Reserve is closed. Any business such as posting ACH direct deposits or payments, wire transfers, etc. is not possible while they’re closed. But yes, it would still be nice to have access to your accounts for services that remained available.

quote:

Originally posted by OttoSig:
Who the hell still goes to a bank?

Who goes to a bank? Business uses. I run a small business. I might need to

• Open an account.
  
• Add am authorized signer to a business account
  
• Get a certified check
  
• Set the PIN on a credit card or debit card that came in the mail.
  
• Get something notarized (could do at other places, but it's free with my business account)
  
• Deal with payroll problems -- I am hearing impaired so telephone is not an option

Probably a lot more, that's what I can think of off the top of my head.

You haven't been to a bank in years? Mazel Tov.We should all be so lucky.

Good grief, clearly you didn't get the reference. Or maybe I should put some Emojis huh?

But yeah, I would say I AM pretty GD lucky.

quote:

Yall still writing checks for your cream for your white russians arent you?

Yes, checks & cash can't be hacked & I despise giving banks 2% of everything I spend.

quote:

Who the hell still goes to a bank?

Those with money.

quote:

Originally posted by OttoSig:
Who the hell still goes to a bank?

I don't think I've been to a bank in years.

Yall still writing checks for your cream for your white russians arent you?

My bank has free popcorn on Fridays. And it's two blocks from the house.

quote:

Originally posted by Anush:

quote:

Yall still writing checks for your cream for your white russians arent you?

Yes, checks & cash can't be hacked

Really? Sit back and relax while I tell you a true story.

This happened a few years ago before I lost my hearing, so I was still using a telephone.

At the time, my business account was with SunTrust. I mostly dealt with a branch that is just a few minutes from my home in the Orlando FL area. I had (still have) one part time guy on the payroll. He had a "day job" at the time, so he came in to work with me on weekends. His weekly pay check varied with the amount of time that he put in, but it rarely exceeded two hundred dollars after Form 941 payroll tax deductions.

One morning I received a call from a SunTrust branch in Savannah GA. There was a "gentleman" in the branch trying to cash a pay check for something over $1,700.00 and they wanted to verify it with me. This came in as a "Call Waiting," interrupting a conversation that I was having with my one and only employee, who at that moment was at his "day job" in Port Orange FL (Daytona area). He was NOT in Georgia, and he was NOT the same ethnic group as the "gentleman" who was trying to cash the check in Savannah.

I thought fast, told the Savannah SunTrust employee to stall and delay, while they called the local cop shop to grab the guy. I also asked them to scan the check and email me a PDF copy of it.

About twenty minutes later, I got a call from a different SunTrust branch, also in Savannah. Basically the same story. This check was in a different amount, but still between $1,700.00 and $1,800.00 -- they nailed this miscreant too, and sent me a PDF copy of the check.

The checks were very similar to, but not exactly the same as, the style of business checks that I was using. All of the "boiler plate" information was correct: the OCR line, my business name and address, the fractional routing number, etc.

The signature on both checks was mine. Either a really good forgery, or a photocopy of my actual signature that was printed onto the check. The check number was in the same series of check numbers that I was issuing at the time, maybe 15 or 20 numbers higher than the last check that I had written.

If the SunTrust cashiers had not caught these two attempts, something around $3,500.00 would have been drained from my business checking. Yes, it was clearly (attempted) fraud and I would have gotten the money back, eventually, but that would have put a big problem in the way of my day-to-day operations, paying suppliers, etc.

Yes, Virginia, checks can be hacked. Cash? When was the last time that you paid for something with a bill larger than $20 -- say, a $50 or $100 -- and the cashier did not peer at it carefully, hold it up to the light, use a counterfeit-detection pen, etc.? Cash can be hacked, too.

The banking industry is artificially living in the past because it's in their favor. Online is no different than in person.

Like making on online credit card payment on a holiday... it doesn't count until the next business day. Why? There are no humans involved? The payment went through, it just doesn't count... because we might be able to whack you with a late charge.

quote:

Originally posted by cas:
making on online credit card payment on a holiday... it doesn't count until the next business day. Why? There are no humans involved? The payment went through, it just doesn't count... because we might be able to whack you with a late charge.

If your bank is doing that they are screwing you and you need to look for another bank or better yet, a credit union.

If any payment due dates fall on a non-banking day, my bank shifts the due date, or at least the penalty date, to the next business day.