Alert - Bank of America wants fingerprints to cash checks - action Friday Manch.

[jaqeboy]

Bank of America sucks.  Not only will they fingerprint you, but they just announced at my local BofA (Portsmouth) that they would start to charge a $6 fee to cash a paycheck drawn on a BofA account if you do not have an account there.  It's a goddamn Bank of America check and they want to charge me $6 for the trouble of giving me my money that they have.  Grrr....

Yeah, this is where I believe they are in violation of the UCC, which says they have to honor checks properly presented to them. A couple of the state reps on the Commerce committee are rippin' about this, too: Winters and Sapareto.

[D Stewart]

Bank of America sucks.  Not only will they fingerprint you, but they just announced at my local BofA (Portsmouth) that they would start to charge a $6 fee to cash a paycheck drawn on a BofA account if you do not have an account there.  It's a goddamn Bank of America check and they want to charge me $6 for the trouble of giving me my money that they have.  Grrr....

Yeah, that's ridiculous.  In keeping with Joe Brown's suggestion for the biometric warning, I think they should be required to update their cheques with a message in at least 12 point text on the face of the check that says something to the effect of, "Upon presentment, we promise to pay the bearer the actual value of this check which is six dollars less than the face value, this difference being a bank charge to the drawer.  Unless of course you use your own bank to clear this check, in which case the actual value shall equal the face value.  In case you were wondering, we're a bunch of assholes."

[Roycerson]

Bank of America sucks.  Not only will they fingerprint you, but they just announced at my local BofA (Portsmouth) that they would start to charge a $6 fee to cash a paycheck drawn on a BofA account if you do not have an account there.  It's a goddamn Bank of America check and they want to charge me $6 for the trouble of giving me my money that they have.  Grrr....

Several years ago when I worked a real job they started charging to cash my company's checks.  The guy who handled payroll called the bank and threatened to take his business elsewhere, they must have stopped because I didn't hear anymore complaints.

[jaqeboy]

Bank of America sucks.  Not only will they fingerprint you, but they just announced at my local BofA (Portsmouth) that they would start to charge a $6 fee to cash a paycheck drawn on a BofA account if you do not have an account there.  It's a goddamn Bank of America check and they want to charge me $6 for the trouble of giving me my money that they have.  Grrr....

Yeah, that's ridiculous.  In keeping with Joe Brown's suggestion for the biometric warning, I think they should be required to update their cheques with a message in at least 12 point text on the face of the check that says something to the effect of, "Upon presentment, we promise to pay the bearer the actual value of this check which is six dollars less than the face value, this difference being a bank charge to the drawer.  Unless of course you use your own bank to clear this check, in which case the actual value shall equal the face value.  In case you were wondering, we're a bunch of assholes."

That last line was the best!

[jaqeboy]

Bank of America sucks.  Not only will they fingerprint you, but they just announced at my local BofA (Portsmouth) that they would start to charge a $6 fee to cash a paycheck drawn on a BofA account if you do not have an account there.  It's a goddamn Bank of America check and they want to charge me $6 for the trouble of giving me my money that they have.  Grrr....

Several years ago when I worked a real job they started charging to cash my company's checks.  The guy who handled payroll called the bank and threatened to take his business elsewhere, they must have stopped because I didn't hear anymore complaints.

I'm glad to hear the payroll guy got all over them. I heard reports from Rep. Joel Winters that BoA does that elsewhere and I've heard (this thread?) that they've announced they're going to do it here. The best way to handle it is, of course, to refuse to do business with them then. I think they'll learn quickly enough - that is, if they don't become the Bank of the United States of America in a week or 2, after being nationalized. That's the reason we've got to develop alternatives, eh? See http://altexpo.org. Speakers schedule will be announced soon.

[smitha]

Hi everyone,

I'm a reporter for The Telegraph is Nashua who's working on a story about fingerprinting at Bank of America. I'm hoping to interview by phone someone who has experienced this. If you're interested, please respond or call my office line at 594-6446.

Thanks,
Ashley Smith

[jaqeboy]

I'll call you and PM you with my email address.
Jack

[jaqeboy]

Ashley Smith, business editor for the Telegraph has assigned this article to a free-lance reporter named Melanie Plenda, who can be reached by email at: plendame@gmail.com.

I've done an interview with her and referred her to also speak to Katherine Albrecht. Melanie has all the reps contact info (that are interested in the privacy aspect of this BoA policy) and will be contacting them. Through her journalistic objectivity, I can tell she was equally shocked about this policy and concerned about the privacy aspects.

If you have something to add to this, you might want to email her. She had a Thursday (last night) deadline, but it got pushed back to let her continue to research. I'll ask her when she expects it to go in the paper and report that out here.

[jaqeboy]

PS: I also referred Melanie to the very recent US Supreme Court case, Cuomo v. Clearing House Association, in which the Court opined that States' Attorneys General may nose into nationally-chartered banks business, especially for consumer protection purposes.

Here's an article on the Cuomo opinion: http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2009/06/29/daily10.html

I'll keep you updated.

[Roycerson]

Chase is requiring a right index finger for anything over $500.

[jaqeboy]

Chase is requiring a right index finger for anything over $500.

Is that for non customers cashing a check, or even for customers? BoA's policy applies to non-customers only. I've also heard that Wachovia in Connecticut requires some finger or thumbprint.

[jaqeboy]

OK, the article on this is due out in the Sunday Nashua Telegraph. Keep a look out for it. I'm gritting my teeth worrying if she'll get the issue right. She seemed with us during the interview.

Ashley Smith, business editor for the Telegraph has assigned this article to a free-lance reporter named Melanie Plenda, who can be reached by email at: plendame@gmail.com.

I've done an interview with her and referred her to also speak to Katherine Albrecht. Melanie has all the reps contact info (that are interested in the privacy aspect of this BoA policy) and will be contacting them. Through her journalistic objectivity, I can tell she was equally shocked about this policy and concerned about the privacy aspects.

If you have something to add to this, you might want to email her. She had a Thursday (last night) deadline, but it got pushed back to let her continue to research. I'll ask her when she expects it to go in the paper and report that out here.

[jaqeboy]

Here's the article Melanie Plenda did on BoA thumbprints: FRONT PAGE - and she exposes BoA for lying about scooping and databasing the thumbprints! Good work Melanie. She hints that there might be follow-on articles.

Thumbing their noses; Customers take umbrage over bank policy requiring thumbprints

And, Wow! Check out the comments. I guess we gauged this one right with the mood of the people. Now to just get them all mobilized to action! Looks like there's already a spontaneous boycott going on!

[KBCraig]

BoA refused to cash a check for a man unless he gave a thumbprint. Except, he has no arms!

http://consumerist.com/5350273/bank-of-america-asks-armless-man-for-thumbprint

[AntonLee]

holy shi-