My visit to the bank today was to cash a vendor check. It was at the vendors bank. Signs all around proclaimed that Were Y2K OK! I was talking to two of the tellers about Y2K panic for cash. They stated that the branch manager put them on high alert for next week for cash seekers.

They asked me what I was doing for Y2K. I explained that since we live in earthquake country we have a 2 week supply of preps on hand at all times (I refuse to go into it any deeper with DGIs). Neither teller thinks that Y2K is any big deal. As one teller put it to me very matter-of-factly, If we can land a man on the moon, then we can solve a little date problem.

The tellers asked me what I planned to do new years eve. I explained, matter-of-factly, that I would be on a cel-phone using an ATM at midnight

Merry Christmas all

-- Uncle Bob (UNCLB0B@AOL.COM), December 24, 1999

Answers

An article in this morning's paper stated that the bank is nosey about customers withdrawing huge sums of cash. They try to dissuade people from doing it because of the danger from scams and robbers. Yet when the customer insists on getting his cash, the bank has a policy of escorting the person to his car, and off the premises. A wide open signal to the individuals who do the dirty work. In fact they, the bank officials admitted that there had been a robbery or two. Of course there is when the mark is signaled by them escorting him to his vehicle. Whether this an intentional thing the bank does to dissuade future withdraws I do not know. You say that is dirty and they would not stoop that low. The bankers are so low that a snake would have to stoop to craw beneath them. Of course I do not have that worry as I live from payday to payday. Yet, I hate to see anybody being taken advantage of. The money is lost either way it is in just as much danger in the bank's vaults as in the customer's pocket, in fact according to Gary North, it is far more danger there than with the custormer.

-- Notforlong (Fsur439@aol.com), December 24, 1999.

Hey Bob-

I got my chunk O'change out yesterday. The amount was large enough for the teller to need approval of a manager type. When he off-handedly asked me what I was going to do with it, I looked him in the eye and said (with a smile on my face) "none of your damn business".

He gave the OK to the teller, she quietly counted out the cash, and wished me a Merry christmas. I did the same.....

-- (cavscout@fix.net), December 24, 1999.

People steal cars everyday, does that mean I should not own one lest it get stolen? People break into homes everyday, does that mean I must stay home 24-hour hours a day to make sure it doesn't happen to me? Millions of people fall victim to some type of crime every single day. I'm an adult not a little kid, so give me my money and shut the f*ck up!

-- it's my money dammit (it'smymoneydammit@it'smymoneydammittt.xcom), December 24, 1999.

Uncle Bob,

LOL! Hey, I suspect you are kinding, especially considering that guy in--was it NJ?--that tried to use an ATM Thanksgiving Day and got trapped in the booth for like 9 hours?

-- Hokie (nn@va.com), December 25, 1999.

This is alittle off topic but related to banks. Am I the only one who noticed there WAS a way for banks to deal with panic had they thought about it and promoted it soon enough (which they did not)? They could have offered a certificate of deposit(aka CD) with 2-3% higher interest rates than their top rate. They could have added Draconian penalties for early withdrawls that could have helped finance part of the whole operation. This would have allowed banks to "Polly Pad" themselves. Instead they offer nothing to those who keep everything in except some of the most laughable reasoning I've read and heard in years.

Surely this was thought about and tossed around. I have to wonder why it was never tried. Instead, the banks and FED waive requirements between themselves to streamline cash accessibility. Apparently, it is better to cross their fingers and issue ridiculous reasonings than to simply apply free-market solutions, namely--pay the customer for the additional risks he is taking (in the form of higher interest rates).

I have only in the last week seen this actually offered by one very, very small bank. Has anyone else thought of this earlier in the year or seen similar offers?

Regards,

-- (He Who) Rolls with Punches (JoeZi@aol.com), December 25, 1999.