I firmly believe they don't.

I refer you to one of our
correspondent's columns, Chris' Corner - Banks “draconian new
procedures”

I 100 per cent agree with him.

Just recently we received a call that a
cheque we had written and handed to a company for payment of services
had been returned by the bank because the year had not been filled
in.

We had to pay the fee for the returned
cheque.

We had to collect the cheque and write
the date in, initial it and hand it back for representation.

That the company who had taken the
cheque and had not noticed the year had been filled in was, according
to them, not their fault. We were 100 percent to blame. We had to pay
100 per cent of the charge.

The bank could have, and in the old
days would have, called us up and asked for authority to write the
year in.

It would have taken seconds to have
done that.

Chris (Johnson) writes:

“With the advent of all the anti
money laundering laws enacted over the years, banks have introduced
draconian new procedures which are so contrary to public interest
that customers are reeling. As a professional having dealt with local
banks for over fifty years I am appalled at their lack of concern for
their customers. They have introduced measures which go well beyond
of the normal incurring huge time and costs to the business
community. Their emigration to Camana Bay and closure of branches has
added to the problems confronting all customers, business and
ordinary folk alike. Of course all these tiring additional procedures
result in additional costs and guess who is paying for that. On the
other hand make a deposit and receive an annual return of 0.002 % per
annum.”

One bank in particular, one of our
largest, doesn't even have a name, address or telephone number,
listed in the local telephone directory. Not in the 2018 edition nor
the 2019 one.

Perhaps, 2018 and 2019 don't exist now
for this bank? Therefore, are they in fact telling us there is really
no need to place either of these two yearly dates on their cheques?
Just the day and the month will suffice?

We have just found out the answer is
“no”. And “no” they can't fill it in, neither can the person
who received it, and you must go back to the receiver , write the two
digits in and squiggle an indecipherable initial against it.

The fact that both of us are elderly,
mid 70's and 80's respectively, doesn't matter a damn.

We should count ourselves lucky we have an account with their bank because they really don't want our business. Perhaps it is too small and too HONEST?

See also today's story "Global banks are cutting 30,000 jobs this year. It's a sign the banking crisis is only getting worse"

END

You can view Chris' Corner at: http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/chris-corner-banks-draconian-new-procedures/