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I don't mind the crappy web interfaces because I have bigger complaints about modern consumer banking. I really don't understand how loose sloppy a lot of it fe
by spacemanaki 15y ago
I don't mind the crappy web interfaces because I have bigger complaints about modern consumer banking. I really don't understand how loose sloppy a lot of it feels to me, and how old school other parts feel. Here are a few of examples from my very recent past:
1) I had a check stolen. The thief was able to write themselves (or someone they know) a check for $100, sign it with my name, and deposit or cash it. I only discovered this after seeing the transaction in my history and notifying the bank. The forged signature was looked completely different from my own. What's the point of a signature if it's not used for authentication?
2) Because of the above, during the fraud claim process I had to close my account. This disrupted my direct deposit and my employer attempted to deposit my paycheck into a closed account. I didn't realize this until the payment was being returned. I was told that I would have to wait 5 business days for the payment to be resolved. Why isn't this instantaneous? Why do high frequency firms enjoy millisecond trading while consumers have to wait what is basically the equivalent of postal mail delays for electronic transactions? I'm sure this is vastly simplified (HFT firms colocate with exchanges, consumer banks must have to comply with regulations that necessitate these delays) but it does seem that the ordinary consumer is being screwed out of some innovation here.
3) Finally, just this past week, someone accidentally deposited over $1000 into my account. They must have made a mistake with the account number. I told the bank about it, and it still hasn't been resolved. How is this even possible? From what I understand, all you need to withdraw and deposit money from an account is the combination of routing number and account number, and this seems so crazy in the way it opens up for mistakes or abuse.
Of course, I'm likely underestimating the complexities and histories here so I would be very happy to have my naivete corrected.