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#36664 - 10/10/02 09:54 PM Thought I'd gvie a shot at Starting Friday
Dan Persfull Offline
10K Club
Dan Persfull
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 47,517
Bloomington, IN
How about some of your embarrassing moments in Banking?

I had a customer whose last name was Muckenfuss. I had to telephone her one day concerning a past due payment. In my conversation with her, I transposed the M and the F. I realized what I done but kept going. She never said a word until the end of the conversation when she said by the way the name is Muckenfuss not _ucken_ uss.

One other time I had a receptionist that a customer was giving a hard time to about not releasing information on an account. I finally had to intervene. When I said, SIR the name on the account is in a lady’s name, and no other name is on the account and we cannot release any information to you. The customer pulled off their coat and then presented their driver’s license. The person that my receptionist and I had been calling SIR was indeed our female customer.
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The opinions expressed are mine and they are not to be taken as legal advice.

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General Discussion
#36665 - 10/10/02 10:13 PM Re: Thought I'd gvie a shot at Starting Friday
NMB Offline
Gold Star
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 255
Southeast Michigan
Many, many years ago, when I was a 20 year old sr. clerk at a branch, the manager and asst. manager were off. It was the first time I was left in charge of the branch.

A man came in from a nearby construction site to cash his payroll check. As we met in the open area between the teller line and the new account area, I asked to see his I.D. He immediately unzipped his jeans and stuck his hand in!!! My face was red as a beet and I was totally speechless as he reached into the pocket of the SECOND pair of jeans he was wearing underneath on that chilly day - to get his drivers license.
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My comments and opinions are my own, not my employer's.

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#36666 - 10/10/02 10:31 PM Re: Thought I'd gvie a shot at Starting Friday
Anonymous
Unregistered

Years ago when we did dealer financing we got a new car deal in for a customer with the name "Wang her Vang" or was it "Vang her Wang". What was imbarressing was the phone call to the customer asking if "her bang wang" was in.

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#36667 - 10/11/02 12:10 AM Re: Thought I'd gvie a shot at Starting Friday
Anonymous
Unregistered

Way back in the early days of the Web, in 1995, I was teaching a seminar for bankers on how to use the Internet. We were live on the Internet and each site we visited was projected up on a huge screen. For fun, we visited a card site (probably Blue Mountain), and I sent a card to myself. My plan was to then go to my email in-box and retrieve the card, so the attendees could see the whole process. I clicked over to my in-box, and there was a primo piece of porno spam with a subject line not fit to reprint, sitting in my inbox right above the notification regarding the card. Most of the attendees in the room were just beginning to get online and had no concept of spam. I could not click out of my in-box fast enough!

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#36668 - 10/11/02 01:09 PM Re: Thought I'd gvie a shot at Starting Friday
LoisLane Offline
Diamond Poster
LoisLane
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 1,570
Wisteria Lane..
When I was working in a branch in Birmingham, Alabama, I was trying to open a new account. The customer wanted the account titled Mary C R J G Smith. I repeated the title out loud, several times because I couldn't understand why she wanted to use all those intitals. Finally, a co-worker overhearing the conversation said--Lois, she wants the account to read Mary C. or J.G. Smith. So much for strong southern accents and a yankee banker.
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#36669 - 10/11/02 01:09 PM Re: Thought I'd gvie a shot at Starting Friday
BankerMama Offline
Diamond Poster
BankerMama
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 1,543
Hey, what about asking a blind man for his driver's license when opening an account for him?? Wanted to crawl UNDER my desk!

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#36670 - 10/11/02 01:13 PM Re: Thought I'd gvie a shot at Starting Friday
Nanwa Offline
Power Poster
Nanwa
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 5,564
Clintonville, WI, USA
While working as a bank examiner in the early 80s, I went to a small town bank early one AM. I flashed my badge and was let in by an employee, who told me to wait in the lobby while she got the vice president. While I waited in the lobby, I noticed a rug was half flipped over. I straightend it with my foot. After a few minutes, I noticed a gathering of people across the street, then a police car pulled up. It seems that their "all clear" signal was the overturned rug, and the employees thought the bank was being robbed!
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#36671 - 10/11/02 01:19 PM Re: Thought I'd gvie a shot at Starting Friday
Andy_Z Offline
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Andy_Z
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 27,748
On the Net
When I was doing loan collections, it was a one-person department. I did it all from calling, to typing, to repos. I also did the VSI claims. We had a dealer who had placed her umpteenth claim and knew that it always took 4 to 6 weeks. But that never stopped her from coming in weekly to harass me about getting "her" money to repair the car.

One hot day in June I was so backed up, I was on the phone and typing letters at the same time. A loan secretary came in to say the dealer was there and wanted her claim status. I shushed her as I was talking so she wrote the message to me. Now I was upset. I wrote, "tell her it will be done by Christmas". That was, after all, a true statement. But nobody saw the humor, not the secretary who GAVE the dealer the note nor my boss.
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AndyZ CRCM
My opinions are not necessarily my employers.
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Rules and Regs minus Relationships equals Resentment and Rebellion. John Maxwell

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#36672 - 10/11/02 01:22 PM Re: Thought I'd gvie a shot at Starting Friday
Andy_Z Offline
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Andy_Z
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 27,748
On the Net
High points for the Security program.
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AndyZ CRCM
My opinions are not necessarily my employers.
R+R-R=R+R
Rules and Regs minus Relationships equals Resentment and Rebellion. John Maxwell

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#36673 - 10/11/02 01:50 PM Re: Thought I'd gvie a shot at Starting Friday
John Burnett Offline
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John Burnett
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 40,086
Cape Cod
See, Andy? Multitasking can be a handicap!
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John S. Burnett
BankersOnline.com
Fighting for Compliance since 1976
Bankers' Threads User #8

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#36674 - 10/11/02 01:52 PM Re: Thought I'd gvie a shot at Starting Friday
Andy_Z Offline
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Andy_Z
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 27,748
On the Net
You'd think I'd have learned by now, but...
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AndyZ CRCM
My opinions are not necessarily my employers.
R+R-R=R+R
Rules and Regs minus Relationships equals Resentment and Rebellion. John Maxwell

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#36675 - 10/11/02 03:21 PM Re: Thought I'd gvie a shot at Starting Friday
wlavoie Offline
Gold Star
wlavoie
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 338
Hell's Canyon
It was not my embarassing moment, and happened several years ago... We have a community college with an intensified english program. Several Asian students would come into the small branch together to open checking accounts. The new accounts person would try to explain how the process worked. Evidently she had didn't know the difference between a language barrier and a hearing barrier. About once a week you could hear her yelling throughout the lobby at these poor kids "THIS IS A CHECK!"
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Wendy LaVoie

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#36676 - 10/11/02 03:47 PM Re: Thought I'd gvie a shot at Starting Friday
Strout Offline
100 Club
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 164
A beach in the USA
I was working at a large car finance company and there were 2 funny incidences I remember to this day. I happened to be up front running mail and helping with the phones when I noticed the new receptionist taking keys from a sailor. (military town) It turns out he decided he couldn't afford the car and wanted to turn it in. She very politely took his keys and told him to have a nice day. No name, no make of the car or anything. It was quite a big deal since we were in a six story office building w/ about 600 cars in the parking lot!

We also verified the contracts and made service calls to the sailors on the ships. If you've ever had to call the ship, sometimes you go through 10 people to reach your sailor. One of the new CSRs (who had no clue on the protocol for calling the ship) in our department tried to reach Jesus Lopez, she went through about 5 departments on the ship before we got her attention to let her know that it is pronounced "Hey-sus" not "Gee-sus"!!! I still laugh remembering her say "I'm trying to reach Gee-sus about his car!"
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#36677 - 10/11/02 06:24 PM Re: Thought I'd gvie a shot at Starting Friday
Nanwa Offline
Power Poster
Nanwa
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 5,564
Clintonville, WI, USA
This didn't happen to me, but to one of my co-workers. The examiner was at the copy machine. Ms. X walks by, and as she does, the elastic on her slip gave up the ghost. She almost tripped over it as it fell. She quick scooted into a cubicle and hoisted it back up so she could get to the bathroom. The examiner turned all red.

Of course, the whole bank heard about it. So, when we got our report back, the bank president held a staff meeting to thank everyone for their efforts in getting such a high rating. He especially wanted to thank Ms. X "for her striptease, which truely impressed the examiners."
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#36678 - 10/11/02 06:35 PM Re: Thought I'd give a shot at Starting Friday
HRH Dawnie Offline
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HRH Dawnie
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 7,353
Anchorage Alaska
I've been in banking too long...I think I can fill a book with embarrassing moments (many of which revolve around my spelling). Yes I too have asked the blind man for his drivers license, why the seeing eye dog didn't clue me in I don't know...dang dog!

I've mistaken men for women and women for men..and I nearly died reading about the repossessed car from the Sailor...are you sure we haven't worked together? We didn't have 600 cars in the lot, but we did have to wait a week to see which of the few hundred got dusty before we could figure out which one it was!

One of my favorite blunders was working for a large bank in Washington. I was promoted to assistant manager very quickly (too quickly probably) and two days after I started at my new branch the manager was taken suddenly ill. I was in charge and didn't have a clue! One of the duties I had was to set the vault when we closed. I didn't quite understand the timer and set it for several DAYS later than we needed. Believe me I was red faced when I had to go buy money from our competitor so we could open the next day!

I also once stopped into a very secure branch in the city on my way to a cooking show I was going to be on. I went over to the counter and wrote out my check for cash, as well as a note to send to the customer service manager (she was a good friend). I handed both to the teller and was immediately surrounded by armed security guards telling me to put my hands up.

I'd forgotten that I had a VERY LARGE knife in my purse with the huge handle sticking out. You see, it was a very expensive knife, and I didn't want to have it walk away during the filming (I'd lost one already) so I had it in my purse to keep with me until needed...WOOPS the guard at the door had spotted it and when I wrote the note...he thought he had a live one!

Fortunately the CSM did know me and we had a good giggle. The next time I was on the show...I went to the drive through )
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Dawn Coursey VP/CRA Queen

CRA Rating is in...Oh who cares...I'm home with the baby.

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#36679 - 10/11/02 06:52 PM Re: Thought I'd give a shot at Starting Friday
Lestie G Offline

Power Poster
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 3,608
Near the Land of Enchantment
I don't think I can top those, Dawnie!

We did have a customer who wanted to borrow for a 'surgical procedure'. After we turned him down (really atrocious credit), (s)he showed up a few days later to make the request again. The poor (very young, very new) loan officer didn't know whether he should point out the prior visit or not! It's a good thing this wasn't HMDA reportable!
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Opinions my own.

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#36680 - 10/11/02 07:37 PM Re: Thought I'd gvie a shot at Starting Friday
Tina A Sweet Offline
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Tina A Sweet
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 1,033
Marysville, Ca.
We had a teller once who saw that the teller line was to long. She had just pulled a drawer out and forgot it was open. She jumped up to assist on the line, she was a great worker, and whoops, did a complete summersault with dress up in air and all. Well, never the less, she never made it to the teller line, she did'nt want everyone to talk to her about her undergarments. HEE (Oh that teller..was me) It was a long time ago.
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#36681 - 10/11/02 07:50 PM Re: Thought I'd gvie a shot at Starting Friday
BankerMama Offline
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BankerMama
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 1,543
I had one of those "skirt over your head" episodes as well. It was a windy day and I was just getting back from lunch. A gust of wind came up just as a good, well know gentleman customer opened the front door for me to enter. My skirt went airborne....up and over my head!! Man did he get a show. Wanted to crawl under my desk that day as well.....spent a lot of time under my desk in the 80's!

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#36682 - 10/11/02 07:55 PM Re: Thought I'd gvie a shot at Starting Friday
Tina A Sweet Offline
Diamond Poster
Tina A Sweet
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 1,033
Marysville, Ca.
I am with you on that feeling
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mailto:tsweet@goldcountrynb.com

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#36683 - 10/11/02 08:00 PM Re: Thought I'd gvie a shot at Starting Friday
Walleye Woman Offline
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Walleye Woman
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 832
I don't know if this was embarrassing or just plain stupid. I had started at the bank almost fresh out of college. The examiners were in and being the youngest single woman in the bank, they found me. The wanted to know our procedures for letting customers into their safe deposit boxes. Well, they caught me after closing and our receptionist had already gone home. I showed them how I could go get the pass key out of the receptionist's desk and proceeded to take them into the vault. The examiner, a young man, politely thanked me and went back to work. After the exit review I found out that we had weak control procedures in the safe deposit area!
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I'd rather be fishing.


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#36684 - 10/11/02 08:37 PM Re: Thought I'd gvie a shot at Starting Friday
JacF Offline

Power Poster
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 6,719
PA
Back in my teller days, I would burn any extra time left on my lunch break by lying down on the breakroom couch to rest my eyes/feet/etc. One day, a coworker had been in the breakroom, and she was nice enough to turn the light out when she left. It was about half an hour after I should have returned that the head teller thought to come looking for me. And she found me- fast asleep in the breakroom!

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#36685 - 10/11/02 08:59 PM Re: Thought I'd gvie a shot at Starting Friday
E.E.G.B Offline
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E.E.G.B
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 6,726
the sandy shore
I am learning SO MUCH about y'all......
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I disbelieved what he was saying so hard, I probably created an alternate universe where it wasn't true.

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