Why Yes, Banking *Is* Rocket Science

[la_samtyr]

In which I describe My Banking Adventure. (Cut for length and rambliness)

Ok, this little saga started on Saturday (Dec. 1st), when a long overdue check arrived. Since it wasn't direct deposit (although I do seem to have direct withdrawal, nyuk nyuk), I had to use an old-fashioned paper deposit slip. And since we were having a winter ice storm, and since Saturdays are sort-of a non-banking day, more like a continuation of "anything that didn't get done on Friday has a grace period until Monday" thing (I know, I know. It sounds weird to me too. But please don't ask me to try and explain it further), I went home to work on Christmas cards and stuff. So, Monday rolls around -- a nice day, so I run into Hastings to take care of some long over-due errands like buying more cell phone minutes, and other things. Yesterday, *Tuesday* was the first inkling that something might be amiss since the ATM claimed I had no money when I went to use it. Weird, I think to myself -- but since I still have $$ and checks, I figure it is some sort of glitch that isn't registering the deposit because after all, I have The Deposit Slip as proof I have the money. And since I had even *more* errands to finish yesterday because the weather was going to start getting bad *today*, off I drove -- secure in the knowlege that everything would straighten itself out by the next ATM computer cycle. Wrong.

*Today* I go to use the ATM and guess what? Still no money in the account, in fact I'm practically overdrawn. Now since I have been busily writing checks for car *and* house insurance ($$$), to say nothing of the utility bills that are coming in (more $$$), I panic. I go in the bank. The money is there, I tell the cashiers. *It has to be!* Well, they are sorry but according to the computer, not only am I overdrawn but I have been overdrawn since *Monday*.

Now let me say that as much as I dislike living in a small rural town (aka Hell), there are certain advantages. Namely that I can drive home, grab my deposit slip and drive back to the bank in less than 3 minutes. So, I'm back at the bank and we're trying to figure out what is wrong because this is no small check we're talking about here. Also, despite the fact I'm overdrawn, none of the checks have been returned -- they've all been mysteriously covered. About the time I'm asking, but where is the money coming from if they're being covered and not being returned, it dawns on all of us (me, the cashiers, and two vp's) to actually look at the *account number* on the deposit slip -- which is the number of a secondary account I used to have and one which is mostly inactive -- and sure enough, the money is *there* and not in my *primary* account. ::headdesk, headdesk, headdesk:: The money has been automatically been going from one account to the other, just enough to cover the checks -- and no-one noticed A Thing. Mea culpa. *SIGH* So we get that all straightened around, and I come home to take a much needed nap.

Now you are probably wondering exactly how and why I didn't notice this before, especially since I have been checking the account(s) on my 'puter daily. All I can say is that I am so used to seeing the account numbers reversed (that is to say, the account with the most money at the top of the column(s), it just did not register. Same w/the deposit slip. I am so used to seeing one particular account being listed that the fact it was the *other* account... ok, you get the picture. Of course, the secondary account acts as a saving account -- [I'd lose way too much on a regular saving account because of the early withdrawal penalties for it to be viable] and I've had to transfer a lot of money from it to my main account because this particular check has been so freakin' late!

But all is well for now, or at least until the next super-late check.