There are some perks that come with the collapse of the world's economy. For instance, now that Chase and Washington Mutual have merged, I figured it would be easier to find a bank branch where I could get cash--or deposit it-- without paying an extra fee. Chase's website lists a few WaMu branches in Delray Beach that Chase customers can use.
So on a recent afternoon, I headed out to deposit a of couple checks at the WaMu on South Military Trail. That alone should've made me a hero. No mattress-stuffing for me! I was actually handing money over to one of the crazy institutions responsible for bankrupting my grandkids.
At first glance, everything looked promising. There were signs all over announcing that the branch was now part of Chase, and the teller wore a blue-collared shirt with the Chase logo on the front. But my Chase money was treated like anthrax. The teller told me it would take several days for my checks to clear -- she wasn't sure exactly how long.
Then, after I naively deposited the checks anyway, I learned the cause of the confusion. My receipt informed me that the checks were being "mailed at your request to Chase Bank by Mail Services in Louisville, Kentucky."
Seriously? Snail mail to Kentucky? We gave you guys $700 billion in bailouts, and you're one step away from the Pony Express? I would complain about this on my iPhone, but I can't afford one...
UPDATE
Luckily, Chase still has enough money to retain vigilant PR flaks. Spokeswoman Nancy Norris emailed this morning to explain the bank's strange behavior. She promises the weird snail mail system is only a temporary glitch:
Chase deposits coming through WaMu branches are currently being processed at our "bank by mail" facility in Louisville, Ky. But this is a temporary measure to make WaMu branches available to Chase customers until a "system/computer conversion" this summer. Once that is complete, the WaMu branches in Florida will be renamed Chase, and your deposits will be processed locally.
