Not too long ago I borrowed some cash from a friend. Rather than wait for my next paycheck to withdrawl cash from an ATM I decided that I would use BOA's "Pay An Individual" online banking feature. I had used it in the past with no problems.

Aside from the fact that it arrived three days late (which is reasonable given there was a weekend involved), the person who received it couldn't cash the bank-issued check in their own branch. So here's a blow by blow of events as well as the "how the hell is this legal" questions.

My friend calls me to tell me that he is in BOA and they won't cash the check (that BOA issued, not I). The check is not actually written on BOA paper, but rather they utilize a "third party administrator" to cut checks on their behalf (which is now unknowingly mine). Note that the reason for the branch not cashing the check is that a) my friend does not have a BOA bank account (for reasons I now understand) and b) they don't recognize their own checks in house because of outsourcing.

So now I'm getting a phone call from my friend, and I in turn call BOA, talk to four departments (thank you woman from fraud department, you weren't sure what to say to someone that is having the bank you work for commit fraud). Talk to bank manager, talk to another two BOA in two departments.

And now I've spent 1.5 hours wasting my time and getting nowhere. THE WHOLE TIME BOA HAD ALREADY WITHDRAWN THE FUNDS FROM MY ACCOUNT (5 DAYS TOTAL). If this is not fraudulent behavior then, please, someone correct me definition.

Ultimately it took an online submission to some "contact us" email address demanding that they stop payment on whatever check (and if they charge mestopping it they'll have a lot of pissed off workers I'll have spoken to before I call on legal advice) and refund my account within 24 hours.

Their response, sure (so far, we'll see about a charge for a stop payment on a check I didn't write) but we'll give it back in one....hhhhhmmmmm.....maybe two days. The only reason my accounts with BOA weren't closed today is because of the lone handwritten check I recently wrote. They may have me temporarily under their hold, but soon enough I will move my business to a institution that has common sense practices and ethics. Like not stealing from their customers hoping they don't get caught.