| BofA launches football-related sweepstakes
Bank of America Corp. has launched a six-week sweepstakes to encourage saving through its Keep the Change program. Through the promotion, dubbed Monday Morning Quarterback, customers can win prizes that include a trip for two to Super Bowl XLII in Arizona. Participants also will vie for weekly prizes such as a refund equal to one-quarter of their weekend spending. Customers can go to www.bankofamerica.com/quarterback for information and to enroll. Keep the Change customers have each check-card purchase rounded up to the next whole dollar amount. The difference is transferred from their checking account to their savings account. "Through the Monday Morning Quarterback promotion, we hope to highlight the importance of saving and remind customers that they can join the more than 6.5 million customers who have already saved more than $620 million just by enrolling in Keep the Change and using their debit cards for everyday purchases," says Susan Faulkner, deposits and student-lending executive.
Check not valid after death
Q:My father passed away Oct. 29. The October Social Security check was deposited into his checking account on Nov. 3. I am the administrator of the estate, and my name is also on the bank account. How does Social Security handle checks paid after someone dies? Do I have to return the check to Social Security and have it reissued to the estate, or can I just use the money to pay expenses? F.H., Ravenna A:A person must live the entire month to be entitled to that month's payment. It doesn't matter whether he or she dies on the first or the last day of the month. Because your father died on Oct. 29, the check for that month is not payable. This provision wasn't part of the original Social Security Act, but it was added in 1939. If you would like more information, go online at http://www.socialsecurity.gov or call 800-772-1213.
ATM scam hits region
John Evans said he regularly checks his bank account online and found something quite odd Wednesday. According to his transaction list, he recently took money out of an ATM near Rockefeller Center. Just one problem: Neither Evans nor his wife has been anywhere near downtown Manhattan recently. Wachovia employees have told Evans he was probably the victim of something called ATM skimming. And he might not be alone. Skimming refers to someone stealing personal identification numbers and bank account information at ATM machines. It often involves some kind of device placed either on an ATM card slot or inside a machine that reads or hears information as a transaction happens, said Bob Bucceri, spokesman for the Electronic Funds Transfer Association. Also, a camera can be employed to watch potential victims enter their PINs.
Check It Out
Bob in Pittsboro continues to defend the lame Bank of America greeter. (If you're new to this debate, a couple of weeks ago we wrote about being faux customer-serviced by a BOA greeter, who pretended to be concerned about our needs. Bob shot back that we were a "grouch" for not appreciating BOA's interest in us, its valued customer. We responded with a list of things we could have done in the 15 minutes we had to wait to see our senior personal banker.) Today, Bob continues to portray BOA as the victim."Not only a grouch," writes Bob, "but a poor planner. From BOA's Web site, here's what you could have done online ... . " He goes on to list several things that can be done with online banking -- which we have and use, thank you very much, Bob. Several things except what we needed to do, which was transfer funds from a CD account to checking, a simple task that we should not have to enlist the aid of an SPB in the first place! Which adds to our, yes, grouchiness!Bob concludes by offering one more thing we could have done in the 15 minutes we waited to see our SPB: "Try doing the 15-Minute Desk Workout (www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKCPcRcJmqc) in the bank lobby.
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