Posted by JanelWI on 8/1/07 4:33pm
Msg #203274

Check Cashed in MD!!!!That was made out to me!

Sorry hit the button too fast on the first message.

For those of you who Bank at Chevy Chase Bank FSB, this is one of the Laurel MD Branches you cashed a check for that was addressed to me. I have the copy of the front and back side of the check showing the account number of the person that cashed it. Please email me at: [e-mail address] if you think it may be you. I would really appreciate it. I have already contacted First American Title, Lenders Advantage on the issue to start the dispute process. Please contact me if any agent from MD thinks this may be them.

Thanks!
Janel

Reply by Eric2OO2 on 8/1/07 4:59pm
Msg #203277

How could someone not notice that a check was not made payable to them ?

Weird!

Reply by JanelWI on 8/1/07 5:10pm
Msg #203279

That is what I said! How could the bank not know!!!???

Reply by LisaWI on 8/1/07 5:18pm
Msg #203280

They didnt actually sign your name, did they??

Reply by cntrlcalntry on 8/1/07 5:54pm
Msg #203282

Is the bank liable to you for the amount of the check? n/m

Reply by JanelWI on 8/1/07 10:04pm
Msg #203332

Re: Is the bank liable to you for the amount of the check? n

I would imagine they will have to go through a dispute process and eventually once it was proven the bank would have to reimburse me and deduct the MD notary that cashed it. There may be other avenues I am not familiar with.

Reply by JanelWI on 8/1/07 10:02pm
Msg #203331

Re: Lisa

No, the person signed their name and wrote their account number right underneath their name. I would love to know the likelihood of someone out in MD having the same borrower last name, for a closing on the same day as mine, same FASS number etc..... It was clear that the check was made out to me with my name and address on the front. They cashed it for whatever reason. OOOPS!:-( I would like to give people the benefit of the doubt but it is hard to believe they did it by accident. But FASS came through great and helped me with the problem promptly. So I am grateful for that. They were really nice about it.

Reply by LisaWI on 8/1/07 10:06pm
Msg #203333

Re: Lisa

Sometimes others dont keep track of their signings and it could of been a mishap. I know sometimes I take more than one check to the bank, but I usually compare to my invoices first.
Good Luck. It sounds like you have a handle on it.

Reply by ZeeCA on 8/1/07 10:50pm
Msg #203348

FASS should... THEIR error n/m

Reply by CaliNotary on 8/2/07 12:47am
Msg #203362

"That is what I said! How could the bank not know!!!???"

A couple of years ago I got a check made payable to my business name that I accidentally deposited in my personal account. Once I realized what I had done I called the bank to see what to do. They told me to just wait and see if it cleared, as they only checked the name on about 1 out of every 3 checks that were deposited. Sure enough, it cleared with no problem even though my name was nowhere to be found on it.

Reply by MelissaM_FL on 8/2/07 12:24am
Msg #203357

Shouldn't FASS just replace the check and pursue

it from their end?

I had a check that was made out to me sent to a notary in IN with a similar name. She, of course, cashed the check. Title re-issued the check and dealt with that notary directly rather than make me pursue her. She did nothing wrong except possibly not check the signing against her open invoices. It was title's error in that case.

Reply by ZeeCA on 8/2/07 12:41am
Msg #203360

Re: Shouldn't FASS just replace the check and pursue

you have no responsbility to pursue her... It is the issuer's prob to stop payment on the check and reissue it

Reply by ZeeCA on 8/2/07 12:43am
Msg #203361

it is FASS responsibility to pursue this

how did you find out this information... that someone else cashed your check?

Reply by JanelWI on 8/2/07 9:33am
Msg #203391

I found it out because I keep track of my invoices in Quickbooks. It prompts me whenever an invoice is more than 30 days past due. For FASS this is very unusual. So I made sure I reviewed all payments received up to the end of July and had my bank run all the deposit check numbers to make sure it was not my error. FASS also suggested I call my bank first. Although I knew I didn't make the error I did it anyway. Then I contacted FASS again and they got a copy of the cleared check front and back and sent it to me to make sure it was not me who cashed it. Obviously, by the information on the stamp on the back of the check, this persons signature and handwritten account number on the back, it cleared in Laurel MD at one of the Chevy Chase Branches. I did try to inform Chevy Chase that this check belonged to me and one of their customers cashed it either by mistake or fraudulently, but they would not do anything. They informed me that the issuing bank of the check needs to fill out the proper paperwork send it to them and then they can review it and debit this persons account once they find out that this customer deposited this check. FASS did step up and take care of the matter very quickly. If they pursue this other MD notary, they probably won't tell me that.

I have had other peoples checks sent to me by mistake. I even had another envelope stuck underneath the seal flap of my envelope. This was for a Notary in Oregon. I pulled it off and had to put a stamp on it because it never even had postage on it because it was stuck to the back of my envelope. I immediately sent this check to the Oregon notary. Because I keep track in QB with LN's, borrower's last name, title file numbers, order numbers, and so on it is pretty hard for me to account for a check for services that I did not do. Plus the name on the front of the check sort of gives it away. If it is made out to me by mistake and I don't have a way of figuring where the extra came from, I call the company. I don't cash the check. Quickbooks does a great job.

Reply by Kevin/Ct on 8/2/07 7:53am
Msg #203369

This is not a difficult matter to resolve if someone signed your name to the reverse side of the check. Banks are liable to their depositors if the signature of the drafter or the endorser are not those of the parties they purport to be. In this case ...notify the bank that your the signatures are not yours. The bank will pay you, ask you to sign an affidavit verifying that your true signature does not appear on the check as either drafter or endorser, and refer the matter to law enforcement authorities.

Reply by aatatusko on 8/2/07 8:01am
Msg #203370

If you and the bank have the account number of the person who cashed the check, then it shouldn't be too hard to figure out who cashed it. My mother-in-law had the same sort of problem and few years ago, she was on the 'donor hit list' of many 'charitable companies', she sent her rent check, made out to her landlord $1800 and some 'charity' cashed it, we didn't discover it until they sent her a birdhouse for her generous 'donation'. It was quickly taken care of by the bank.

Reply by BetsyMI on 8/2/07 11:30am
Msg #203416

You said your name and address were on the front of the check....most of the time I get payment checks in a window envelope meaning it's delivered to the address on the check...how the heck did this other person get your check if your address was on the front of it?

Reply by Ernest__CT on 8/2/07 11:32am
Msg #203418

One of the benefits of using a system, ANY system, ...

... is that one notices checks that do not match reality.

An Excel spreadsheet works well for me. I keep one spreadsheet per year, as well as a listing of checks being deposited, company names and contact info, et cetera, in one Excel Workbook. The yearly spreadsheet automagically calculates how long it took me to be paid, in addition to everything else.

Keeping the FedEx, UPS, etc. Tracking Number and shipping date in the same row with the borrower's name has been a big help!

I do NOT claim that using Excel to keep track of signings is the best method, only that it works for me. Anyone who would like a sanitized sample of what I use is welcome to send either a PM or conventional email.