Perhaps this comes as no surprise to many of you, but the banking industry is probably even worse off than you may be hearing. As long as compaines like mine (no names!) continue to cut corners on testing and LIE about results, we'll never see any progress. Unless someone comes forward now, I don't see much hope for the industry. Looking at my co-workers faces each morning, knowing what lies ahead, is getting harder by the day.

My first indication of how bad things *really* are was a few weeks ago when I was working with our testing team to simulate date rollover issues. I found literally HUNDREDS of inconsistencies in a few very key programs, in code that was supposed to be FIXED already! Little did I realize that the situation would get even worse. Nobody wanted to bring this issue to upper management. Even my supervisor was suggesting I fudge data to account for the inconsistencies!

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Several of my co-workers were hearing the same mantra from their supervisors as well.

As far as upper management was concerned, there was "no problem."

But how long can this go on? In just a few months, everything will hit the fan and I'm afraid of what's going to happen. Good, hard-working people like my friends are going to be the ones who suffer.

For what? A few more months of "status quo"??? That's really worth bringing an entire company, and perhaps a whole industry down?

Whatever we do from this point on, I don't know if it will even matter anymore. Even if we started redoing the fixes today, it's probably too late. Everyone I work with is starting to prepare. Nobody wants to see us go under, but we plan to be ready in case it does. I just hope more people will reach the same realizations we did. Everyone should be preparing by now!!

-- Mark (mentor83@hotmail.com), June 29, 1999

Answers

I see. Yes sir, yes sir. Give us the name of your bank and your full name and we will get right on it. Yes sir. Thank you sir.

Next troll, please.

-- King of Spain (madrid@aol.com), June 29, 1999.

SouthTrust Bank (My bank)

On their Y2K compliancy page:

"This statement contains Year 2000 Readiness Disclosures as defined in the Year 2000 Information and Readiness Disclosure Act, P.L. 105-271 (October 19, 1998). This disclosure, in whole or in part, is not admissible in any state or federal civil action to prove the accuracy or truth of any Year 2000 statements contained herein."

Sounds like a Surgeon General's warning that by reading the disclosed statements you might suddenly be overcome with bullshit. If the disclosure isn't accurate, why did they write it?

http://www.southtrust.com/year2000/index.html

That was for October, 1998. I sent them a letter in December of 1998 asking for proof of their compliance. They assured me they were, but due to the "large volume of paperwork" it was not feasible to send me a copy. I guess that after 6 more months of hard work they still aren't all that sure, per the "Warning Label" on the disclosure statement.

-- (AtlantaAS@aol.com), June 29, 1999.

Mark, you may be well intentioned, but we've had a lot of people come to this forum lately who have pretended to be someone they are not, giving false information. They do it just to "pull our chains" so to speak, and see what kind of a reaction they will get. Nothing personal, but don't be surprised if no one believes you.

-- just (trying@to.help), June 29, 1999.

Why should we believe you Mark?

-- Don't Feed The Trolls (shills@annoy.me), June 29, 1999.

I thought I smelled something under the bridge. So it wasn't just me.

-- (a@longtime.GI), June 29, 1999.

Did anyone bother to read my contribution? It goes to show you how insecure the banks are about releasing Y2K complaince statements. I imagine that you'll find a similar version on your bank's web site. Kind of backs up Mark's story. Not everyone is out to troll. You guys are getting too paranoid, to the point of being counterproductive.

-- (AtlantaAS@aol.com), June 29, 1999.

This disclosure, in whole or in part, is not admissible in any state or federal civil action to prove the accuracy or truth of any Year 2000 statements contained herein."

What exactly does that say to you guys? It says to me;

"Regardless of what we write in our compliance statements there is no indication that any of it is accurate and thhat we reserve the right to tell outright lies and whatever we DO tell you cannot be used against us"

Kind of strange...no?

-- (AtlantaAS@aol.com), June 29, 1999.

"AtlantaAS" wrote: "What exactly does that say to you guys?"

It says to me that a lawyer representing the bank did his duty and insisted a disclaimer be printed along with the publication. Nothing new here AtlantaAS. You see these type of statements on a bazillion products. I'm surprised McDonalds hasn't yet written something on their coffee cups..."This coffee is hot and is not to be poured on your lap". It's merely "legalize" AtlantaAS.

"a@longtimeGI" wrote [in reference to the "troll" discussion]: "I thought I smelled something under the bridge. So it wasn't just me.

I'm not sure you meant that the way it sounded, but either way, THAT IS A CLASSIC LINE!

-- CD (not@here.com), June 30, 1999.

AtlantaAS - No, it doesn't seem strange to me that banks put a giant CYA message up to prevent lawsuits and such. That seems like pretty standard procedure for most businesses. I don't know if this Mark person is trolling or not, but he really hasn't said anything more earth-shattering than what we already figured out by now. I'd have expected more explosive comments from a troll. You're right, though, soon nobody will believe anything in this forum anymore and it will become useless.

-- (me@my.my), June 30, 1999.

Mark,

I don't know whether you are real or pretending, but I know what you say is true. I see it at my company. The lower-level managers do not tell their superiors because no one from the CEO on down wants to know. They want to pretend that everything is OK.

Now with Slick Willy BJ Klinton has sold out on the Y2K litigation legislation, the top managers can claim that they didn't know. They will say that their subordinates lied to them. As usual, the stupid schmucks at the bottom will take the blame.

Mark, I suggest that you keep every e-mail, memo, hand-out, etc. that you receive on Y2K. In 6 months or less, Y2K = CYA.

-- Mr. Adequate (mr@adequate.com), June 30, 1999.

Mark:

I beleive your comments. I own an electrical contracting company, and as I talk to customers(mostly business owners), they realy don't have a clue. Almost none have done anything at all.

Anyone who does not know this, just start asking. The picture does not take to long to paint.

So few people have an understanding of how things work, they are at a loss as to comprehend how a tool like a computer or microprocessor can be a dependency. I think 95% of everybody's head is in the sand on this one, and there is little we can do to pull em' out

good luck,

Bob P

-- Bob P (Rpilc99206@aol.com), June 30, 1999.

Write down the first letter of each sentence for an interesting message.

-- Desertj98 (jturner@ptway.com), June 30, 1999.

Nice catch, Desertj98.

End of discussion.

-- Dog Gone (layinglow@rollover.now), June 30, 1999.

What on earth made you even look at that? I'm impressed. Good grief, it makes me want to start digging through threads and archives. Amazing how many worthless people God makes, isn't it? Nice catch.

-- Will continue (farming@home.com), June 30, 1999.

"Write down the first letter of each sentence for an interesting message."

DesertJ98, good catch! TROLL ALERT!

Nice try "Mark"!

You know what they say, "Sticks and Stones..."

-- Jeremiah Jetson (laterthan@uthink.y2k), June 30, 1999.

Whatta bunch of jerks they have become over at Debunky:

(Paul Milne Is a Big Fat Weenie)

And it's a small but persistent temptation to troll over there. Fortunately, I don't have the time to be vicious. :-)

Dirt Road

Re: Re: Now that is funny Tuesday, 29-Jun-1999 22:44:50

http://www.insidetheweb.com/messageboard/mbs.cgi?acct=mb237006&MyNum=9 30710690&P=Yes&TL=930674169

-- (Debunky@is out to.sabatoge this forum), June 30, 1999.

Cute, but nowhere near as savvy as the ciphers in the Rennes les Chateau parchments.

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), June 30, 1999.

CD,

All I'm saying is that you don't need "legaleze" to sell somthing unless your trying to sell (as Chris Farley put it "Tommy Boy") a "guarenteed piece of crap!". Definatley not the kind of thing I want to see on: Banks, Cars, Airplanes, Pacemakers, Nuclear Bombs, Alpine Mountaineering equipment, etc.

-- (AtlantaAS@aol.com), June 30, 1999.

Since the money/credit/banking system is fundamentally fraudulent, dishonest, manipulative, why would you expect them to be truthful regarding Y2K (or anything else)?

The only way I would believe a bankster is if he came out and said "We're gonna be toast." If he says anything else, you don't know if it's true or not. Therefore, since the consequences of failure are severe, it behooves all to prepare. Including -- "withdraw early and often."

-- A (A@AisA.com), June 30, 1999.

Hey Desertj98, there is no way that you'll ever convince me that you just happen to find that. It sure looks to me like you wanted everyone to notice your handywork. Why don't you quit disrupting this furum you piece of shit TROLL.

-- John (...@...), June 30, 1999.

I've been reading posts for 6 months now and I am amazed every day at how juvenile some of you are.

Shannon (real name, real email address)

-- Shannon (Teacherof3@aol.com), June 30, 1999.

now kids. play nice. don't be a bunch of pee pee heads

.

-- corrine l (corrine@iwaynet.net), June 30, 1999.

Fuck You Corrine. I've seen your condesending remarks all over this forum today telling other posters to quit posting. Why don't you get lost BITCH!!!!!

-- John (...@...), June 30, 1999.

Desertj98 didn't figure this out. Somebody had already posted it on Usenet.

-- (blah@blah.blah), June 30, 1999.

From c.s.y2k:

"zinger3342" figures it out

Ironically, Paul Milne himself pasted it over there from here, after which zinger3342 parsed it. Now the question is: does "mentor83" (the poster here) = "zinger3342" (the parser there)?

Fun, fun, fun...

-- Mac (sneak@lurk.hid), June 30, 1999.