Banking By Hand - Seems it's happening now

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I received two new ATM cards in the mail yesterday, both under separate cover. Two ATM cards, although I have only one account. Oddly, the two cards had different numbers. Both cards had expiration dates of 2049.

I was curious. I called my small bank here in Los Angeles. I spoke with the a delightful young woman who has been working diligently over the past many many months to assign all their customers new ATM card numbers. She had to do it before Dec. 31, 1999. What I understand from my conversation is, she has had to do this, "by hand," (I'm not sure what that means) one-by-tedious-one. It's a small bank, but still a sizeable enough if you're working analog.

I asked about the expiration date of 2049. She told me that is the expiration date the IT people told her to assign all cards, but she did not know why.

She says that she's "sure" that they are "completely y2k ready." She knows this because an expert who does "y2k fixing" said so.

I asked her if her IT people might know about some medical development that I didn't know, because unless there's been some major breakthrough to cure age, I was not likely to be alive in 2049.

It's anecdotal, but interesting.

-- Starting To Wonder (aboutmy@vitalstatistics.in2001), November 02, 1999

Answers

Oops.

I thought this thread was going to be about Greenspan!!

-- D.B. (dciinc@aol.com), November 02, 1999.


"She told me that is the expiration date the IT people told her to assign all cards, but she did not know why. "

They have used 50 as the window pivot. They are going to get themselves sued by McDonnel Douglas for patent violation. See Contest thread below.

BTW, this is solid evidence that your bank is really doing things to save itself. How many of organizations you deal with havn't changed anything about the way they do business with you? Credit card companies, retirement funds, mutual funds, investment companies, mortage companies, grocery stores, utilities, local government, hospitals, airlines, employers, clients, customers ...

-- ng (cantprovideemial@none.com), November 02, 1999.


Dear Wonder--

I too caught one of those 12/49 expiration date ATM cards, and my bank says it is not a mistake, and the card does indeed work. Go figure.

Hmmmm,

-- William in Dallas (bcheek@onramp.net), November 02, 1999.


Are you sure that was banking by hand? I thought the collective term for Bankers was a "wunch" of bankers.

-- hmmm (hmmm@hmmm.hmmm), November 02, 1999.

hmmmmm. - LOL. That's pretty funny, although I guarantee you, these guys are far from wankers (even at my age, I know what that means). This small bank is straight out of It's A Wonderful Life.

NG, you're right. I do take it a good sign of their efforts. Still, I'm not sure how they are going to fare in the swirl and twirl of potential y2k slips and spills. Gosh knows, they are trying.

William, is your bank a small one? (By the way, Wm, I remember the list of articles you put together for newbies. That was good work.)

-- Starting to wonder (aboutmy@vitalstatistics.in2001), November 02, 1999.



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