In article <1168115247.854791.232130[at]i15g2000cwa.googlegroups.com> ,
"Mike" <msgrinnell[at]charter.net> wrote:

- quote -

I am sorry to hear of your misfortune. I have read through the replies
an have a comment and suggestion.

At every bank I have used, stop payments were good for six months and
could be renewed once, for a fee, giving stop payment coverage for up to
1 year.

You should close this account. I also suggest you open two accounts to
replace it. One for all of your automatic debits and credits, and one
for checks, check card purchases and other debits.

Best of Luck

David

--
David
reply to news group, as email address is bogus

Mike wrote:
- quote -

Thats just one of the reasons why I absolutely refuse to let anyone do
pull payments from my checking account. I do almost all bill payment by
EFT but it is push. I set it up the way I want and I can easily specify
or change anything I want.

- quote -

Yes, you have every right to say "I told you so". It's one of those
occasions where of course it always happens somewhere else and your
neighborhood is so safe. But, I guess this is the painful reminder
that it does not always happen elsewhere and yes, it can happen to you.
I try not to learn lessons the hard way. I'm glad to say that this is
a lesson learned. Just heard this morning that one of my neighbors
lost his mail the same day, too.

- quote -

Seeing as a couple of them require paper forms to be filled out and
sent in, yes it will take days.

bo peep wrote:
- quote -

Oh, I wasn't talking about your own checks. I mean when you deposit
someone else's check, you can't know for sure if it has cleared on
their end. (I know this isn't the scenario for the OP, but I was just
mentioning another issue with the checking system).

Bucky wrote:
- quote -

Sure you can - have your checking account at a place that offers
internet/web access to your account. Most banks and credit unions have
that now. In my case, if I click on a cleared check, it even pops up a
scan of both sides of the item.

John Cowart

- quote -

Paranis aside, this would be a slam-dunk lawsuit in small
claims court should these sloppy practices occur.

"Mike" <msgrinnell[at]charter.net> writes:

- quote -

The stop payment should be all you need, IMO.

As for fear of the rtn and acct number being compromised, keep in mind
that that same routing number and account number are available to
anyone you've ever written a check to.

Personally, I wouldn't be going through the trouble of opening a new
account over this, but I would make sure to review the bank statement
every month quite quickly.

Best Regards,
--
Todd H.
http://www.toddh.net/

"Mike" <msgrinnell[at]charter.net> wrote in message
news:1168115247.854791.232130[at]i15g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
- quote -

It has been recommended for years to not put outgoing mail in your house
mailbox. From one web site: "Never send mail by placing it in your mailbox
for the carrier to pick up when they deliver. Always deposit your mail in a
mail slot at your local post office, or hand it to your letter carrier.
Thieves drive around your neighborhood looking for those mailboxes with the
little red flag up, obviously indicating that there is outgoing mail."

- quote -

John,

Thanks, I guess I just needed that extra voice to reinforce that
"little voice" that was telling me to do that... As for putting a
check in my outbound mail in my mailbox, yes, it was not brilliant, but
we have never so much as had a jay-walker in the neighborhood until
now. Not to say it was smart of me not to have been more vigilant,
though.

Mike

John A. Weeks III wrote:
- quote -

wow, didn't know either of those things. Man, I really hate the
checking system, especially that fact that you can never know for 100%
sure if a check has really cleared (unless you ask the check writer,
but even then you have to know and trust them).

Mike wrote:
- quote -

Days? A little bit dramatic aren't we? For twenty accounts it
shouldn't take you more than a couple of hours at the most.


- quote -

"John Richards" <jr70[at]blackhole.invalid> wrote in message > Good reasons to make one's payments online using a credit
- quote -

Well, I don't know if I'd go to that extreme. I still pay all my bills by
check, some of them get redeemed ETF though. All of my outgoing mail is
taken to the post office. But then, I live in a small town and have a PO
Box.

Elizabeth Richardson

"John A. Weeks III" <john[at]johnweeks.com> wrote in message news:john-BB7707.16473606012007[at]sn-ip.vsrv-sjc.supernews.net...
- quote -

Good reasons to make one's payments online using a credit
card, or (if you trust the creditor) via automatic pre-authorized
debits. I would never put an outgoing check in my mailbox.

--
John Richards

"Mike" <msgrinnell[at]charter.net> wrote in news:1168115247.854791.232130
[at]i15g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

- quote -

Very simple. Work with the bank to migrate the account number (close the
account) as soon as you can.

John A. Weeks III wrote:
- quote -

John, both your points are correct, but the OP didn't lose a signed
blank check. Cashing the check would be a crime, and if it were cashed,
the OP can present the check to the bank as they shouldn't have cashed
it. Is all of the responsibility on the check writer? Whoever cashed it
has some obligation to verify it's to the order of the presenter. No?
JOE

In article <1168115247.854791.232130[at]i15g2000cwa.googlegroups.com> ,
"Mike" <msgrinnell[at]charter.net> wrote:

- quote -

Two points...

1) A stop payment is temporary. They expire after some period
of time set by your bank, such as 60 or 90 days. The after
the stop payment expires, the check can be run through the
system and be paid.

2) A checking account is never really closed these days. If
you have a check outstanding, and the account is closed, the
account still exists, and it will go negative. You will then
get hit with a bunch a fees, and it could be referred for
criminal prosecution if the bank cannot get in touch with you
to get it fixed up.

-john-

--
================================================== ====================
John A. Weeks III 952-432-2708 john[at]johnweeks.com
Newave Communications http://www.johnweeks.com
================================================== ====================

Hi All,

This morning I had a piece of mail stolen from my mailbox that included
a check of mine written to my city government for a permit. I spoke
with my bank and the police. My bank put a stop payment on the check
and the police were not officially able to advise whether stopping that
check was adequate protection. Obviously, the routing number and bank
account number are on the check. My wife would like to close the
account and open another, but we have perhaps 20 direct deposit/bill
pay/automatic withdrawals etc set up with this account and I would have
to spend days getting them all changed over. Does anyone have any
advice in this matter?

Thanks so much,

Mike