# Bank Error in my favor - Do I get to keep it? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 14, 2006, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-my-favor-do-i-get-to-keep-it/348260 "2006-03-14T01:38:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-my-favor-do-i-get-to-keep-it/348260/1 "2006-03-14T01:38:04Z")
So I went to deposit a few checks today, there was a line but a roaming teller came around saying if you are only depositing checks, she can take them. One of the checks, for $40, looked a lot like it said $90. Even though the longhand area pretty clearly said “Fourty”, and I had written 40 on my deposit slip also, she didn’t notice, and wrote it on my receipt as $90. I won’t be surprised if someone else at the bank notices the error before my account is credited, but let’s just say they go ahead and credit me for the $90. The check is from a friend and I’m not trying to rip her off. If I tell her so that she can get her money back when her bank debits it, can I still keep the extra $50 that my bank credited me? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-my-favor-do-i-get-to-keep-it/348260/2 "2006-03-14T01:38:55Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > If I tell her so that she can get her money back when her bank debits it, can I still keep the extra $50 that my bank credited me? No. ---
**Author:** ![Ensign\_Edison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ab992/32.png) [@Ensign\_Edison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ensign_Edison)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-my-favor-do-i-get-to-keep-it/348260/3 "2006-03-14T01:41:17Z")
How could she and you both keep the extra money? ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-my-favor-do-i-get-to-keep-it/348260/4 "2006-03-14T01:42:23Z")
> [@Ensign Edison](#): > > How could she and you both keep the extra money? Well, I’m thinking because the bank made a mistake they might have to pay for it - guess that’s not the case. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-my-favor-do-i-get-to-keep-it/348260/5 "2006-03-14T01:57:34Z")
Well, sure, you keep it - it’ll come in handy the next time you land on Luxury Tax. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-my-favor-do-i-get-to-keep-it/348260/6 "2006-03-14T02:05:20Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > Well, sure, you keep it - it’ll come in handy the next time you land on Luxury Tax. Yeah, that’s exactly part of the reason I was so hopeful I might get to keep it - that was my favorite Chance card. So does the bank _ever_ pay when it makes a mistake? Monopoly has let me down. ---
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-my-favor-do-i-get-to-keep-it/348260/7 "2006-03-14T02:41:35Z")
Your best move would be to contact the bank and notify them of the error. You can be criminally charged for trying to conceal the error, but it’s unlikely, especially for such a small amount, they usually just want the money returned. They will find the error and probably sooner than later. I had a similar incident happen to me. I didn’t realize it until I got home. I went back to the bank and they were actually rude to me, as if I were trying to pull a fast one. Never understood that, but I closed my account shortly after, over that and a couple other things. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-my-favor-do-i-get-to-keep-it/348260/8 "2006-03-14T02:50:32Z")
No, as I learned when the banker tried to give me $3000 when I was cashing a $300 check. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-my-favor-do-i-get-to-keep-it/348260/9 "2006-03-14T03:17:31Z")
Welp, the transaction just got posted online and it looks like whoever entered it in the system indeed noticed the error and fixed it - I was only credited for the $40 I was supposed to get. I had a feeling that was going to happen but I wanted to know anyway. So much for wishful thinking. And Monopoly. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-my-favor-do-i-get-to-keep-it/348260/10 "2006-03-14T06:16:37Z")
The king of all bank error stories: [http://www.goodthink.com/writing/view\_stories.cfm?id=11&page\_id=2](http://www.goodthink.com/writing/view_stories.cfm?id=11&page_id=2) ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2006, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-my-favor-do-i-get-to-keep-it/348260/11 "2006-03-15T05:00:39Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > So much for wishful thinking. And Monopoly. Another similarity between Capitalism and Monopoly - neither works that great IRL. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Dragwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dragwyr/32/2855_2.png) [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2006, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-my-favor-do-i-get-to-keep-it/348260/12 "2006-03-15T05:02:25Z")
> [@Cardinal](#): > > The king of all bank error stories: [http://www.goodthink.com/writing/view\_stories.cfm?id=11&page\_id=2](http://www.goodthink.com/writing/view_stories.cfm?id=11&page_id=2) Damn! Beat me to it. I was just going to post that. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2006, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-my-favor-do-i-get-to-keep-it/348260/13 "2006-03-15T07:32:02Z")
> [@Dragwyr](#): > > Damn! Beat me to it. I was just going to post that. Me too. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2006, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-my-favor-do-i-get-to-keep-it/348260/14 "2006-03-15T07:37:04Z")
> [@Dragwyr](#): > > Damn! Beat me to it. I was just going to post that. Me too. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2006, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-error-in-my-favor-do-i-get-to-keep-it/348260/15 "2006-03-15T07:39:31Z")
> [@Eleusis](#): > > Me too. Sorry to continue and further “egregiate” a hijack, but… [Pudding Miles](http://www.flyertalk.com/pudding.htm)