# The bank made an error in my favor **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 19, 2014, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bank-made-an-error-in-my-favor/679186 "2014-01-19T04:30:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2014, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bank-made-an-error-in-my-favor/679186/1 "2014-01-19T04:30:18Z")
I just got a bank letter regarding my Chase credit card, which I haven’t used in over a year, informing me of this: > [@](#): > > Dear [buddha\_\_david], > We’re writing to apologize for an error that occurred on your account and to let you know what we’ve done to correct it: > > - Due to a system error, you didn’t receive credit for the full amont of related interest charges. > - We’ve credited your account for **$0.01** , which is the remaining interest charged. > > Thank you for being our customer. WOWW!!! A whole penny!! I am so excited and amazed that a major bank not only owned up to the error, they undertook the necessary steps to correct it! The Fates must be smiling upon me today. Now my only question is…what should I spend it on? ---
**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2014, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bank-made-an-error-in-my-favor/679186/2 "2014-01-19T04:53:27Z")
Carfeful, sounds like a scam to me ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2014, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bank-made-an-error-in-my-favor/679186/3 "2014-01-19T05:23:47Z")
I’d invest that back with the bank - by this time next year, you may have doubled your money. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2014, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bank-made-an-error-in-my-favor/679186/4 "2014-01-19T09:14:00Z")
I would hold a contest. Invite people to make suggestions how to make the bank spend (and waste) their own money to deal with this error. Whoever gets the bank to waste the most money ( **the bank’s** money) wins. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2014, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bank-made-an-error-in-my-favor/679186/5 "2014-01-19T09:41:36Z")
Have you checked their calculations? After all, if they made an error before, why would you trust them to get it right this time? Maybe they owe you $.02? You never know until you check. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2014, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bank-made-an-error-in-my-favor/679186/6 "2014-01-19T15:25:16Z")
You could donate it to charity. Do you have a favorite “Give a Penny, Take a Penny” bin at a store? ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2014, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bank-made-an-error-in-my-favor/679186/7 "2014-01-19T15:28:35Z")
_Monopoly_ lied to you. Someone owes you $199.99 in restitution. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2014, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bank-made-an-error-in-my-favor/679186/8 "2014-01-20T17:02:26Z")
_knock-knock_ “Penny…?” _knock-knock_ “Penny…?” _knock-knock_ “Penny…?” ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2014, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bank-made-an-error-in-my-favor/679186/9 "2014-01-20T18:09:04Z")
Buy a yacht! World Tour! Rolls Royce! Oh, wait, that’s if you inherit $100. Nevermind. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2014, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bank-made-an-error-in-my-favor/679186/10 "2014-01-20T21:33:56Z")
> [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](#): > > Do you have a favorite “Give a Penny, Take a Penny” bin at a store? Maybe I could tip the cashier at Whole Foods, but I believe they’re not allowed to accept gifts at that store. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2014, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bank-made-an-error-in-my-favor/679186/11 "2014-01-20T21:57:20Z")
You’re so lucky. We don’t even _have_ pennies here any more. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bank-made-an-error-in-my-favor/679186/12 "2014-01-21T14:25:11Z")
I had paid my student bank loan years ago, or so I thought. A few months after I though I had paid off the loan I got a warning letter (cost them $0.28 to mail it) that I still owed $0.04. I taped a nickel to a card and dropped it in an envelope (cost ME $0.28 to mail it). Written on the card was the instruction, “Please return change to me.” They did. And of course it cost the bank $0.28 to mail my penny to me. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bank-made-an-error-in-my-favor/679186/13 "2014-01-21T22:53:03Z")
> [@simster](#): > > I’d invest that back with the bank - by this time next year, you may have doubled your money. Actually, assuming 8% interest compounded annually, that’s going to take a shade over 9 years. If you can find somewhere that compounds monthly you can cut that down to 8.42 years. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bank-made-an-error-in-my-favor/679186/14 "2014-01-21T23:15:30Z")
Why does the thread title say “The bank made an error in my favor”, when they made an error in _their_ favor and are now correcting it?