When I moved up to Indiana from Florida just about a year ago, one of things that I was most concerned about during my preparation for the move was my banking. I had no idea how I was going to transfer money from an account based in one state to an account based in the other. It's just not something that I have ever had to do. When I moved from Florida to New York, I simply kept the checking account that I had opened when I turned sixteen and then opened another one for my "school" money at college. Once I graduated, I changed banks to match the bank that my employer used so that I could have my paycheck funds the same day I deposited my check. However, when it came time to move, I had no idea if there was even going to be a bank that existed in both towns in both states. After doing some major internet searching, I found that one bank in particular had one branch in my city in Florida and also had several branches in my town in Indiana. I was definitely relieved that I at least had one option to go with. I decided to make some calls and check out this particular bank before I went closing my other checking accounts and opening a new one. As things went, everything checked out, and the bank employees walked me through the process and told me that there would be no problem to transfer the accounts from state to state.

Fast foward a few month to when I needed to do some banking up in Indiana. It wasn't even banking actually. I was trying to buy my father a Christmas gift online and the website kept declining my Visa debit card, but I had no idea why. I knew that I had several thousand dollars available in my checking account and that I was typing in the numbers correctly. I decided to save myself the hassle of troubleshooting and perhaps accidentally making multiple online purchases by calling the bank's corporate office. I found out that the various departments at the bank had not coordinated my two different addresses, so the department dealing with account debits was referencing my old Florida address, whereas the department dealing with billing was referencing my Indiana address. The particular international purchase that I was attempting to make apparently flagged something somewhere and therefore Visa kept declining my purchase. Well, after numerous apologies from the corporate office, they assured me that everything had been taken care of. Wrong again...

I learned when heading off to the bank one day to deposit some checks after Christmas that there was really never any "transfer" of my account from Florida to Indiana. My account is still technically "in Florida" and according to the company policy of the bank my account with never actually be "in Indiana" until I close my current account and reopen a new one in Indiana. That of course would involve me figuring out everywhere that I have financial related transactions, direct withdrawal information, billing information, etc. and calling to change everything...just like I did when I moved. I decided against this and resolved that I would just have to answer the question of where my account was opened every single time I wanted to deposit a check. Ridiculous...

Fast forward again until now, where I recently tried to order some deposit slips from my bank. I don't write all that many checks, but I do deposit quite a few of them (thankfully!). Therefore, I've run out of deposit slips much more quickly that checks. My roommate had called to order deposit slips and had no problem, so I figured that I would have the same luck. Wrong...ong...ong... I waited and waited for about two weeks after ordering only to receive an email message from the bank corporate office letting me know that I had submitted an undeliverable address....ding ding ding...that's right...my Florida address. Once again, the department in the bank that deals with check reorders never passed on the information to the check reordering center, so my deposit slips ended up in Florida...where I don't live. I had to go back to the bank, explain the situation, and ask them to reorder once more. It's now been another two weeks, and I'm sitting here wondering if the geniuses who work at this bank have once again messed something up. I guess that only time will tell.