ATB Financial (by appointment only)

The worst bank ever. They added stuff to my account without my permission.

I sing and play in a band and we recently returned from an event in the Northwest Territories. The people who hired us were professional individuals in that community: The Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Manager of The Recreation Department, Senior Administration Officer etc. The deposit for our gig was in the form of a bank draft mailed to me. The balance owing to us was paid out in a cheque drawn on CIBC in Yellowknife, NWT. Upon our return I wanted to pay the band members as soon as possible for the incredible hard work and professionalism each band member put into this event. Blackfalds, AB ATB: went today to deposit the cheque and then planned to pay band members. Told a hold would be placed on the majority of the money for 5 days due to the way my account was set up. I asked the teller if she could please call the CIBC in Yellowknife, confirm the funds and cash the cheque for me. She refused. ATB doesn’t do that I was told. There was no offer made to change my account to avoid this issue in the future either. She also didn’t acknowledge that I have enough money in an account with them to cover the cheque many, many times. After some discussion she advised me to go to CIBC and have the cheque certified and then return to Blackfalds to deposit the money. I would then have access to the full amount. Lacombe, AB CIBC. I identified myself and said I was not a CIBC customer but had plenty of ID and had even brought my passport for ID. The teller said she couldn’t cash the cheque and would not certify it. She did grudgingly admit when she checked the account that the cheque was good, no problem there. But, I would have to have it certified up in the Northwest Territories at the branch that it was drawn on. Seriously? Then she called over Tim who I later learned is the Bank Manager. He flatly told me it could not be cashed and asked where I banked at. I told him ATB and that they refused to cash it. I also told him I am a BMO customer and a Nesbitt Burns client. He told me to find out what amount of funds I could access from both those branches with this deposit and then choose who would put a hold on the least amount. The teller kept interrupting and asking something about my credit score and I had no idea what she was talking about. I told her so. I asked what she meant. Finally, the third time she asked if I had any credit issues, legal type issues with my credit. Thoroughly horrified I said no of course not. Then Tim told me they would cash the cheque if I opened an account on the spot at CIBC, but they would only give me a portion of the money and hold the rest. Then he asked me to open my BMO account on my phone and we could find out how much money I would be allowed to withdraw from BMO if I deposited it there. Then he ASKED TO SEE MY PHONE TO TAKE A LOOK! Is he not familiar with privacy laws and professionalism? I was very uncomfortable by this time. He asked who my Investment Advisor was at Nesbitt Burns. I told him. He suggested I call him and perhaps he could have the cheque cleared through BMO. I left CIBC in shock and disappointment. I went to BMO Lacombe, AB and was quickly taken care of by Amanda. She listened in surprise to my story and picked up the phone. She confirmed the funds at CIBC Yellowknife and cashed my cheque. I returned to ATB Blackfalds with this large amount of cash in hand. I pointedly told the 2 ladies that the only bank who had helped me at all today was BMO. I explained everything. The teller who refused to help me before took no accountability. She said they don’t phone other banks to confirm funds because anyone can phone and pretend they are someone else. I wasn’t asking her to police banks or write policy. I was asking her to call CIBC Yellowknife, confirm funds and cash a cheque for a supposedly valued customer, me. If CIBC was willing to share that information with her that was their way of doing business. Is there not some kind of system in place for banks to communicate with each other anyhow to confirm funds? Shocked and incredulous with CIBC and ATB. Amanda with BMO 10/10!