You should absolutely be concerned about this behavior - if you don't switch banks, at least file a formal complaint.
In this day and age, there's no excuse for a national financial institution to not have secured software that these types of notes can be entered. Even so, writing things down on paper may make sense at times - when I was in the banking industry, I did write sensitive things down on paper on occasion, but I was a lot more careful than to carry those around with me - the notepad would never leave my locked desk (in a secure building), and I would shred the sheets on a regular basis, once I was done with them.
It is nice to think it does not matter that cost of living has an impact, but to me why adjust to have less what is the purpose. For a move you try to improve to have more for more. You spend 2.00 less on ice cream by choice not necessity.
I'll mention that paying extra on the principal is not necessarily the same as paying ahead. Mortgage companies may apply the extra to the principal (typically you have to specify where that money is going); but even if you made a double payment in one month, for example, they may still expect a full payment the next month -- at least that is how my mortgage company handled payments. Early payments may be applied on a month-to-month basis, rather than reducing the principal now. A call to the mortgage company may clarify how payments are applied.
This sounds promising for a budget cookbook. So many of them seem to be filled with carbo-load recipes that aren't exactly the most helpful for the waistline :(
I have made three denim rag quilts, a scrapbook cover, potholders, and a messenger bag out of old jeans. I just asked my famiy if they had old jeans that they planned to throw away or give away. I think I ended up with 50 or more pairs of jeans! They also give their old t-shirts. One of the denim rag quilts is made with only jeans and t-shirts. It turned out really cute and colorful.
I *know* this is a completely serious topic and must be treated as such. You are just so witty Ms. Andrea I was doubled over in laughter at the picture you paint for us. Certainly however I stand up and take notice. Great article! Peace.
Yes, invest in the stock market and watch where that will take you. Quoting from the url provided by the poster above, "since 1999, the S&P 500 has been a loser, and the next 10 years could be just as grim."
As for me, I choose to invest my extra money towards my mortgage. I now do both, pay more to reduce the principal and make early payments to have a cushion. In other words, my next payment is due 14 months from now, so I have peace of mind knowing that I am not one paycheck away from losing my house. Do the math anyway you want.
I suppose the flipside to this is that you, the customer, are perfectly free to vote with your dollars and shop elsewhere. My hope is that people reading this will see it for what it is: a case of an entitlement culture creating irrational expectations.
I work in electronics retail and nothing pisses me off more than customers who purchase a product, bring it back outside of warranty, and expect the company to do anything at all. The worst is when they say "I swear it happened during the warranty" as if that somehow is a magical password to having your product fixed for free; when in fact all it shows is that you are pretty much a moron for not getting it fixed while it was under warranty.
When you purchase a product from a manufacturer, it is basically a contract: they agree to provide you with a product and X time-span of warranty service, while you agree to pay them some money (I believe we call this a 'transaction'). The mere idea of setting precedent by fixing even a single product past warranty is mind-boggling: if a year and a day, why not a year and a week? Why not 18 months? If 18 months why not 5 years? Why not a lifetime? And the fact that it was expensive is even more irrelevant. Does spending x-dollars mean that your one year warranty is really 14 months? What if you spent twice as much? Does the person smart enough to NOT spend $600 on a vacuum deserve less customer service?
This is a perfect example of why the 'customer service' culture has gone too far. When people believe that they, the customer, are always right, they begin to expect and demand irrational things.
First I see the concern, but most security is simply a illusion of security for piece of mind.
For example lets talk home security. While one may feel safe in your home or feel your home is safe while you are away. Any "free" rock can break a window. This may sound simple but IT security is about the same. If someone is good enough and wants something enough they can get it.
In your case the example was at least on US soil, what about the large number of call centers that are being off shored with less than US standards? Many major banks and other companies do this and have access to this type of information.
My overall point of these statements is this that there really is not a lot of options other than paying a service to watch your credit report and etc. Even this is not a guarantee but at least many offer insurance if someone was to steal your identity.
Similar situation - I was tempted by the ads into checking my car insurance rates online. I foolishly fed my information onto a form, expecting to have an opportunity to compare rates of a few agencies. None were demonstrably better than my current insurer. Then several months later I got a form letter from a local agent, apologizing because HIS laptop had been stolen from inside his office. He went on to say that the laptop was loaded up with personal information, including SSNs for all kinds of people, even people who were not his clients but who may have requested quotes from him. The tone of the letter was very blase, especially considering that the dreaded theft had already occurred. That's the last time I'll avail myself of the convenience of quick online comparison shopping without knowing who is offering the quote.
I'd relocate for a great, perfect, or possibly even an OK job (if it was something that I was excited about and would pay well)--but I'd only move if boyfriend could come with me. We're currently three hours apart, and in four months I'll be moving to his city to continue my education.
I try to spend less on food but this cookbook looks like it would help me pick out the right types of cheap meat and sides to blend them together to eat extravangantly and beautifully by the looks of the pictures! I certainly need this type of help with 3 men in my home to feed.
I really enjoy the Allyou magazine and all their receipes to be budget savy. I collect cookbooks and I am alway trying to find new receipes to try on my husband and daughter. This would be a nice additon to my collection.
I recently called US Bank's National mortgage number to speak with a loan agent and in order to speak to a loan agent, the "specialist" on the line required my ssn. I told her I don't give that out unless necessary and was it really necessary to give her that information in order to talk to a loan agent about their rates and possibly (POSSIBLY!) attaining a pre-approval. She said it was. I thanked her and said I'd call my local US Bank office.
Keep in mind she was just the receptionist/call director/gate keeper. Not even a loan agent.
I do bank with them but this left me somewhat annoyed. None of the other banks I called had a problem with at least providing apr and even information on their standard debt to income ratios before asking for my social security number.
You should absolutely be concerned about this behavior - if you don't switch banks, at least file a formal complaint.
In this day and age, there's no excuse for a national financial institution to not have secured software that these types of notes can be entered. Even so, writing things down on paper may make sense at times - when I was in the banking industry, I did write sensitive things down on paper on occasion, but I was a lot more careful than to carry those around with me - the notepad would never leave my locked desk (in a secure building), and I would shred the sheets on a regular basis, once I was done with them.
How to plan a Super-Easy, Super-Cheap, Super-Bowl Party!
http://www.signupgenius.com/super-bowl-party
It is nice to think it does not matter that cost of living has an impact, but to me why adjust to have less what is the purpose. For a move you try to improve to have more for more. You spend 2.00 less on ice cream by choice not necessity.
I'll mention that paying extra on the principal is not necessarily the same as paying ahead. Mortgage companies may apply the extra to the principal (typically you have to specify where that money is going); but even if you made a double payment in one month, for example, they may still expect a full payment the next month -- at least that is how my mortgage company handled payments. Early payments may be applied on a month-to-month basis, rather than reducing the principal now. A call to the mortgage company may clarify how payments are applied.
This sounds promising for a budget cookbook. So many of them seem to be filled with carbo-load recipes that aren't exactly the most helpful for the waistline :(
I have made three denim rag quilts, a scrapbook cover, potholders, and a messenger bag out of old jeans. I just asked my famiy if they had old jeans that they planned to throw away or give away. I think I ended up with 50 or more pairs of jeans! They also give their old t-shirts. One of the denim rag quilts is made with only jeans and t-shirts. It turned out really cute and colorful.
I *know* this is a completely serious topic and must be treated as such. You are just so witty Ms. Andrea I was doubled over in laughter at the picture you paint for us. Certainly however I stand up and take notice. Great article! Peace.
$1.19 a pound for chicken? Man, tell me where you get your chicken at.
I thought I was getting a good deal at $1.99 a pound.
The recipe looks tasty!
Yes, invest in the stock market and watch where that will take you. Quoting from the url provided by the poster above, "since 1999, the S&P 500 has been a loser, and the next 10 years could be just as grim."
As for me, I choose to invest my extra money towards my mortgage. I now do both, pay more to reduce the principal and make early payments to have a cushion. In other words, my next payment is due 14 months from now, so I have peace of mind knowing that I am not one paycheck away from losing my house. Do the math anyway you want.
I'm moving from Italy to UK, to follow my dream job "videogame rendering engineer".
And you want to try this?
And you think the person next to you was jealous?
Call the body shop. Have them come get the car and fix it.
Better yet, tell them it's a Bentley and they'll probably just bring the shop to you.
Better yet -
drive the car with the dent.
There can be few things on wheels more poetic than a shiny Bentley Silver Spur with a big ole dent in it.
I did just that 3 months ago and would do it again in a heartbeat.
I suppose the flipside to this is that you, the customer, are perfectly free to vote with your dollars and shop elsewhere. My hope is that people reading this will see it for what it is: a case of an entitlement culture creating irrational expectations.
I work in electronics retail and nothing pisses me off more than customers who purchase a product, bring it back outside of warranty, and expect the company to do anything at all. The worst is when they say "I swear it happened during the warranty" as if that somehow is a magical password to having your product fixed for free; when in fact all it shows is that you are pretty much a moron for not getting it fixed while it was under warranty.
When you purchase a product from a manufacturer, it is basically a contract: they agree to provide you with a product and X time-span of warranty service, while you agree to pay them some money (I believe we call this a 'transaction'). The mere idea of setting precedent by fixing even a single product past warranty is mind-boggling: if a year and a day, why not a year and a week? Why not 18 months? If 18 months why not 5 years? Why not a lifetime? And the fact that it was expensive is even more irrelevant. Does spending x-dollars mean that your one year warranty is really 14 months? What if you spent twice as much? Does the person smart enough to NOT spend $600 on a vacuum deserve less customer service?
This is a perfect example of why the 'customer service' culture has gone too far. When people believe that they, the customer, are always right, they begin to expect and demand irrational things.
File a complaint with your state's attorney general. US Bank is clearly in violation of privacy laws.
The location would be more important to me than the job, but I'm pretty much always up for relocation.
First I see the concern, but most security is simply a illusion of security for piece of mind.
For example lets talk home security. While one may feel safe in your home or feel your home is safe while you are away. Any "free" rock can break a window. This may sound simple but IT security is about the same. If someone is good enough and wants something enough they can get it.
In your case the example was at least on US soil, what about the large number of call centers that are being off shored with less than US standards? Many major banks and other companies do this and have access to this type of information.
My overall point of these statements is this that there really is not a lot of options other than paying a service to watch your credit report and etc. Even this is not a guarantee but at least many offer insurance if someone was to steal your identity.
Similar situation - I was tempted by the ads into checking my car insurance rates online. I foolishly fed my information onto a form, expecting to have an opportunity to compare rates of a few agencies. None were demonstrably better than my current insurer. Then several months later I got a form letter from a local agent, apologizing because HIS laptop had been stolen from inside his office. He went on to say that the laptop was loaded up with personal information, including SSNs for all kinds of people, even people who were not his clients but who may have requested quotes from him. The tone of the letter was very blase, especially considering that the dreaded theft had already occurred. That's the last time I'll avail myself of the convenience of quick online comparison shopping without knowing who is offering the quote.
I'd relocate for a great, perfect, or possibly even an OK job (if it was something that I was excited about and would pay well)--but I'd only move if boyfriend could come with me. We're currently three hours apart, and in four months I'll be moving to his city to continue my education.
I try to spend less on food but this cookbook looks like it would help me pick out the right types of cheap meat and sides to blend them together to eat extravangantly and beautifully by the looks of the pictures! I certainly need this type of help with 3 men in my home to feed.
I really enjoy the Allyou magazine and all their receipes to be budget savy. I collect cookbooks and I am alway trying to find new receipes to try on my husband and daughter. This would be a nice additon to my collection.
I recently called US Bank's National mortgage number to speak with a loan agent and in order to speak to a loan agent, the "specialist" on the line required my ssn. I told her I don't give that out unless necessary and was it really necessary to give her that information in order to talk to a loan agent about their rates and possibly (POSSIBLY!) attaining a pre-approval. She said it was. I thanked her and said I'd call my local US Bank office.
Keep in mind she was just the receptionist/call director/gate keeper. Not even a loan agent.
I do bank with them but this left me somewhat annoyed. None of the other banks I called had a problem with at least providing apr and even information on their standard debt to income ratios before asking for my social security number.
I have enjoyed All You magazine because of their simple practical recipes. This would be a great collection to have for my family.
Pasta with pink sauce is something new for my family! I hope they will love it and they will not be scared of tasting it.
I am trying to reconnect with my inner-domestic goddess. These recipes look yummy!