Bank Refused to Cash Armless Man's Check; Required Thumbprint Lacking
It is standard policy at many banks to require non-account-holders to provide a thumbprint when cashing a check drawn on a customer’s account. But what happens when the person seeking to cash the check doesn’t have any arms?
That was the issue presented last week when Steve Valdez arrived at a Bank of America branch near his home in Tampa, Fla., to cash a check written by his wife on her account there. And, as a bank spokeswoman admits, the branch failed the unexpected policy test.
Born without arms, the 54-year-old Valdez had two forms of identification. But, according to Valdez, both the teller and a branch manager refused to cash his wife’s check without a thumbprint. His only alternatives, the manager said, were to bring his wife to the branch with him or open his own account there, Valdez tells News Channel 8.
“The bank has apologized to Mr. Valdez and his family for any inconvenience this may have caused,” says BoA spokeswoman Nicole Nastacie in a written statement today. “This is an isolated occurrence and does not represent the bank’s policies for accommodating customers or non-account holders with disabilities. We have ensured those policies have been underscored with all our associates across the bank.”
Barry Shalinsky of the Advocacy Center for Persons With Disabilities Inc. says the bank’s insistence on a thumbprint may have violated the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, which requires reasonable accommodation, reports Channel 8.
Additional coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Credit Card Co. Amends Policy After Telling Vision-Impaired Woman to Fill Out Form”
St. Petersburg Times: “Bank apologizes to Tampa man with prosthetic arms; he wants policy change”
Updated at 6:30 p.m. to add link to subsequent ABAJournal.com post.
