Bank stress puts stress on the rest of us

Wells Fargo and KeyCorp, two major banks operating in Colorado, didn't get top marks in stress tests administered by the feds, and that makes perfect sense, since my family's recent experiences with banking have made us plenty up-tight as well. Late last year, we were informed that our credit-card data...

By Michael Roberts

May 8, 2009

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Wells Fargo and KeyCorp, two major banks operating in Colorado, didn't get top marks in stress tests administered by the feds, and that makes perfect sense, since my family's recent experiences with banking have made us plenty up-tight as well. Late last year, we were informed that our credit-card data had been compromised, and my wife, who handles the bills and so forth at our house, was concerned enough to cancel our MasterCards and apply for new ones through an outfit called First Premier Bank. We received them in January, and in order to prove what responsible people we are, she actually paid our first bill early. Mistake: Somehow, First Premier's system didn't register that we'd sent in a payment at all. Shortly thereafter, our cards stopped working and we were subjected to a series of harassing calls that didn't stop even after my wife sent proof of payment. After two months of this treatment, we canceled those cards, too, and applied for new ones through yet another bank -- but while mine has allegedly been mailed twice, it still hasn't arrived. If I was given a stress test, I'd fail, too.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

Contact: Michael Roberts

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