Subject:	Banks "Get it" From: Risks Digest 20.60
Date:	1999/09/29
Author:	cory hamasaki <kiyoinc@ibm.XOUT.net>
	Posting History

From "Risks Digests" aka comp.risks.   On Mon, 27 Sep 1999 23:48:56, risko@csl.sri.com (RISKS List Owner) wrote:   > Date: Wed, 22 Sep 1999 17:15:23 -0500 (CDT) > From: "Joseph A. Dellinger" <jdellinger@amoco.com> > Subject: 9/9/99? >  > The Wall Street Journal seems to have reported that 9/9/99 was a nonevent. > Yet, a relative of mine was shocked to discover $160K inexplicably credited > to their account. When they went to the bank to get it corrected, they found > a line of people already there waiting to see the bank officers.  The person > in front of them in line had done considerably better: they had received > over 2 million dollars that way. The transactions had occurred on September > 8, and the statement with the errors on it was printed September 9.  The > bank (a well known name) "thanked them for their honesty in coming forward", > "apologized for the inconvenience", "had already fixed the problem so it > wouldn't happen again", and "advised all their customers to hold on to all > paper statements". This event (which apparently affected at least several > dozen people in a Dallas suburb) went entirely unreported in the local > media. >  > Was this the (mythical?) 9/9/99 bug or an unrelated fluke? I certainly never > heard of something like this happening before to anyone I personally knew! >    Say, this sounds familiar?  Where have I heard this before?  Oh yeah, a pal of mine had $30,000 show up in a checking account.  This problem persisted from January 1999 until August when it was fixed because my pal complained to the bank.   Yep, Banks "Get it", no problems at banks.   (you might want to open a few dozen small accounts and when the money appears, draw it out, change your name to "JEM" and skip the country.)   cory hamasaki http://www.kiyoinc.com/current.html 93 days.   

-- a (a@a.a), September 29, 1999

Answers

I don't understand why all those people were complaining because several thousand dollars showed up in their bank accounts. I would have kept quiet about it to see how long my newly found wealth would last.

-- finders keepers (finderskeepers@finderskeeperss.xcom), September 29, 1999.

But it didn't happen in all banks. Nor, it appears, to all of this banks customers. So what?

This is like saying because you knew someone who owns a Ford and was in a car crash everyone who owns a Ford will be in a car crash. Or maybe everyone you know who owns a Ford will be in a car crash.

There was a newspaper story last year about people getting notices from the IRS for several million dollars in taxes due. A utility in Northern NJ sent a town a bill for triple it's normal usage.

Bugs and mistakes have happened and will continue to happen in the future. One of the basic (mis)conceptions of the people who post stories such as the above is that everything has worked perfectly in the past and Y2K will be the one and only exception. So everything that happens on or around a Y2K date must mean something. And if nothing happened. Well, then it's either a cover up or doesn't prove (or disprove) anything.

I gave a cashier $50.00 for some photos on 9-9-99 . She gave me change for $100.00. Please point up the Y2K connection? Did the micro-chip in her head become faulty and caused her to enter the wrong number in the register? Or was it a simple human error?

And yes, I did point out the error and give her the excess change back.

-- The Engineer (The Engineer@tech.com), September 29, 1999.

Cory, cory, cory, Where do you get your sense of humor(I want one, too).

SEVEN months for a friend's bank to correct a Banking Problem?! Not oh, 2 or 3 hours? Not, oh, 2 or 3 days? But over Half a Year?! Wow. The Joanne Effect in full force. But the media still doesn't know. No wonder when they all have minds like the minds at the Worshington Pravda, right Cory?

-- Kalanianaole (hwy@hwy.whatever), September 29, 1999.

Yep.

And the sound of all those "systemic cross-cascading bank failures" is truly.....deafening.

-- Hoffmeister (hoff_meister@my-deja.com), September 29, 1999.

In my first job as a programmer, I was given the task of converting large database system written in RPG III to PL/I. I inherited the job from another entry level programmer that had moved on. I didn't understand RPG that well, but I understood it enough to see that it was senseless to port such a system to a higher level language like PL/I.

The first programmer had done a good bit of work setting up the porting environment and doing the easy tasks such as writing the skeletons of most of the modules, but the vast brunt of the work, translating the logic from what was basically a machine language, was daunting. It would have made much more sense to redesign a system from scratch. I didn't want to rock the boat, and the MIS director didn't understand the problem. So I basically fiddle farted around for the better part of six months on a project that I knew would never see the light of day. Eventually, it was determined that the approach wasn't going to work and the project was cancelled. But up until the last week or so, status reports were sent up the chain saying everyone was just peachy.

If you think this is not what is happening in many of the shops right now, you're engaged in wishful thinking.

-- The Programmer (The Programmer@code.com), September 29, 1999.

Think of the poor souls mentioned on WTOP radio news this AM. Their Montana Power & Light bill came in for *50 BBBBBBILLION dollars* for the month. Thirty-six dollars was their average monthly bill until their bill from early September (9/9/99?).

And they have an automatic billing deduction from their bank checking acount! Talk about cross-cascading failures!

WW

-- Wildweasel (vtmldm@epix.net), September 29, 1999.

From waaaaay back:

THE PLAN

In the beginning was the PLAN

And then came THE ASSUMPTIONS

And the assumptions were without form

And the plan was completely without substance;

And darkness was upon the faces of the employees

And they spoke amongst themselves, saying,

"IT IS A CROCK OF DUNG AND IT STINKS!"

And the employees went unto their supervisors saying, "It is a pail of dung and none may abide the odor thereof."

And the supervisors went unto their managers saying, "It is a container of excretement and it is very strong such that none may abide by it."

And the managers went unto their directors saying, "It is a vessel of fertilizer and none may abide its strength."

And the directors went unto their executive directors saying, "It contains that which aids plant growth and is very strong."

And the exective directors went unto the general manager saying, "It promotes growth and is very powerful."

And the general manager went unto the Board of Directors saying, "This new plan will actively promote growth and efficiency of this organization and these areas in particular."

And the Board of Directors looked upon the plan and saw that it was good and the plan became policy.

-- Mac (sneak@lurk.hid), September 29, 1999.

Just a type, WildWeasel.

The correct amount was deducted from their account.

-- Hoffmeister (hoff_meister@my-deja.com), September 29, 1999.

Sorry, should have been "typo"

-- Hoffmeister (hoff_meister@my-deja.com), September 29, 1999.

This is like saying because you knew someone who owns a Ford and was in a car crash everyone who owns a Ford will be in a car crash. Or maybe everyone you know who owns a Ford will be in a car crash.

Nice straw man, there, "The Engineer". (Ooooooh, I'm really impressed by that handle. Am I supposed to be?) Cory is pointing out that there are some big problems left to be resolved on Big Iron. That's it, Ft. Pitt. Maybe he's wrong about that, maybe's he's right about that: I don't know. But I do know that you set up a conclusion all of your own and argued against it.

-- Lane Core Jr. (elcore@sgi.net), September 29, 1999.

If on the 1st January 2000 a whole slew of people die in hospitals due to Y2K medical device failure are people going to turn around and say 'Nothing Happened, Y2K was a Non-event' on that date because it did not personally happen to them?

-- Simon Richards (simon@wair.com.au), September 29, 1999.

Thanks for the interpretation, Lane.

I was confused there for a second, not seeing Cory actually say anything about "Big Iron" or the like.

Thank goodness you were here to set the record straight.

-- Hoffmeister (hoff_meister@my-deja.com), September 29, 1999.

Any time, Hoffmeister. We all know you need help like that.

By the way, my calendar still says 1999. Just thought I should let you know....

-- Lane Core Jr. (elcore@sgi.net), September 29, 1999.

Great, Lane!

Hey, do you time and weather too?

-- Hoffmeister (hoff_meister@my-deja.com), September 29, 1999.

Aw, heck! I'm mixing up my threads. Sorry about that.

I must not be getting enough sleep....

-- Lane Core Jr. (elcore@sgi.net), September 29, 1999.

Don't feel bad Lane...I got Paul Milne and George Soros mixed up last night :)

-- a (a@a.a), September 29, 1999.