I'm having a nice day.

[digitaldiscipline]

... which is no reason that I shouldn't ruin everyone's mood by pointing out how people are getting sodomized at the ATM, for instance.

I'm a big fan of cash. I couldn't tell you the last time I hit an ATM, however. I'll go to the trouble of going inside and filling out a generic withdrawal slip, thanks.

In other financial news, in looking at the attractive rates my company is currently offering on mortgages (including an employee discount which does not suck whatsoever), I'm waiting to hear which chunk of interest-flavored flesh my current carrier is going to exact from my hide if I decide to pursue it (either 1% of the outstanding balance, which isn't too hideous, or 6 months' current interest, which most assuredly is)... of course, saying to the nice CSR, "I work for a bank now; good luck matching the rate... but if you wanna try, your bogey is five and a quarter for twenty years," and watching them try. Mercenary? You betcha, but nobody else has my financial well-being as their primary concern.

In other news.... ummm... TGIF. Five weeks until a much-needed vacation, for which I hope to be prepared (it's arbitrary tapemeasure week after tonight's workout). Note to self: make mix CDs for the DJ booth.

Going to the gun range with analmuch, aishlynn & Jeeves on Sunday; rifles are going to be the order of the day.

Otherwise, it's varying amounts of fucking off and housework in the forecast. Next verse, same as the first, a little bit louder and a whole lot worse.

Comments

[trystbat.livejournal.com]

Going inside a bank? Um, when do you find they're open? Even my otherwise friendly, helpful credit union has 9-5 hours + about half a day Saturday. If I depended on a teller for cash, I'd have to take time off from work (thus losing money in the process) or plan very carefully for that Saturday time (not always easy). Luckily, my CU plays nice w/other CUs' ATMs so they're free, plus there's a generic CU ATM at work (corporate perk). That said, I use the CU debit card most often bec. it's easier to track than cash.

Banking is all sort of a scam anyway, yet it's marginally better than shoving bills in yr mattress :-/

There's no interest in my mattress.

[etcet.livejournal.com]

I share a parking lot with a branch of the CU for whom I work (natch), and the nearest branch of my regular bank is only a quarter mile away; on the rare occasions I need to visit, I simply walk over at lunch.

At my last job, they were merely across the street, which is why I chose them in the first place. "You! Large bank of whom I have heard and do not loathe! Your location pleases me, so you shall have my custom!"

[trystbat.livejournal.com]

I usually concentrated on finding a reasonable distance between home & work, & thus bank distance suffered. That's one of the shortcomings of CUs too -- fewer branches, so less convenient locations. But then, they're generally less asshole-like than the big banks (I suffered w/Giant Banks o' D00m for the first decade of my financial life until they screwed me over too many times thru fees & general jerkitude).

There's prob. interest in your mattress, just not as legal to make cash off it.

Re: There's no interest in my mattress.

[hellsop.livejournal.com]

Heh. The nearest branch of my bank is in downtown Chicago and is open 9-4 M-F. There's one in a SW chicago 'burb, and a half-dozen in Minnesota. Fortunately, Fells Wargo ATMs are on the same network as the bank and are thus generally charge-free.

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

Here banks don't charge for ATM transactions as long as it's their own ATM but there is a $1-$2 fee for using the network if you use an ATM owned by a different bank.

Some people complain about the fees, but nationally we only have five banks, and they have branches everywhere. It's not that hard to avoid paying service fees if you don't want to. Getting rid of them will just get rid of their incentive to offer ATM service to non-customers.

[etcet.livejournal.com]

That (fees for non-members) is really not what's got my dander up; it's the conflation of the 50% charge hike, and the fact that the government is so solidly in the pocket of industry, rather than the citizenry, and is actively abetting the practice that bugs me.

I don't have a ton of ATMs from which to choose, but if I -must- go out of network, I always get at least $100, to help minimize the penalty on a per-dollar basis.

[the_axel]

We took mortgage shopping a step further:
1) Found best rate my bank/employer offers.
2) Shopped around until someone offered to beat it.
3) Go back to my bank & ask them to beat the other guys best offer.

FTW!

[argylerockstar.livejournal.com]

One of my largest clients is a bank. Circuits that drive ATM machines are always 56k or less as 56k is the maximum needed to run ATM transactions. The highest monthly charge I've seen on an ATM circuit is $500 and that would be for a circuit in BFE New Mexico. Most ATMs are in the $200 range. If you figure their monthly circuit cost by their surcharges, it is ridiculous how much they charge and then claim that it is for the cost of operating the machine. Sure, there is the field tech cost as well, but the field techs aren't exactly highly paid.

[smaugchow.livejournal.com]

i DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE A FAN OF YOUR 2ND AMMENDMENT RIGHTS. aRE YOU AN OWNER OR JUST A USER? (oops - caps lock.)

I have yet to procure a license in this state. Interesting that 99% of this state is exactly the same as Indiana, which has very riendly gun laws, but because Illinois has a festering cesspool called Chicago in it the gun laws are in the draconian range.

[etcet.livejournal.com]

I believe gun control is hitting what you aim at, including those who misbehave with their own.