Fortunately the unintended result of Chases' shabby behavior will be a significant damages award in favor of it's customer.

Several years ago, a friend was forced into bankruptcy because of a single Chase card he was unable to pay down due to divorce, job loss and emergency surgery - a perfect storm that Chase cared not one whit about.

After exhausting savings, selling his car, pulling money out of his IRA, with a perfect credit record and no history of non-payment, he approached Chase about making some kind of arrangement for payments. They refused to accommodate him in any way.

His lawyer advised him to stop paying while the bankruptcy was processed (the first time he had done so; Chase promptly increased his interest rate). He didn't owe a penny to anybody else and only about $9,000 to Chase.

When he came to bankruptcy court, he was told that he had nothing to worry about because Chase never showed up for most of the hearings to contest anything. They didn't.

What jerks.

I'm paying off the last of an old WaMu card, and because of that, I used to get at least one call every month from Chase reps, wanting me to start up a Chase account. They would call at all hours, and would continue to wheedle when I'd say "no, thank you," "NO," and "I'd sooner get a hot Clorox enema." Finally, I asked the name of the latest rep, which she gave.

"Okay, this is nothing against you, because I know you're just doing your job. However, I specifically want to have this listed in my account that I will cancel my card immediately if I ever receive another call about a Chase bank account. And when I do, and they ask why I'm shutting down the card, I'm going to give your name. Any company that can't respect its reps' notes on an account isn't one I want to deal with."

That was four months ago. Not a single call since then, and I don't think I'll ever get one again.

Repeat criminals.

Is the combined House of Morgan and Rockefeller too big to prosecute (TBTP)? With former JPM VP Wm Daley now employed as Mr O'Bama's COS and JPM CEO Jamie Dimon -- once and future best bankster bud -- suggested as a replacement for current Treasury Secretary Geithner, it would certainly seem that JPM executives do not go to jail for their crimes.

In other pay-the-fine-do-no-time JPM news:

"Municipal bond issuers in New Jersey will receive $1.3 million in restitution as part of a $92 million multi-state settlement JPMorgan Chase signed yesterday to resolve an alleged municipal bond scheme.

The names of the agencies and municipalities impacted by the alleged fraud were not available, said Leland Moore, a spokesman for the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General.

'This is an important settlement, not only for government agencies and non-profits impacted by the fraudulent conduct alleged here, but for all New Jersey residents,' said Paula Dow, the state’s attorney general. 'This matter involved conduct that was carried out at the expense of bond issuers — and ultimately New Jersey taxpayers — and worked against a fair, competitive and transparent marketplace.'"
http://www.nj.com/business/index.ssf/2011/07/unnamed_state_agencies_to_spli.html

A more general account of this settlement can be found here:

"Under the terms of the settlements, JPMorgan Chase will pay $50 million to the IRS; $51.2 million to the SEC; $35 million to the OCC and $75 million to the State Attorneys General. Of those funds, $129.7 million will be eligible for distribution to municipalities and other tax-exempt issuers. The settlements are not expected to have any material impact on the firm's earnings, the bank said."
http://www.thestreet.com/story/11177522/1/few-towns-gain-from-jpmorgan-settlement.html?cm_ven=GOOGLEN

OR's share, according to the O's modest reportage, is $300K:
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2011/07/oregon_shares_in_multi-state_d.html

The WaMu bankruptcy hearings, btw, continue; this month is scheduled to bring the critical confirmation hearing. The apparent theft, however, is not part of the bankruptcy process of WaMu's parent holding company. That matter, concerning primarily JPM and the FDIC -- from which the nefarious and grossly overpraised Sheila Bair departs today -- has been on hold in a DC federal court while the reorganization of what was not stolen is resolved.

We closed our business and personal accounts about 8 weeks ago with them and moved everything over to OnPoint. The CEO's $42 million salary last fiscal year was the final straw.

It's all ok now...NOT!
Since the story went nation wide on msnbc.com Chase as issued and apology, and given this poor man his money.
I hope he and his lawyers nail them!

"Can you say false arrest, boys and girls? Very good. Now, how about punitive damages?" ~ Mr. Robinson

Lookout Joe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4zKqWJSPJ4

Unfortunately, I've still got about 26 or 27 house payments left (and I don't want to deplete my savings that much) or I'd be gone as well. This is one mortgage-burning that will make the 4th of July look like a small sparkler.

So, if I have this right, my bank or any bank can accuse me of something bad, and the cop will come and lock me up immediately.
Hmmm... That's real power.

Ha! I know that feeling.

I fled PTCU for Washington Mutual. Things went fine for several years, but then service took a dive and I just didn't like about what I was hearing. I bailed and took every thing to Advantis just a month before they were swallowed up.

That makes the list of banks in this area that have done me wrong:

PTCU
Bank of America
US National Bank
and of course,
Forced Intercourse, now the vile Wells Fargo

Speaking of false imprisonment and the legal fiction of corporations as people, perhaps the victim here should swear out a criminal complaint against the branch manager for false imprisonment. I mean Chase was responsible for false imprisonment. And bank officers of which this branch manager is one are the faces of the bank and can be sued and charged as agents of the bank. Just sayin'.

They might make the mofos think twice before rushing to engage in actions like this.

Chase has been good to me.

My head would nearly explode every time a WaMu employee would call me by my first name. I didn't need a friend I needed a professional relationship.

Eventually that matey bunch at WaMu left me wondering if they were going to steal my money.

I feel the same. When I visited my local Chase branch a few months ago to close my accounts the banker was incredibly demeaning and told me false information about my new bank. When I told him I was a lawyer, his demeanor notably changed. When he handed me my cashier's check he snidely said, "The grass isn't always greener. Come back when it doesn't work out."

I was appalled and also worried that consumers more vulnerable than I am would be afraid to leave Chase. I wondered if this banker's conduct was part of a pattern. So, I filed a complaint with the consumer protection division of the WA Attorney General's office. The complaint was then referred out to the Federal Comptroller of Currency. Although the complaint was ultimately closed, I am glad I kicked up some dust along the way and at least attempted to make Chase accountable for this kind of conduct.