Unprocessed Direct Deposits Leave Customers Without Funds

Sun., Dec. 1, 1996

From Staff And Wire Reports

About 13,700 direct deposits went unprocessed at KeyBank over Thanksgiving, leaving customers without the funds they expected in their accounts for the traditional start of Christmas shopping Friday.

The problem affected direct-deposit paychecks in Washington state and prevented some customers from drawing funds from cash machines or using debit cards at stores until the problem was corrected by about 3:30 p.m. Friday, said Greg Patjens, head of client services at KeyServices, a division of KeyCorp, the bank’s Cleveland-based holding company.

Patjens said the problem began Tuesday night after three computer files of information to clear the direct deposits were transmitted to the Federal Reserve in Cleveland. Because of human error, one of the three went unprocessed at the bank’s processing center in Tacoma, so pay that should have been deposited to customers’ accounts on Monday, Wednesday or Friday was not logged, he said.

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.