If a bank made a mistake and gave you too much money,would you keep it?

Answer 1

Seeing as how I work at a bank, I can honestly say that you can go ahead and keep the money, but we'll find you and make you pay it back. I'm not trying to be nasty, but banks are businesses, too, and not in the habit of giving away free merchandise!

If you keep it or lie about it, it's theft. Plain and simple. A person can try and justify it to themselves by grumbling about all the profits a bank makes, anyway, but that's the executives, usually, who rake in the dough, not the little teller who made the mistake and is in serious danger of losing her job because the customer was too much of an a** to give the money back.

People who think that they deserve the money given to them in error because big banks make big profits don't ever think about the people on the front line. I'll be the first person to tell ya -- tellers don't make a whole hell of a lot of money. CEOs do. Senior VPs do. Tellers drive their 1992 Ford Tempos to get home to their one bedroom apartments; they don't slide in to a leather-clad Mercedes S-class to zip back to a 2100 sq. foot house on two lots with a pool in the back.

Don't screw the little guy. If this ever happens to you -- give the money back.

Answer 2

No, I wouldn't. Well perhaps if it were just small change, if I came home and noticed they'd handed me a quarter instead of a dime or two single dollars were kinda stuck together, a very small mistake I'd probably just keep. I'd still say something if I noticed at the window but I wouldn't go back for it. But any larger amount yes I would report it even if I'd left and noticed it only later. It's not mine to keep, chances are they'd find out anyways and it could get the teller in serious trouble too (unlike very minor things which are accepted, if there's a $1 or a 15 cents difference after a busy day no one's gonna freak... at least don't know about a bank but a grocery store where I spoke to some of the tellers accepted that there'd be minor mistakes with loose change when lines were long and people are all in a hurry).

Answer 3

No, I would feel too guilty and someone at the bank could lose their job or be in serious trouble if they made the mistake of giving you too much money. I would go back and try to sort it out, they may not find the difference and you may get to keep it. In that case you will have a clear conscience.
If you accidentally gave someone $20 more when you were paying for something at a yard sale, you would want them to be honest and tell you or return it to you.

Answer 4

Yup it is there mistake

And you are entitiled to keep it

I worked for a bank and lots of people were over paid money and only certain people paid it back via a loan, the others said I am keeping it because it is your mistake, the bank could not do anything about it

(I can't go into too much detail)

Answer 5

If you made a mistake and gave a bank too much money-would they keep it?
I'll tell you this-it would take a month of Sundays to get it back if you were lucky enough

Answer 6

No, I wouldn't. Mostly because if I were the person that made the mistake, I would want people to be honest and say I gave them too much money. Just like how I wouldn't accept being underpaid.

Answer 7

No, I wouldn't because it would be stealing and that's wrong. Ask yourself this question: "If, by mistake, the bank took too much money out of my account, wouldn't I want them to admit their mistake and give me my money back? Of course you would. So, if they made a mistake why wouldn't you want to do the right thing and alert them to the error?

Answer 8

If it were cash, I would almost have to give it back because the lady at my bank has always been kind to both me and my brother helping with little things after our mum died. I would want to do nothing to hurt her.

If it were electronic and could be kept, that is of an entirely different order. As others have noted, their mistake, and the bank must usually eat it.

--That Cheeky Lad

Answer 9

Actually this has happened to me before, I had cashed a check inside of the bank and was waiting for my friend to get done with her banking and was organizing my money, and saw that the teller had given me a $100 in place of a $1. I took it back to the teller and told her, she was surprised and after exchanging it for the correct bill closed her "window" and counted her drawer of money

Answer 10

No - it is against the law.

I would transfer it to a high interest account and not inform them of their mistake. I would keep the interest that I'd made on it when they asked for it back. I believe you are entitled to ask to repay the amount over a long period of time, so I would offer £5 a week in the hope that they'd just say keep it!