Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

What do you think Erin Brockovich did with her two million dollar check?

Dear Matt:

Sponsored
Sponsored

At the end of the movie Erin Brockovich, Erin's boss presents her with a check for "Two Million and No/100s" dollars. She is of course stunned by this genuinely "fat" bonus check. Then the movie ends. My question is: What would be the next step? A stop at her local Bank of America drive-through ATM? If the ATM refused to allow entry of the seven-digit amount, could she instead walk into a nearby Washington Mutual and open up a free checking account? My bank is Wells Fargo, and I believe they allow you to have no more than $100,000 in your account. So what do you think she did with that check?

-- Alicia Mattias, Chula Vista

Imagine, if you will, your local Wells Fargo branch. Every time a million-dollar check comes in the door, the tellers all gather 'round and ooh and aah and show it to everybody in the joint. Well, you and I might, but people who handle money for a living are different from you and me. A mil is just not a big deal. "We see much bigger checks than that every day," says one WF manager. "It's just a piece of paper." Unless it's payable to you, of course. Yes, Erin might have dropped it in the ATM. They're set up to handle big transactions. But I can guarantee you she didn't have it converted into bills so she could go home and wrap herself in two million dead presidents. As much fun as that might be, banks have rules about how much cash they'll give you. None that I tried would disclose what that limit is.

By the way, Wells Fargo was horrified to hear that one of its customers believes they'll only take $100,000 of your money. They'll take every penny you can scrounge up from between the sofa cushions, no limit. You have Wells Fargo confused with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which insures bank accounts. They won't insure an account larger than $100,000. A bank that won't take money? Positively un-American.

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Thanksgiving Lunch Cruise, The Avengers and Zeros ‘77, Small Business Saturday In Escondido

Events November 28-November 30, 2024

Dear Matt:

Sponsored
Sponsored

At the end of the movie Erin Brockovich, Erin's boss presents her with a check for "Two Million and No/100s" dollars. She is of course stunned by this genuinely "fat" bonus check. Then the movie ends. My question is: What would be the next step? A stop at her local Bank of America drive-through ATM? If the ATM refused to allow entry of the seven-digit amount, could she instead walk into a nearby Washington Mutual and open up a free checking account? My bank is Wells Fargo, and I believe they allow you to have no more than $100,000 in your account. So what do you think she did with that check?

-- Alicia Mattias, Chula Vista

Imagine, if you will, your local Wells Fargo branch. Every time a million-dollar check comes in the door, the tellers all gather 'round and ooh and aah and show it to everybody in the joint. Well, you and I might, but people who handle money for a living are different from you and me. A mil is just not a big deal. "We see much bigger checks than that every day," says one WF manager. "It's just a piece of paper." Unless it's payable to you, of course. Yes, Erin might have dropped it in the ATM. They're set up to handle big transactions. But I can guarantee you she didn't have it converted into bills so she could go home and wrap herself in two million dead presidents. As much fun as that might be, banks have rules about how much cash they'll give you. None that I tried would disclose what that limit is.

By the way, Wells Fargo was horrified to hear that one of its customers believes they'll only take $100,000 of your money. They'll take every penny you can scrounge up from between the sofa cushions, no limit. You have Wells Fargo confused with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which insures bank accounts. They won't insure an account larger than $100,000. A bank that won't take money? Positively un-American.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Successor to Lillian Hellman and Carson McCullers

Crossword puzzles need headline
Next Article

Elevated ice crystals lead to solar halos, Cottonwoods still showing their tawny foliage

New moon brings high tides this weekend
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader