A black man in Michigan tried to deposit checks at his bank. The manager called police.

[malaise]

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/black-man-michigan-tried-deposit-checks-his-bank-manager-called-n1122011


An African American man who went to his local bank in Michigan to deposit checks had the police called on him by a branch manager suspecting fraud.

Ironically, the checks, totaling $99,000, that Sauntore Thomas, 44, sought to deposit at TCF Bank in Livonia were part of a court settlement for a racial discrimination lawsuit against his former employer.

Now Thomas, an Air Force veteran, has sued his bank's holding company, TCF Financial Corp., alleging racial discrimination.
———————
Get some more checks- make them pay.
-

[SheltieLover]

1. And the slob is still not in a cage.

[spanone]

2. WTF?

Fire the branch manager.

[ProfessorGAC]

111. If The Manager Isn't Already Gone...

..fire the VPs of HR & PR, too.

[Deuxcents]

3. O, yeah. Sue em.

[sop]

4. $$$$...Hit them where it hurts.

[MissMillie]

5. Wow, you can't make this stuff up. (n/t)

.

[Stuart G]

103. That is correct...When you think you have seen it all...there is always more..& more and even more!!

[Ohio Joe]

6. Banking while black... Thats a call to the police

WTF?

[Celerity]

10. +1

[padfun]

7. Moscow Mitch would say,

that he got treated the same as an American

[AllyCat]

24. Of course

[Aviation Pro]

8. This is a symptom of years of indoctrination

To not trust anyone of color. My Latina wife, a DDS and orthodontist, gets the cold eye whenever she goes to a store without me (the whitest white man in all of Broward County).

Lately, I keep a wary eye on white men of a certain age array whenever I'm out and automatically assume that they're up to no good.

[LT Barclay]

44. I have already been doing that because I assume they're the type of cowards that are carrying a gun.

[RustyWheels]

68. Broward County Resident

I will challenge you for the "whitest white man in all of Broward County" !!

I am originally from Minnesota (English and German), with a Cuba wife. So I know of what you speak.

[Abnredleg]

9. Is it too much to ask that people check dates before posting?

This is a horrendous story but it happened in January 2020, and we discussed it in depth.

[HipChick]

12. Did it stop after that date?

It's an on-going issue

[malaise]

13. LOL

Wonder if the bank settled yet?

[Abnredleg]

15. Then post recent stories that show it's ongoing

Of course systemic racism is ongoing but you weaken the argument when you rely on old incidents to make that point because it’s too easy for a doubter to dismiss the point you are making.

[Klaralven]

21. Case against TCF is apparently settled

Michigan resident Sauntore Thomas recently reached an agreement with a bank over a racial discrimination lawsuit he filed this year after a teller refused to deposit his checks.

In January, he'd gone to a TCF Bank branch in Livonia to open a savings account and deposit checks from a settlement in a racial discrimination case against his former employer. He had a checking account at the bank.

...

Following the filing of the lawsuit, he has since had a meeting with TCF board chairman Gary Torgow.

"He feels comfortable with their assurances that the incident that occurred was an unfortunate mistake and is not reflective of the way the bank does business," Gordon told CNN.

https://lite.cnn.com/en/article/h_0a93f4191c5ba0fd30e5f3a5238ab461

[KS Toronado]

25. Thank you for the link

[HipChick]

26. systemic racism can be an everyday occurrence

for people of color...
not every story makes it into the news..
People of color are experiencing this on a daily basis
They don't need a justification based on your perception of weakened argument or not

[LakeArenal]

94. 19 posts in 90 days. Take some time before you accuse people of snark.

Answering like that seems pretty snarky.

[calimary]

75. There is that.

[tblue37]

60. The same thing just happened to a young black woman who tried to deposit her first paycheck from

her new employer--at a Chase branch:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/a-black-doctor-says-she-was-refused-service-at-a-bank-because-of-her-race-i-felt-like-a-criminal/ar-AATqS3Y

A Black doctor says she was refused service at a bank because of her race: ‘I felt like a criminal’

With a $16,000 check in hand, Malika Mitchell-Stewart walked into a JPMorgan Chase bank near Houston in December, proud and excited to open a bank account and deposit her first check as a newly employed physician.

But her elation quickly faded when employees refused to open an account for her and accused the doctor, who is Black, of attempting to commit fraud, court documents say.

On Wednesday, Mitchell-Stewart sued JPMorgan Chase Bank, First Colony Branch in Sugar Land, Tex., along with two employees, in federal court for racial discrimination.

“The discrimination she faced is pattern and practice when it comes to Black people engaging with financial institutions in this country,” Mitchell-Stewart’s attorney, Justin Moore, said in a statement to The Washington Post. “For a Black female physician to be treated this way by Chase is a devastating reminder that no matter how hard we try and how far we climb, major corporations in this country still view us as if we are nothing.”

Snip

[Abnredleg]

63. I do not doubt for one moment that this happens all the time.

I just feel that in order to change minds we need to keep bringing forward new examples to add to the old examples so it becomes impossible to argue that it's not a pattern.

[niyad]

80. You know, some of us can be rather busy at times, and we sometimes miss stories.

We appreciate seeing such stories later, regardless of when they were posted.

Your concern is duly noted.

[niyad]

86. No snark, merely an observation. My day is just fine, thank you.

[Traildogbob]

70. She should

Have been wearing one of those Trump rally “Blacks for Trump” tee shirts and a MAGA hat. I am certain all those white militias are welcoming each one of those seated behind trump in camera view are being asked over for cook outs and parties with the supreme race clubs.
Those bankers accept those tees as ID for a loan.

[niyad]

79. It is not in lbn, so it is not violating any rules.

[BeckyDem]

11. +1. LOL

BIG, HUGE check this timer around.

[uponit7771]

14. K&R, the banks check verifier was broke and instead of calling in the checks the bank manager

... decided to be a Karen and keep doing the wrong thing.

When people have a vested interest in being correct they continue to do stupid shit

Just

[Klaralven]

19. A black guy named Karen?

Bank spokesman Tom Wennerberg told the Detroit Free Press that the branch manager is African American and that Thomas' race was not a factor.

[uponit7771]

22. The manager was a women IINM and and racism come from all kinds of sources, look at C Thomas

... he doesn't like black people at all.

[whathehell]

34. What is IINM?

[uponit7771]

35. If I'm Not Mistaken, read it again and yes the manager was a women

[whathehell]

37. I don't need to read it again

but we might all want to lighten up on the acronyms.

[dchill]

59. You mean LUOTA?

[ShazzieB]

67. What does that mean?

Googling luota just pulls translations of a Finnish word!

[efhmc]

74. Sorry but that was a clever response or ACR.

[Patterson]

82. No kidding. I don't put much stock in what acronym abusers have to say.

[whathehell]

92. It is annoying

especially when you ask for the meaning and get rude, juvenile responses,

[whathehell]

36. If you really believe that "racism comes from all sources,"

maybe we can stop profiling white women with the "Karen" meme and throw in a Keith or a Jamal here and there..Just sayin'.

[PatSeg]

39. Yes, you'd think calling the police

in a situation like this would be the last thing you would do. How could the police verify if the check was legitimate? I wonder how the bank manager would handle such a situation if the customer was white. Probably hold the funds until it cleared the bank or call the bank that issued the check to confirm it was authentic.

[Chicago1980]

16. This is an old story.

[Roc2020]

17. Quite Ironic. He should sue TCF

Use that settlement and try opening another account at another small bank see what happens.

[Texin]

18. Sure, I'd sue the bastards, but I'd also withdraw my accounts

and deposit the funds elsewhere.

[bucolic_frolic]

20. That is amazing

Depositing checks should never be a problem. They've got video, your fingerprints, the checks, and the dialogue with you.

[PatSeg]

40. Yes and the bank does not usually

allow you access to those funds until the check clears. Why on earth call the police? Someone isn't very good at her job.

[notKeith]

23. Wow!

Holy cow! Just imagine how bad this might have been if we still had racism in this country.

[Mr. Scorpio]

27. Hopefully, he's looking at another substantial pay day.

[aggiesal]

28. This happened to me in 1995 ...

Moved down from the bay area to San Diego when I purchased a home in a highly (R) area predominantly white.

Back in 1995, paychecks weren't automatically deposited when you start a new job. It would take 2-3 pay periods before auto deposit kicked in.
So the first 2-3 paychecks were live checks.

Went to the local branch of the bank I'd been using for about 10 years in the bay area to deposit the first live paycheck.

The teller looks at the check and then looks at the Mex/Am standing in front of her, then back to the check , then says "I'm going to need a fingerprint."
I told her, "Absolutely not!" She insisted. I asked to speak with the branch manager.

He tells me it's policy, yet I mentioned that none of the other customers had supplied their fingerprint, how was that policy?

I told him that if he didn't deposit my check, that I would close my account and take my services elsewhere.

They deposited the check and I started using a different branch.

[PatSeg]

43. Your fingerprint?

That is insane. You were putting money IN the account, not taking it OUT and you had used that bank for a decade.

[aggiesal]

52. I think they thought it was a forged check ...

I got paid really well and they must have thought a person like me can't possibly get paid that much.

I was extremely insulted.

[PatSeg]

77. Understandable, that IS insulting

It is never good business to presume or judge one's customers. Meanwhile, maybe you got paid more than the teller, who may have found that inconceivable. People can be so petty and resentful.

[aggiesal]

98. To be honest, tellers in San Diego get paid around minimum wage ...

I was making considerably more. Probably close to high 5 figures.
I can just imagine what her beady little brain was thinking.

[HAB911]

29. Karma strikes! I love it

[AverageOldGuy]

30. This could be really, really big . . .

So -- he sues the bank's holding company, gets a big settlement check, tries to deposit it, is refused, sues the bank holding company, gets another big check, tries to deposit it . . . .


Damn corporations just won't learn.

[fescuerescue]

31. Surely this cannot be the first black customer that this bank has an account with

And if so, that would be evidence if discrimination itself.

[iemanja]

32. This country

SMH.

[geardaddy]

33. TCF is a shitty right-wing bank. n/t

[ShazzieB]

69. TCF doesn't exist anymore.

Not under that name anyway. They merged with Huntington.

I know this because we have banked there for almost 30 years. Have not had a single bad experience. But then we're white.

[niyad]

83. It exists in Colorado Springs at multiple locations.

[ShazzieB]

100. Oh, that's interesting!

All I know is what we were told this summer when the change was about to happen. There were TCF branches all over the Chicago area, and now they're all Huntington. Our account number changed, we got new atm cards and everything. Here's an article about the merger: https://www.freep.com/story/money/personal-finance/susan-tompor/2021/10/22/chaos-debit-online-banking-tcf-customer-dealt-huntington-woes/6116722001/

I don't know what's going on in Colorado, but maybe there are different dates for the switchover 8n different states?

[geardaddy]

110. I think the owner of TCF

was the head of the MNGOP at one time.

[FakeNoose]

38. Oh my, this happened in Michigan? That's shameful

The checks could have been deposited by ATM and they would have been accepted readily with no judgment made over who's making the deposit. As far as I know, no ATM machine has ever called the police.

I hope Sauntore Thomas cleans their clocks.

[shrike3]

41. An African American came to my door selling a small item. (I don't even recall what it was.)

I had no cash on me, so I wrote him a check. While we chatted he mentioned he was on parole and doing door to door sales to earn some cash. Again, I don't remember the name of the company. He wasn't the least bit threatening, so I didn't worry at all about that. I also directed to my bank branch which was around the corner.

He came back, stating they insisted the check had my signature along with his. A few minutes later I got a call, asking if I had indeed written a check to this man. If I hadn't been so taken by surprise I would have been a little sterner.

[EnterwebsJohn]

42. So what crime did that man commit? It is part of the public record that

death often results when someone calls the cops to question an innocent black man

[vlyons]

45. I bet the bank manager doesn't know what irony is

All the bank manager had to do was pick up the phone and call the bank issuing the check.

[JohnSJ]

46. Not only should the manager be fired for racism, he should be fired for stupidity. Depositing a

check, no matter how large, is more than easily verifiable, and jumping to the conclusion that it must involve fraud because it was submitted by an African American, is racist idiocy

[cinematicdiversions]

102. I believe the bank manager in this incident from over two years ago was a black woman.

I don't know if she was fired for her incompetence and racism.

[appleannie1]

47. A spokesperson for TCF Bank issued an apology at the time, and

Thomas reportedly reached an agreement with the bank out of court.

I found the above in a story about another black man trying to cash his paycheck and ended up in handcuffs after police were called. It occurred a year later at a different bank.

[TeamProg]

48. Ha ha ha! I hope the guy wins $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Some peepo are so F'n stupid! If there was fraud the checks would be traced just as evidence needed.

Racists are awfully impatient.

[Takket]

49. Livonia has a reputation as one of the most racist cities in MI

not surprised this happened there.

[TeamProg]

50. This story is FROM TWO YEARS AGO! Come on..

[louis-t]

51. So he will sue them and deposit those checks back in tcf bank?

I would take those checks and put them in a different bank.

[Joinfortmill]

53. I keep reading stories like this. It's ridiculous.

Banks ( believe me) have procedures. Calling the police is not one of them.

[Abnredleg]

64. That's because in this instance it's the same story

It happened two years ago.

[malaise]

72. Do you know how many times a day shit like this happens?

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100216316246

[Abnredleg]

73. It happens all the time

I get it. So why not post new incidents instead one from two years ago? It's hard to argue something is ongoing when your evidence is old.

[niyad]

85. One will point out that an article that included a bit of the resolution of this case

was from slightly later.

Perhaps you could help educate us by posting current articles on these incidents, so that you do not find it necessary to berate others who post other, perhaps older, incidents.

[lagomorph777]

54. Yes. Sue their asses off.

[Joinfortmill]

55. I keep reading stories like this. It's ridiculous.

Banks ( believe me) have procedures. Calling the police is not one of them.

[highplainsdem]

56. It's been law since 1970 that banks have to report deposits of over $10,000 to

the IRS. But there was absolutely no need to call the police.

[Rural_Progressive]

57. You simply can not make this sh*t up

Nobody would believe you.

[llashram]

58. I

had loan paperwork sent to me after applying. All pertinent information was present on the paperwork. Loan amount, interest, terms of payment. Told to sign all paperwork, which I did. I called the bank official that I talked to in person. She was not there. I was transferred to another bank agent. I asked whether to upload loan documents. She brought up my loan account. Told me to wait. I waited 5 minutes. She came back on. Mr. ... your loan has been declined. I asked why loan paperwork had not prompted a declined letter in the 2 weeks since application. She hesitated and then said, "Your credit score is too low". I asked why my score, in the middle of 300-850 was low WHEN IT WAS IN THE HIGH MIDDLE OF SCORES. She took on the voice of who I was to ask such a question. I asked to speak to her supervisor. Got nowhere. This angered me since I had security for the loan.

Anything sounds suspicious to anyone? Being a POC I had originally talked to a POC. The 2nd person on me was white. In these days of very, very hateful people I am wondering motivation in this situation. I'm angry. Had a beautiful...used...9000+ Honda Accord ready for pickup. This morning they kept me on the phone waiting 16 minutes before coming online to say this was going to take longer...yada yada yada. As a disabled vet, sometimes, I am very sorry to have EVER volunteered to serve in the military to protect trumpers first and the racist fascists that they represent.

[ShazamIam]

61. They will not only lose his deposit, they might be adding a nice sum to what another bank will gain.

[gristy]

62. 140 recs for a 2-year old story

Posters need to check the age of a story before posting like it happened yesterday.

[malaise]

66. This is GD not Breaking News

And this is just another day in the life of minorities in the USA.
What makes this fascinating is that the checks were for previous discrimination. I’d love to know if the bank paid up for their discrimination.

[littlemissmartypants]

105. Good grief to these whiners with their sensitivity to time sensitive sh!t.

It's Black History Month for Pete's sake. How's that for relevance?


I just watched The Red Cape* so let them check the date on that. I'm ready to hear "it happened in 1898 so why watch it..."


They need to get over themselves.


Thanks for sharing, malaise. Keep the faith. ❤


* https://www.theredcapemovie.com/

[malaise]

106. And this sure is part of that history

[niyad]

104. So what? The story is still relevant, regardless of the date, which was clearly

posted in the linked article. One wonders why some people seem so ruffled by the date on this article, rather than addressing the issues.

[malaise]

107. Yah think.

[hippywife]

65. Fucking assholes.

[turbinetree]

76. Time to go to a credit union.....after the lawsuit....lack of diversity training....

Wonder if they had in there bank handbook diversity training....me thinks not.....

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

78. Well, TCF Bank (whose name ought to have been in the headline), either you have a shitty system

for verifying checks or that system was down or one or more of your employees is incompetent--none of which is a reason to call the cops. I hope Mr. Thomas gets another batch of of fat checks paid by, but not deposited into, your lousy bank.

“We strongly condemn racism and discrimination of any kind,” the bank said. “We take extra precautions involving large deposits and requests for cash, and in this case, we were unable to validate the checks presented by Mr. Thomas and regret we could not meet his needs.”

[Aussie105]

87. Accept a check . . .

Open an account . . . balance = $0

Verify the validity of the check with the issuer. From memory, it takes up to 3 days to clear a check.

Check is validated. Balance of the account now shows the value of the check.

Standard operational procedure, surely?

The whole story smells and needs fact checking.

It can come across as one person suspecting a black depositor as perpetrating fraud just because he is black, but is it really?

Fact checking on the whole story needs doing. Were the cops called at all? Who is the cop who attended, and what was he told?

Facts matter!
If Thomas puts the whole thing before a judge, the judge needs to call a few relevant witnesses!

Personal info:
I tried to open an account at a conveniently placed local bank with a check.
Lady wanted points of identification. Fair enough, I had that in my wallet.
But it wasn't enough, she wanted bills with my name and address on it.
Am I going to go home and find three paid bills? Nope!
Saw the sadistic gleam in her eyes, so I said 'Looks like we can't do business!' and walked out.
Went to my Credit Union office, some 15 minutes away, check deposited without question.

Now the lady and I are both white, but if I was black, I might be prone to think it was some form of discrimination at play.

[Jedi Guy]

88. Given the amount involved, I get declining to deposit the check since the system was down.

That would be perfectly reasonable for a check in the amount of $99k. Simply explain the situation and advise the customer that due to the amount, the check can't be deposited at this time. Alternately, deposit the check and place a hold on the funds until the system is restored and the check can be verified with the issuing bank. Alternately alternately, call the issuing bank to confirm the issued check is genuine. Any of those courses of action would have been reasonable and understandable, given the circumstances.

But assuming that the check is fraudulent from the beginning is just dumb, really. Calling the police based on that assumption is even dumber. How did the bank manager expect a cop to verify whether the check was genuine? It's not like a banknote where you can mark it to see if it's real. Just a very dumb (and expensive) mistake on this bank manager's part.

I hope Mr. Thomas enjoys his payday from this affair, though I suspect he'd just as soon live in a world where this, and similar things, never happened.

[Generic Brad]

89. If the checks were suspicious they had cause to place extended holds

But arresting the man? That is definitely not something TCF would train their people to do. Sounds like a rogue, racist employee.

[leftyladyfrommo]

90. I worked in a bank for years. I doubt this was racial.

There are certain triggers all bank employees learn and those red flags are for anyone . And they do question customers about unusual transactions. It was probably the transaction that caught their attention not his race.

We really should get the bank's side of the story.

[azureblue]

99. and i worked in banks, too

and proper procedure would be to explaining to him the verification system is down, but the bank would accept the check to deposit, but the depositor should expect a delay in check clearing. Then give an estimated date and ask if they want to go ahead with the deposit? If they do, then offer to call him when the funds are available..

That's the way is should have gone down. But, no..

[MisterProton]

108. I doubt it too.

The article literally states that the bank manger that refused him was black - but hey, always more fun to play the jump to conclusions game.

[electric_blue68]

91. Arrest? What. Tell the man they have to check or put a hold on it...

unless they they had some very specific thing tracking this man previously...

and even then we know the lousy record on LE and Black people...

So yeah it's still has a chance of being racist ESP in certain States and cities.

[Catherine Vincent]

93. I'd sue 'em too!!

[Progressive dog]

95. In any bank where I've had an account

checks are not reflected in your account for a day or three until they should have cleared. Direct deposit or cash become available immediately.
https://www.mybanktracker.com/news/long-takes-check-clear-top-10-banks
There is no reason for a bank to refuse a check deposit from anyone with an account.

[malaise]

96. Usually three days

That's why we know this was was nothing but racism

[oldsoftie]

101. Pretty easy to CALL the issuing institution.

99% of the time if its not a good check, the person will flee while you make the call

[Emile]

109. Unbelievable how racism keeps raising it's ugly head!

[malaise]

112. Not really unbelievable

It’s institutional and it sure has been fertilized under the Slobfather

[Emile]

113. That's true!