washington mutual bank-official check

[kdrpink]

hi!!..just got the above from usa for 33 dollars.i have been to my bank and it will cost me 15 pounds just to exchange it.....the guy from usa says it is not a check and should just exchange it for 33 dollars...anyone know more about this???cheers.....

[VillageVicar]

I'm a bit concerned about what this actually is. Are you, or were you a customer of Washington Mutual? Or were you expecting a dividend from a US investment that may use Washintgon Mutual as a vehicle for distribution?

Your bank is correct. There is a double-whammy for dealing with cheques. Not only do you face the exchange rates, you face a collection fee for the actual paper cheque to process through several systems before it gets to the actualy bank (your bank, Bank of England, Federal Reserve System, local US bank) - each of them getting a 'piece of the action.'

If you were not due this cheque, is it possible that this may be a phishing exercise to get bank details from you? I would encourage caution until you're aware of the reason you have this.
Fr Bill

[dzug]

Try

http://www.auctionpix.co.uk/misc/money.html

They will charge you a lot less than �15 to change it

The guy who sent it is Americo-centric - can't understand why anything that happens outside the US should be different to his own experience

[dzug]

PS my guess is it's the equivalent of a Building Society cheque here - in theory (but not in reality) guaranteed to be paid)