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Comment by jrockway | Hacker News Reader

I liked how the story started, but the whole talk show circuit and DVD angle left a bad taste in my mouth. But that's probably just because the story is so long.

Here's what bothers me the most. It was widely agreed that he was entitled to the $95,000 by a technicality. He decided to "do the right thing" and give it all back. A hundred grand of 1995 money. So why did the bank make him pay $175 to close his account?

What if he had refused?

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because he signed an agreement that said it cost $175 to close an account. there was a quote in the article that said 'signing your banking agreement is the start of the time when they can be unfair to you'..

also imo the 'bad taste' is mitigated by the fun value of telling a story where the big guy loses. going on inside edition doesn't feel significantly different from posting about it on the internet to me.

But he could have said, "I refuse to close the account, you can't make me" or "Oh, a $175 fee? I'll keep my $100,000 then."

He was in the position of power, and he still let them fuck him. That's what I think is strange. (Maybe he is just a nice guy... but even then, why apply your human/human social skills to interaction with a mega-corporation?)

The closing account fee could easily have been negotiated into the arrangement, but even still it's completely separate. What I find stunning is that he also wrote a $60 check for the 2% interest on the $95,000.

The "right thing" is clearly to take the (wealthy, exploitive, capitalist) bank's money and give it to a charity. Not roll over on it.

I hate this type of robin hood mentality. Come on dude, everything the bank does is legal, even if they fuck you, they first make you sign an agreement saying they are entitled to do so.

perhaps you missed a little sarcasm

I don't come to HN for sarcasm, I am bad at it (online) anyway.

"Come on dude, everything the bank does is legal"

Apparently you haven't been paying much attention to the news lately.

care to elaborate? I really haven't been reading American news (nothing of this sort happens in indian banks).

Hey now, if the bank is pretty sure that it owns your house, and it really wants the money, it's fine if it forecloses on you. Paperwork is for chumps.

One guess: he had a $175 balance on a loan.

More likely it was not a Free Checking account. It had monthly fees and to close the account cost $175.

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