It appears to be a computer glitch or a classic clerical error but the bank points the blame to its own customer.
Some 7 years ago, a medical doctor from Rooty Hill nominated her existing account at the Mt. Druitt branch of St. George Bank to be the depository of dividends derived from her PERLS III investment with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.
Being a very busy medical practitioner, Dr. Mercedita Reyes noticed only recently that dividends amounting to some $3,400 were not being credited to her nominated account at St. George Bank. An examination of her account details at St. George revealed that one digit was missing.
Somehow, a “zero” prefix was added to the account number resulting in multiple credits to the account of another customer.
Whenever this writer makes a deposit at St. George, the teller usually asks the name of the account to which the deposit is being made. It is apparent that the bank did not make an effort to contact the doctor.
Because of confidentiality mandated by the Privacy Act, St. George Bank could not reveal the name of the other customer. It is unknown if the other customer has withdrawn the unexpected bonanza which did not legally belong to him/her.
Dr. Reyes is seeking the intervention of the Financial Ombudsman of NSW for an early resolution of her claim.