Watch out! Bank of America is trying to steal your money. Here is a real story that happened to me: A few years ago I was living in the U.S. for some time. Therefore, I opened a bank account at Bank of America. Actually, I opened the bank account at Fleet bank, but unfortunately Fleet was taken over by Bank of America. I stayed in the U.S. for some time and then decided to move back to Europe. When I moved I was not sure whether I will come to the U.S. again some time in the future. Therefore, I kept my account at Bank of America leaving my European address. Bank of America promised that this would be no problem and that it would be even free of charge as long as I leave a certain amount of deposit on that account. I did not get any interest on that account. However, I did not care about the loss of interest since transferring money between the U.S. and Europe is very expensive and would have been much more than what I lost on interest.

After I moved to Europe, Bank of America regularly sent me balance slips and everything seemed to be okay (at least for a while). However, after some time they sent me the letter below! The letter is difficult to read, because banking people usually try to twist words so their customers do not understand easily. I have tried to translate the important parts into 'plain' English. It basically states: If I do not permanently watch my money at Bank of America, they will take it! In other words: Bank of America wants to steal my money!

Why am I making this case public? First, I have asked Bank of America to return my money. However, they did not respond appropriately. I still do not have my money back. So, by making this case public I hope they will finally notice that they should not steal their customers' money. Second, I would like to warn everyone being in a similar situation. Here is my warning and recommendation:

- Ideally, do not open an account at Bank of America! If you have to (for whatever reason), then:
- Do not leave your money at Bank of America unattended for more than four weeks!
- Do not leave more money on that account than necessary!
- If Bank of America is trying to steal your money, do not be nice! They do not care for you unless you act forcefully. Act immediately and act strongly!

Dear Bank of America Customer: We value you as a customer at Bank of America and want to let you know that our records indicate your account appears inactive. Your account is considered inactive when there has been no direct contact with you such as from non-automatic deposits and withdrawals or from utilizing online banking. If you would like to ensure your account remains active, please complete one of the following within 30 days of the date of this letter: * Log on to Online Banking at http://www.bankofamerica.com * Make any deposit or withdrawal on your account * Call Customer Service at the number listed above and speak to a customer service representative * Complete, sign and return this entire notice in the enclosed return envelope or to your nearest Bank of America banking center. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. However, if we do not hear from you, your account could be considered abandoned by state law. We appreciate your understanding and want to work with you to ensure this does not happen. If you have any questions or if we can do anything to better serve your needs, please call us. Thank yuo again for banking with Bank of America.