Actually, my experience is that most banks don't handle their own statements, they outsource.
Therefore when they need to go back to an old statement, they have to call the statement vendor, who actually reloads a saved version of the printed report from tape, prints the statement, sticks it in an envelope and mails it. The statement company doesn't keep more than 2 or 3 months of rolling history "live", the rest goes onto tape, or COLD storage. The same is true for the web-based transaction history. The bank (or the company that they outsourced the site to) can only keep so much data "live" due to storage costs, db size/speed and existing hardware limitations. So they arbitrarily cut off histories. Each bank (and sometimes different account types within a bank) have their own "live" data windows. You may ask "Since hard drive storage has gotten so much cheaper in the last year, why don't they just add more?". They are. But if you think you've seen slow project turnaround, you ain't seen nothing till you see a bank order new hardware. Two years is not unusual for hardware purchases. And we all know how much changes in the course of the computer industry in those two years. Not to mention the failures, mergers, acquisitions, and change of personnel that every bank is struggling with at the moment. But get on the horn and yell at them. They will change if enough customers threaten to take their business elsewhere. And remind them how much cheaper it is to let you do all that work than it will be to pay a bank employee to track down that info. Ramblin' on, Jerry Johnson >>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 09/05/02 02:51PM >>> So - I get an email from our accounting department saying that when doing an audit recently, they noticed that I expensed something that they had already paid for. I believe they are wrong - so I go to prove it. I first go to AmercianExpress.com. I'm pleased to discovered that they will allow me to peruse my bills online... but then I find out they only go back to February of this year. I need December of last year. Yea ... that makes sense. So I call them. And... get this - the guy can't tell me either. He can only mail me a copy of the statement. So - I ask him to. I then decide to check bankofamerica.com. I want to confirm my company paid me what they said they did - and see what I sent AMEX. But - they only go back to March. I call them - same story - they can only send me a copy of the bill. So I ask the guy - why don't you go back further in history? And he said, 'Well, that's why we send you statements.' So... maybe I'm crazy - but what in the hell is the point of online banking if you have to keep statements around anyway. December isn't even a full YEAR ago!! -rc ______________________________________________________________________ This list and all House of Fusion resources hosted by CFHosting.com. The place for dependable ColdFusion Hosting. Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/index.cfm?sidebar=lists
