Stupid Shit. That's what I call this little corner. Usually it's stupid shit in my head, but today it's shit perpetrated by someone that is supposed to be providing me with financial services. I'm am livid!! I'm so fucking furious there is spittle running down my chin. (ok, not really, but my blood pressure has increased dramatically, I'm sure) Here's the story.

I have a mortgage. Just like lots of homeowners I don't own my house outright, instead there is a bank, Chase Bank to be precise, that has leverage as to how my property is disposed of. We have come to an agreement that I will dispose of it as I see fit (live in it), as long as I pay them back monies they made available to me that allowed me to acquire the home. In some cases, though not ours, the bank stands to triple the amount loaned over 30 years.

As part of that agreement, interest is compounded so that we pay just over 5% every year of whatever is left over, the principal. Also as part of that agreement, I can send the bank extra funds in an effort to reduce the principle even further, so that the interest charged will be just a little less. Right now when I make a payment, the bank gets just over $500 every month. Let's call that my 'rent' for squatting on that teenie tiny portion of the economy. No problem, that's the way things work.

Well, I've finally got a job that pays a bit more than I've had coming in the past few years. After careful investigation I found I can save over $60,000 if I start making payments on the principle over the minimum. Last year I sold my house back east, and finally feel, because I have another steady source of income, that I can part with some of the proceeds from that.

I am fucking furious!!!! Did I mention that?

So I did, figuring it is a fair return, just over 5%, for what little I have in the bank. Better than what the bank is paying. So, I sent them a large sum. Well, my wife did, took it to the branch up the street. She had misgivings about it, but not too much.

We got our statement today, and it was extra long. Usually there is just an extra row showing the extra payment going toward the principle. There were a lot more rows this time, some showing what they called 'suspense funds' at over $500 a pop. I was ready to get up to the branch down the street and see what was what, but my wife called instead. It turns out they decided to use an arbitrary 3 months payments worth of the extra and pay the loan ahead, rather than apply it all to the principle. Can you fuckin believe it?!?! In essence, someone at the bank decided to try and filch us for over $1000.

Fuckin furious, I am just fuckin nuts over this!