Dear John: I am writing for my 80-year-old dad. My mom died in Oct. 2008 and left a sum of money in Wachovia Bank. We tried getting the money out, but could not.
[Then] Wells Fargo took over Wachovia, and my dad and I went to see if they would release the money. They wouldn’t.
My dad has an account number and death certificate, but no marriage license. He has no idea where it is.
Mom and Dad were married in Maryland in the mid-’50s. That’s all he remembers.
The bank account has been inactive since Mom’s death, and I’m worried the money might disappear.
My dad could use this money, and he’s not getting younger. Could you help? Thanks. M.L.
Dear M.L.: Actually, I can.
After you provided me with the names of your mom and dad, I was able to find out that they were married in 1955. And I got the marriage certificate number, which I passed along to you privately.
If you call the Maryland records office at the number I have provided to you and pay a relatively small fee, the very helpful folks in that office will send you a copy of your parents’ marriage certificate.
And that should tie the knot on a nice bow to get access to your dad’s money.
Dear John: [Recently] I went to TD Bank and made a withdrawal of $1,685 from my account. I then went to Chase Bank and deposited $1,200 of that money. I was horrified to find out from the teller at Chase that three of the $100 dollar bills were counterfeit.
I saw [another letter to “Dear John” from a reader to whom the same thing happened].
This cannot be a coincidence. Is all TD Banks’ equipment so inferior that they cannot detect counterfeit bills? Or is someone in TD Bank working with the counterfeiters?
I need your help.
A.L.
Dear A.L.: The column you refer to was about a woman who got three counterfeit $100s from TD. After The Post contacted the bank, it made good on the woman’s claim. She got her money back. Let’s see if TD responds to your letter telling the world.
I don’t know if the bank’s equipment is bad, if its tellers are lazy or if TD is dumping bad bills on unsuspecting customers.
Whatever the answer might be, I’m sure TD will want to fix the problem.
Send your questions to Dear John, The NY Post, 1211 Ave. of the Americas, NY, NY 10036, or john.crudele@nypost.com.