I have had 2 issues with my bank concerning disclosure of personal information. The first was someone I knew calling asking if a check would clear and giving amounts fishing for a balance. The bank would say yes it would clear or no. The second is my ex-wife cashing her child support check every month and the teller writing my balance on a receipt and giving it to her without her even asking. I fund out by telling her I didn't have the money for something and she said "well you had XX dollars in your account what happened to that. This caused a bad situation for me with my kids. Can I sue my bank for doing this? How much can be won in a case like this?

Hello g:

Anybody can sue, but you need to show actual monetary damages in order to win. You have none. Therefore, have no case. Talk to your branch manager. They'll fix it, or I'd change banks.

excon

They aren't supposed to give our any information about your account. First, go into the bank and request a copy of the Rules and Regulations that cover your checking account. There you will find the federal rules governing your account. There is a Rules and Regs for savings accounts, and all other accounts. Too.

Read what it says about your rights to privacy.

The bank is out of line in the two instances you gave...

In the first case if the bank simply says that the check is good, then that's no problem. But writing your balance for someone not on the account cashing a check against it, is a serious breach of ethics. But is it actionable? Maybe. Most likely what would happen is it would be fined by the state banking agency. But you getting anything out of it? Highly unlikely.

The teller should not have given her the balance. I can't even the my balance from my bank unless I deposit say 25 cents into my account and then I get a printed deposit ticket! I can only find out my balance over the phone via the banks automated system. You should definitely speak to the branch manager about this serious breach their bank is doing to the depositors as this is not legal to do anywhere giving a nonaccount person another person's bank balance.