Todays Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul

[Guest guest]

Banking at It's Best

By Sharon Borjesson

When my son was a young teenager, he and his friend set out on a bus

across

town to purchase skateboard axles. They each had $20. When they arrived

downtown, they discovered they needed more money to cover bus fare and sales

tax. They were short $3.75.

A branch of our bank was nearby, so they decided to go in and take out

a

loan. The teller told them that was not possible, but that they could get a

cash advance on their parents' credit card. So they called home, but got no

answer. They tried the teller again to see if anything more could be done.

She

referred them to the desk of the vice president. When he asked why the bank

should give them a loan, they answered, " Because we're Boy Scouts and good

students, and very trustworthy. " He said that since they had no collateral,

they would have to write out and sign an IOU. They did, and he in turn gave

them the money they needed to complete their mission.

We found out later that this wonderful man lent the boys his own money.

(My husband called him the next day asking for the same terms on a home

loan!)

In talking with the man, we learned that he had made many such loans,

including

a large one to a Navy wife whose allotment was delayed. He said he's been

repaid almost 100 percent of the time, and that the opportunity to help

others

in this way was one of the most rewarding parts of his job.

My son and his friend hopped on the bus the very next morning. They

paid

off their loan and received their IOU signed by the vice president. It was

banking at its best.