SC came in yesterday to ask for a loan. He needed $1500, he said, to pay some bills and get his furnace repaired. He had the title to an older van, but it was titled in his wife's name as well. When I mentioned she would need to sign the security documents to use the van as collateral, he said she had dementia. So I worked it out where we could do the loan unsecured. He had enough income and was willing to do automatic payments.
But this morning, when I looked up his checking account info, I saw that he had items hitting his account that would make him overdrawn. What are they? Over $1000 to the local casino. I looked at his account history. Since the beginning of the month, he's paid over $2500 to the casino. (And it's only the 5th.)
I discussed it with my supervisor. He agreed that we could turn him down if the reason he wanted the loan was to cover his gambling debts. So when SC came in, I tried to get him to give me a better idea of what he needed the money for.
Me: "Can you tell me, again, what you'll use the proceeds of the loan for?"
SC: "I need to pay some bills."
Me: "Ok.... Well, I can see on your checking account that you've got some payments to the casino coming through today."
SC: ...
Me: "Is that what you were going to use the money for?"
SC: "Part of it."
Me: <internal sigh> "We don't normally do loans for that sort of thing."
SC: ...
Me: "You mentioned your furnace before. If you have an estimate for what you need done, or if you have a specific bill you need paid, we could make a check directly to them."
SC: "... My insurance is coming out of my checking..."
Me: "That's not the same thing. I can't deposit the loan proceeds in your checking account to cover the payments to the casino."
SC: <almost whispering> "I fell off the wagon."
Me: "I'm sorry. I wish there was something I could do to help, but we don't do loans for this sort of thing."
SC: "You do what you gotta do."
So I turned him down for the loan.
I do feel kind of sorry for this guy. He seemed a little embarrassed when he admitted that he needed the loan to cover his gambling. But if I were to do a loan to him to cover his payments to the casino, I would just be putting him in a worse situation than he's already in.
This is going to be a hell of a lesson for this dude. Maybe don't take your debit card to the casino if you go? Maybe find a different pastime?
But this morning, when I looked up his checking account info, I saw that he had items hitting his account that would make him overdrawn. What are they? Over $1000 to the local casino. I looked at his account history. Since the beginning of the month, he's paid over $2500 to the casino. (And it's only the 5th.)
I discussed it with my supervisor. He agreed that we could turn him down if the reason he wanted the loan was to cover his gambling debts. So when SC came in, I tried to get him to give me a better idea of what he needed the money for.
Me: "Can you tell me, again, what you'll use the proceeds of the loan for?"
SC: "I need to pay some bills."
Me: "Ok.... Well, I can see on your checking account that you've got some payments to the casino coming through today."
SC: ...
Me: "Is that what you were going to use the money for?"
SC: "Part of it."
Me: <internal sigh> "We don't normally do loans for that sort of thing."
SC: ...
Me: "You mentioned your furnace before. If you have an estimate for what you need done, or if you have a specific bill you need paid, we could make a check directly to them."
SC: "... My insurance is coming out of my checking..."
Me: "That's not the same thing. I can't deposit the loan proceeds in your checking account to cover the payments to the casino."
SC: <almost whispering> "I fell off the wagon."
Me: "I'm sorry. I wish there was something I could do to help, but we don't do loans for this sort of thing."
SC: "You do what you gotta do."
So I turned him down for the loan.
I do feel kind of sorry for this guy. He seemed a little embarrassed when he admitted that he needed the loan to cover his gambling. But if I were to do a loan to him to cover his payments to the casino, I would just be putting him in a worse situation than he's already in.
This is going to be a hell of a lesson for this dude. Maybe don't take your debit card to the casino if you go? Maybe find a different pastime?
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