Bank apologizes to Tampa man with prosthetic arms; he wants policy change

TAMPA — He was a guest on radio personality Todd "MJ" Schnitt's show, then interviewed on a Chicago radio show. That's after making appearances on local NBC, Fox and CBS news shows.

But Steve Valdez, an armless man who was unable to cash a check at Bank of America because he had no account there and could not provide a thumbprint, said he wasn't interested in the media attention he received Wednesday.

What he really wanted was for Bank of America to change its policies when dealing with people with disabilities.

Valdez, 54, was born without arms and uses prosthetics. He said he went into the downtown Bank of America branch Thursday to cash a check from his wife, who had an account there.

The teller told him she'd have to check with the manager because ordinarily someone without an account at the bank had to provide a thumbprint to cash a check there, and obviously he could not do that.

Valdez said he had hoped his two photo IDs would be enough proof that he was honest. But the manager told him that without the thumbprint, he would have to either open an account or bring his wife to the bank to cash the check.

The story sparked outrage among many who say the bank should have made some other provisions for Valdez, who had the same address on his driver's license as the one on his wife's check.

"Nobody can actually believe that the bank denied their own legal tender just because they couldn't get a thumbprint," said Valdez, who works for Hillsborough County public works.

A regional vice president for Bank of America called Valdez to apologize for the incident, but it wasn't quite enough, he said.

"I just want them to admit that they have policies and procedures that are not acceptable under the current federal laws of ADA," the Americans with Disabilities Act, he said. "I would like them to take the steps to come into compliance."

Anne Pace, a spokeswoman for Bank of America, said the bank workers could have requested two identifications from Valdez in place of the thumbprint requirement.

"We do have a policy for this particular instance and it should have been offered to Mr. Valdez," Pace said. "I'd also like to add this instance does not represent the bank's policy for accommodating customers."

The bank's policies are being reviewed at the downtown Tampa location as well as other branches, Pace said.

The check Valdez's wife wrote him was for less than $2,000, he said. Valdez banks with Florida West Coast Credit Union.

When asked whether he would seek legal action, Valdez said: "I'm taking it one day at a time."