Floyd sent a message to William H. Rogers, Jr. – Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of SunTrust Banks – Email Address that said:
Dear Mr. Rogers,
I know your time is valuable so I will try to make this short. In the last year or so I have been able to get coin orders for the Eisenhower dollar coins. Once through my Woodbridge Branch on Horner Rd. and once through the Dale City Branch on Dale Boulevard. Each time for $2000.00. It seems I drained the Annapolis Junction coin terminal and left them without enough to make a $1000.00 bag minimum to complete another order. I then tried to order $4000.00 through the Garrisonville Branch as they get their coin orders from the Richmond coin terminal. The teller I spoke with is named Rina and she said had not made such an order before for Eisenhower dollar coins but would call me and let me know. I think a week went by and no call. I called her and she just said the coin terminal did not have any. I called the coin terminal and they said they never received an order but anyway they did not have enough to fill a $1000.00 minimum order as a coincidence. It was then I learned that the bank could order from the Richmond FRB to be picked up by armored truck to go to the Brinks Richmond coin terminal and from there to the ordering bank branch. I even called the Richmond FRB cash services and spoke to Manager Ann Cook who also told me my bank can make the coin order for me by phone. As you probably know, the call needs to be made because the electronic system the bank uses to make orders has no provison for the Eisenhower dollars as they are seldom asked for. Also, I have been reading on the FRB websites about Eisenhower dollar coins and how the banks are reminded to call in orders for them. The call needs to come from the person on the Official Authorization List. Just last week I called the Chancellor Branch to see if that branch coin ordering person knew what to do to put forward an order for me but the young lady there (Calley) said she had no other way but what the bank electronic system allows her to do. I asked was there no one to call to bypass the system and pass the request to the OAL person who could make the order to the FRB and she said no. So, it seems I know what to do but, of course, I am not authorized. The Suntrust person who can make the order appears to be some unknown person who cannot contacted by branch personnel. I know this request is out of the ordinary but, not impossible if someone at the bank would take the professional time to find the appropriate path to honor a customers request or, perhaps, create one. I would like to add that I am 69 years old and have been a bank account holder since 1965 with First Citizens National Bank of Alexandria, VA. I am retired now and I like to spend some of my time searching through the Eisenhower dollars for any of the mint errors and other collectable features. If I am lucky, I may find a few silver dollars. I do not dump the non retainables back to the bank. I do spend them around town and wherever else the chance arises. Another reason for going south of Woodbridge is so if Annapolis Junction coin terminal has increased its holdings of Eisenhower dollars, there might be some of what I have had already and I do not wish to see the same ones again. Some of the bank people I have talked to do not realize that Eisenhower dollars are still in the US monetary system. I went to the Lorton Branch about a year ago and the manager there told me I cannot get them because they are not made anymore. Heck, I knew that and was insulted by her answer. She knew I was a collector of sorts as I explained to her what I was doing at the outset of our conversation. I said to her do you think they dry up like water? I told her they are stockpiled in the FRB vaults because nobody uses them. Just like what is happening with the SBA SAC Presidential dollar coins. Another Suntrust branch manager told me "that's ludicrous" when I said a call needs to be made to order the Eisenhower dollars. Needless to say I turned around and left. Sir, if there is anyway you can help me obtain an order for $4000.00 Eisenhower dollars it would be greatly appreciated. Could you cause the necessary knowledge communication to occur so the Garrisonville Branch could order and receive the coins from the Richmond FRB, please? I welcome your thoughts on the matter.
Respectfully Submitted,
Floyd (SFC RET US ARMY)
