News

Honest waitress returns ATM cash

March 7, 2002

HAMILTON, Ontario Canada - Christina Bianchi, a 23-year-old hostess at a karaoke bar, returned $10,000 to a branch of CIBC the day after she found it where it had apparently been inadvertently left by an armored car driver.

On her way home from work, Bianchi pulled up to a CIBC ATM about 2 a.m. on March 5, probably minutes after an armoured truck drove away with a slightly lighter load than intended.

As she parked, she saw a package on the ground near the curb in front of the bank's door.

The official CIBC label said it was the second of two bags with $110,000.

She drove home, waking up her parents to tell them what she'd found. After counting it, they discovered they had $10,000 on their hands, with the balance likely in the first of the two bags.

The armored truck from Universal ATM Services had driven back to the parking lot five minutes after leaving, looked for the missing money and alerted the bank when drivers were unable to locate it.

The next day, Bianchi and her parents returned to the bank with the stacks of bundled $20 bills. As the cash slipped through her fingers, Bianchi mentioned that she was in the branch last week thinking about applying for a loan. Within an hour of returning the money, a $7,000 loan was approved.

An investigator from Universal ATM Services presented Bianchi with a gushing letter of thanks and a $500 cash reward.

Bianchi's saving the reward. Along with the loan, it will help buy a used car - her 1986 Toyota Tercel broke down a few weeks ago.