Frustrated Bank Customer To Close Account

The Following is a letter from a customer sent to General Manager Suzannie Chambers, CIBC - May 1, 2026

I opened a savings account at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), now FirstCaribbean International Bank, Half-Way-Tree, in 1977. I have always updated my personal information at the bank whenever I visit or when it is requested by the bank via email. One of those visits, I checked to see that my beneficiary’s information was on file. It wasn’t. When I migrated to the USA, my spouse’s information was on my account. I tried on at least three occasions to have the updates done. Frustrated, we gave up and decided to put one of my sons on it instead. 

My son and I went to the bank in December 2025. Everything for me was fine. However, I couldn't add my son as despite him being a businessman and he had his tax returns, driver's license, passport, TRN, we were told that he needed to show proof of his income. He asked for a list of everything they required. We flew back home and he prepared all the documents. I returned to Jamaica on April 27th, and I invited my son to take the trip so I could get him on my account. The rep. took my IDs and, the paperwork from my son and said she would be right back. We waited for about 15 minutes before she returned. She told me that they needed to verify my address and income. I reminded her that I had done that in December. She left again, returned, and left again about four times. She asked if I had the email that I had sent to their rep. in November as that rep. is now retired and she couldn’t locate the email with my income documents attached. This same rep. had verified my income information in December 2025. 

I requested to speak with her manager. It was like pulling teeth before the rep. left and a man came. I don't recall him introducing himself. It was more like 'how can I help you." He gave me the same cock and bull story. I wasted hours at this worthless institution. My son insisted that I closed the account. They were like just join the teller line and do so. Really?  I have a substantial portfolio with this bank.

Which begs the question, are Jamaicans void of common sense? Seriously. I am a retired police supervisor from Jamaica and the USA, I am an internationally known poet, I have represented Jamaica in festival all over the world, I am well known and established in the Jamaican Diaspora  - served in many roles; even volunteered and worked for the Jamaican Consulate General in Miami, after retirement, and I can't add my son or my wife to my own bank account that I opened 49 years ago. The bureaucracy is so thick that it's stifling the life out of our country. And, there is no consideration for Jamaicans who resides overseas. One cannot start a file and return to finish something - you must come back.  The cost is on you. They don't care less. I need to have this addressed ASAP.

Best regards,

Malachi Smith

Editor's Note

You need to find another bank in Jamaica, and if you cannot find another bank in Jamaica that suits you, you might have to arrange to have your funds transferred overseas.

You identified a challenge with using an email address for a retired employee. Your communication with the bank should not be by email, which is used by an employee. Your messages should be attached to your account so that anyone reviewing your account would be able to see your correspondence. 

So all the correspondence with a retired staff member is like it has gone up in flames. Amazing.

Words Have Meanings, Careful How We Use Them!

A few people have been complaining to me about the use of the English language. I have mentioned some of the commonly made errors before, but I will mention them again. I am amazed at people with their degrees up to their doctorates, and they have a challenge with how they express themselves. I am no expert, but let me praise the parents who brought me up, the primary school I attended, the high school I attended, and the influence of the church. 

Let me mention some strange things that are said in public:

• Someone welcomed the guests at Heroes Park by welcoming the members of the diplomatic corps, which is pronounced /kɔːr/ or /kor/. They were obviously speaking to the dead at Heroes Park.
• Before the last election, people kept talking about the elections being on September 3rd. It should be September 3, or the 3rd of September.
• You should not say 'refer back' or 'reverse back.'
• Many of us at all levels seemed to fall in love with the phrase "I would have." Many educators, politicians, and members of the police force keep on using the phrase "I would have." You either did something or you did not. Using the phrase makes you sound very uneducated and makes us wonder why you attended a university. You can say, "If I had sufficient funds, I would have fixed the rest of the building."
• A few nights ago, I heard a newscaster reporting that the Speaker of the House and Dr Burke had a dispute. That was not a dispute. The member of the house committed an act, and the speaker took action. How do you see that as a dispute? The action taken by the Speaker was sanctioned by the House of Parliament.
• The following was written on a radio station website: "The van then runs off the road and onto a banking." This was a report about the shooting on the Portmore to Mandela Road today. I have not heard that word since I left Trelawny. In Trelawny, we would say "bankin side". The proper term is "sidewalk."
• A listener called me today and said the city of "Caracas" was pronounced on the radio as "cacas".
• The "H" in "Hour" is silent.
• "Of" is pronounced /ɒv/, and "off" is pronounced /ɒf/. You can Google these words to find the correct pronunciations.
• You should never put a university degree before a national title. The Prime Minister should be referred to as The Most Honourable, Dr. Andrew Holness. Jamaica House officials put out releases saying Dr The Most Honourable Andrew Holness, and we follow them. My position is that they are wrong!
• The Prime Minister's wife is not the First Lady. The Governor General's wife is the First Lady.

Remember, if you see errors in the Bark Di Trute blog or if you hear persons who are supposed to know better making errors, send a WhatsApp message to (876) 816-5261 identifying the errors.

Bark Di Trute, working with the people to make things better.

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A Look St. Catherine North Police Division

Contributed

SSP Hopeton Nicholson

The St Catherine North Police Division has on record the lowest number of murders for the first four months of the year 2026. The division has recorded nine (9) murders when compared to seventeen (17) murders for the same period in the year 2025. In essence, eight less families were spared the trauma, the pain, the grief of losing a loved one to violence.

We are well aware that we do control many of the variables with regard to murders, but as a professional, patriotic police division, we will continue to do all we can, with the available resources to reduce the opportunities for criminals to commit crimes. Policing strategies cannot be successfully done by the police alone. 

The St Catherine North Division credits the reduction on:

1. The strategic oversight and constant guidance from the JCF High Command.
2. The relentless pursuit of violence producers.
3. The adherence to the case management policy with particular attention to minor crimes and disputes.
4. Consistent and meaningful stakeholder and community engagements.

The first four months (first third) of the year were very challenging, but with the multiplicity of activities executed in a timely manner, in addition to cooperation from the general citizenry, crime and the fear of crime decreased. It is our hope, with the persistent efforts of all, that crime and fear of crime will continue to reduce across the division.

It is with a grateful heart that I commend the very hardworking men and women assigned to the St Catherine North Police Division for their tireless efforts for the first four months of the year. We have experienced the lowest number of murders over the first four months for any calendar year over the past three decades. Special thanks to our various stakeholders and the general citizenry for their contribution to the policing strategies over the past four months.

As the year progresses, we will continue to work diligently in order to maintain peace within the various communities for families to enjoy and for businesses to flourish. We thank our colleagues from Area Five and other sections of the JCF for their assistance and expertise, which significantly assisted us in detecting, deterring, and solving crimes across the division.

For the next two-thirds of 2026, we will continue to embark on the strategies that have been effective and we will adjust as needed to meet the policing demands of the citizens.

The St Catherine North Police Division will continue with the anti gang initiatives, public order enforcement, monitoring of hot spots, community and stakeholder engagements as well as focus on capacity building and welfare of our members.

We will engage, empower, educate and when needed,  we will enforce the law. Together with the help of God, we will continue to serve this division,  this parish and by extension, Jamaica land we love, with the proper respect for the rights of every citizen. "Second Third" loading: our efforts continue.

Regards

Hopton Nicholson, MBA,  BSc,  psjcc 

Senior Superintendent of Police

Commanding Officer 

St Catherine North Police Division 

Editor's Note:

SSP Hopeton Nicholson is one of the few officers of the Jamaica Constabulary Force who makes use of the Emergency Alert System. You will notice, for example, that as soon as the Bog Walk Gorge has to be closed, the media houses announce it after getting the message from SSP Nicholson.

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Remember that Bark Di Trute could fail to bark one day without your support. Send your ideas, stories, and news by WhatsApp at (876) 816-5261.

You can view the blog with your computer at https://vderby.blogspot.com, and you will be able to see the various links. For example, there is a link that takes you to the calendar to see what is happening on the weekend. You can even search the site for articles. There is also a weather link, which you can use to track hurricanes.

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Is The Crime Stepping Up? Is Body Cameras For Police The Answer?

A Bark Di Trute supporter has just informed me that a gas station owner has been killed in Spanish Town. Earlier on, there was another shooting death on the Portmore to Mandela Road. We are not receiving information from the JCF promptly, so Bark Di Trute has to rely on its dedicated supporters. Thanks to the Bark Di Trute supporters for their continued support.

While many declare their concern about the number of police killings, I am not hearing a similar cry with the same intensity for those who are losing their lives at the hands of criminals. I could not care less about the general number of police killings; I am more concerned about how many police have been charged and convicted for extrajudicial killings. I believe that we have been having fewer murders in Jamaica because the police officers have wiped out some of the terrorists. If these terrorists are incarcerated, they will go behind bars, drink fancy liquor, and give directives for others to carry out their killings. Until we exercise the option of capital punishment, people will support extrajudicial killings by the police. Some terrorists should be removed from society, and their assets given to the dependents of the persons who have been murdered.

Let's take a look at the constant call for the police to wear body cameras. Many see the solution for dealing with rogue cops is ensuring that police officers wear body cameras, and there is a daily campaign calling for this. There might be some merit in that. I can understand how body cameras can capture the behaviour of people who are about to be arrested, but I have difficulty seeing how body cameras can reduce these police excesses. These rogue cops should not be in the police force in the first place.

I am not a police officer, but if I had a body camera, I would find it easy to shoot or abuse a person, and the body camera cannot capture this. The money we will be spending on these cameras could be better spent on kicking out the rogue cops.

There are many other things the police need to do, but it seems giving them body cameras is the popular solution in some quarters. What will be far more effective is for people to have their phones ready to start video recording when the officers are carrying out an operation.

We should spend more funds on putting up more cameras on the streets and make it cost-effective for people to install cameras at home. Ensure that the cameras on the street work.

I am not a gambler, but I bet you that we will spend millions on these body cameras, and the rogue cops will remain in the force.

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Remember that Bark Di Trute could fail to bark one day without your support. Send your ideas, stories, and news by WhatsApp at (876) 816-5261.

You can view the blog with your computer at https://vderby.blogspot.com, and you will be able to see the various links. For example, there is a link that takes you to the calendar to see what is happening on the weekend. You can even search the site for articles. There is also a weather link, which you can use to track hurricanes.

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FID Strengthens Capacity to Trace, Seize and Manage Cryptocurrency Assets

 Press Release From FID, May 1, 2026

Dennis Chung

April 30, 2026, Kingston, Jamaica: The Financial Investigations Division (FID) has taken a significant step in strengthening Jamaica’s response to increasingly sophisticated financial crime by securing access to Asset Reality, a global platform that supports law enforcement and government agencies in the seizure, management, liquidation and withdrawal of virtual assets.

The agreement, which began on April 27, 2026, provides the FID with access to the Asset Reality Platform, along with onboarding and user training in critical functions. The platform also supports the custody, liquidation and withdrawal of virtual assets connected to investigations and asset recovery proceedings.  

The development forms part of the FID’s wider effort to build capacity to trace illicit funds not only through the formal banking system, but also through blockchain-based transactions involving cryptocurrency and other digital assets.

Chief Technical Director of the FID, Mr. Dennis Chung, said the agreement represents an important investment in modern investigative and asset recovery capability: “Financial criminals are adapting, and Jamaica’s enforcement capabilities must adapt even faster. This platform will strengthen the FID’s ability to identify, secure, manage and recover illicit physical and virtual assets in a manner that supports investigations, protects the integrity of Jamaica’s financial system, and reinforces our international credibility as a serious partner in the fight against financial crime.”

The FID expects the arrangement to benefit local law enforcement through improved technical capacity, stronger asset recovery outcomes, and enhanced collaboration in cases involving digital assets. It will also support the protection of the Jamaican people by helping to deprive criminals of the proceeds of crime.

The partnership further signals Jamaica’s commitment to keeping pace with global standards in financial investigations, anti-money laundering enforcement and the responsible handling of emerging financial technologies.

Click to listen to the sound:

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• Make a financial donation now.

Remember that Bark Di Trute could fail to bark one day without your support. Send your ideas, stories, and news by WhatsApp at (876) 816-5261.

You can view the blog with your computer at https://vderby.blogspot.com, and you will be able to see the various links. For example, there is a link that takes you to the calendar to see what is happening on the weekend. You can even search the site for articles. There is also a weather link, which you can use to track hurricanes.

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Major Traffic Challenges On Portmore Road

Traffic from Portmore to Mandela is at a crawl due to a man being shot in a vehicle. It is a crime scene. Motorists should avoid the area.

This report came from a Bark Di Trute supporter.

Please add your comments at the bottom of the blog. Share this blog with all your friends and relatives.

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Bark Di Trute requests that you click on the advertiser's link on the page and also donate to the work of Bark Di Trute. It takes cash to care!

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Click here to see what's happening.

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Subscribe Now!

• Subscribe to my YouTube Channel.
• Subscribe to my Emergency News Advice Service.
• Make a financial donation now.

Remember that Bark Di Trute could fail to bark one day without your support. Send your ideas, stories, and news by WhatsApp at (876) 816-5261.

You can view the blog with your computer at https://vderby.blogspot.com, and you will be able to see the various links. For example, there is a link that takes you to the calendar to see what is happening on the weekend. You can even search the site for articles. There is also a weather link, which you can use to track hurricanes.

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