Piece of ‘trash’ is really $104,000 endorsed check
By Linda Blaser lblaser@pioneerlocal.com September 22, 2011 6:40PM
Burke recently found a cashier's check for $104,000 at the Northern Trust Bank in Lake Forest, which he turned in to the bank. | Ruthie Hauge ~ Sun-Times Media
Updated: November 10, 2011 5:07PM
LAKE FOREST — It seemed like a silly thing, to pick up two pieces of paper on the waiting room floor at Northern Trust Bank on Deerpath one late morning a couple of weeks ago. But the retired banking executive did it any way.
And was he in for a surprise.
“One was an envelope. The other was a cashier’s check for $104,000 and change — and it was endorsed, so it was negotiable,” Jim Burke of Lake Forest said.
The 65-year-old longtime Deerfield resident, who moved to Lake Forest 18 months ago, said what he found gave him pause, but he never considered walking away with the check.
“At first, I was in a state of mild shock. Here it was, sitting here. You don’t find those kind of things every day,” Burke said.
Coming quickly to his senses, Burke turned in the check to an officer of the bank and went on with his day.
“I never thought of absconding with the money, even though I could use $104,000,” he said. “An extra $104,000 when you’re retired doesn’t hurt at all.”
