Credit union computer balks - November 20, 2003

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)

2005-05-27

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94 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, May 26, 2005   Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery  | Contact Us       SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries   Life   Opinion   Tempo   AP News   Weather   Classified   Archives   Site Map   SPECIAL SECTIONS   Since We Asked   Britt Festival   Outdoor Journal   Menu Guide   How To Guide   Health   Biz Connection   Readers' Choice   Real Estate Showcase   Real Estate Guide   Joy Magazine   Homelife Magazine   Wedding Guide   Passport to the Rogue Valley     SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad  TOP JOBS   EXTRA   Ashland News   NIE   Personals   Movie Times   TV Times   E The People   Volunteer   Moving here?  eSouthernOregon   CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 20, 2003 Credit union computer balks By GREG STILES Mail Tribune Rogue Federal Credit Union members found doing business at their local offices was anything but routine this week. The credit union’s dual Hewlett-Packard system failed Monday and early attempts to restore it proved unsuccessful, leaving employees and customers in the lurch until mid-day Wednesday. "It was a pretty weird feeling," said Brenda Neet, who went to RFCU’s main office on Center Drive in Medford. "I had a student check, some corporate checks and money orders and couldn’t do anything. She tried again Wednesday morning to no avail. Advertisement "I didn’t think that something like that could happen at a big credit union like that," Neet said. Customers were limited to withdrawals of $100 and tellers had to dole out hand-written receipts. "We’re so reliant on computers for everything, including writing checks," says Tim Alford, RFCU’s president and chief executive officer. "We do have a few typewriters and battery-operated calculators we keep around just for this purpose." The credit union computer’s main board began weakening on Monday and a repair crew was flown in from Corvallis. But when the system was brought back up Tuesday morning it quickly died. "Our mirror system works so that when one disk is overloaded that the other one kicks in," Alford said. "When our main disks started to fail, it caused the back-up system to deteriorate. "They were doing diagnostic work on it all day Tuesday, trying to pinpoint the problem. They flew the parts in (and) worked all night replacing the disk drives." Then the work began of meshing the computer data with the paperwork. "We had to bring the system up and verify everything was working," Alford said. "Then we had to post everything from Tuesday and balance it." The system was shut down again and brought back up around noon. "Those were relatively slow days," Alford said. "Thank heavens for that." Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 776-4463 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home  | Local News  | Sports  | Business  | Obituaries  | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives  |  Site Map  | Community  | Classified   Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg diamonds Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Auto Insurance Mesothelioma Slippers Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Website Design & Marketing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Mortgage Calculator Free Home-Loan Referrals Payday Loans Advertisement s