Bank declares living woman dead

A Florida woman is suing her bank for ruining her credit rating after it became convinced she was dead, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Wrenella Pierre, from Oviedo, 27km northeast of Orlando, insists she is not dead - despite Chase Bank USA sending her family a letter of condolence in November.

She has launched court action in Sanford claiming the bank has stymied her attempts to refinance her mortgage and ruined her credit rating.

"I don't know why the bank made this type of disastrous mistake," said her attorney William Peerce Howard. "There is no possible way to have credit extended when you're deceased."

A spokeswoman for JPMorgan Chase Bank, Nancy Norris, would not discuss details of the case, citing the suit.

(Published by Herald Sun - July 12, 2011)