HIGH FIVE THURSDAY

Woman finds $357,959 cashier's check 

and returns it

By JOHN ROGERS, Associated Press Writer 

Wed Apr 8, 4:49 pm ET

LOS ANGELES – As she walked from a post office, 

Talon Curtis thought she'd found one of those gimmicky 

sweepstakes offers on the ground that scream something 

like "$357,959.55" in big bold letters and "This is not a real 

check" in much smaller type. 

But just as she was about to do her part for a cleaner planet 

and deliver the paper from the parking lot to a trash can, she

 noticed it was a real cashier's check with a real signature.

"I couldn't believe it. I almost passed out," Curtis, who works 

as a loan negotiator, told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

 "I have never seen a check that big. Not in my possession, anyway."

She immediately set out to find its rightful recipient, but it 

was Saturday afternoon and the banks were closing. On Monday, 

with help from KCAL-TV reporter Dave Malkoff, she located the

 check's owner, who had arrived at her bank in a panic.

"I think she had walked in at the same time the bank manager 

called me back," Curtis said. "I could hear her walking up to 

him and I could hear all this commotion in the background."

Curtis said she spoke briefly with the woman on the phone about

 a possible meeting, but Pacific Mercantile Bank instructed her 

to mail the check to them instead. Not willing to take a chance 

on the mail, Curtis delivered it personally. A bank employee 

confirmed it had arrived.

Curtis said she never thought of keeping the check for herself, 

and she declined the woman's offer of a reward. Still, she's just

 a little disappointed. "I just wanted to see her face," Curtis said, 

laughing. "I just wanted to let her know that there are honest 

people left in this world."