U.S. Bank is apologizing after one of its employees was reportedly fired
U.S. Bank is apologizing after one of its employees was reportedly fired

U.S. Bank is apologizing after one of its employees was reportedly fired for trying to help a customer pay for gas.

Emily James, a customer service rep at one of the bank’s Portland, Ore.

Branches, was let go after loaning $20 to a caller in need, KGW-TV reported.

The incident began on Christmas Eve, when Marc Eugenio, a U.S. Bank customer, was struggling to deposit the first paycheck from his new job.

Eugenio had deposited the funds days earlier, but later learned there was an issue verifying the money.

By that time, he said he was low enough on cash that he couldn’t fill up his gas tank.

Eugenio called his bank’s customer service line to sort out the issue, and got connected with James.

James eventually got permission from a manager to leave the office and drove straight to Eugenio.

A week later, James and Abigail Gilbert, the supervisor who allowed her to leave, were dismissed from U.S. Bank, OregonLive reported.

The company stated that James had broken corporate policy and put herself in danger by leaving to bring Eugenio money.

The company’s CEO, Andy Cecere, told OregonLive that he would “fix this,” adding in a statement that he had called and spoken to James directly.

The bank said it had offered to rehire both James and Gilbert, adding that the latter had already agreed to return .

James told OregonLive that she had not received a formal offer and would not consider coming back until the company “made things right”