A check was stolen. My signature was forged. It was endorsed to someone. Chase Bank cashed the 3rd party check. Help.

Already filed a police report...have not heard from them. Chase Bank said they will not do anything until they are subpoemaed by the Police Department.

Yes, work thru the police. This is theft by fraud and therefore something they must handle. That they've not gotten back to you means they are still investigating (i.e., finding the guy who signed the check.)

I called yesterday...they have not assigned anyone to the investigation yet.

Close the account and open a new one. There is no way for the bank to know the check was forged - unless the signature is entirely different than the signature you have on file. So if you can show they should have known, by simply checking the signature, your only recourse is to pursue the person who forged the check. Presumably you know who that is, if you have the canceled check. This is a criminal act and you need to report it to the police. The only way you can hold the bank accountable and hope to get your money back is if you can prove the bank did not follow their procedures correctly. It is hard to cash a 3rd party check, especially in these times. So the bank would have had to follow specific procedures to secure proof of identity of the person cashing the check. They should have checked to make sure you wrote the check - but it may have been at a different branch. But often they put a hold on these checks. Pursue this with the police and hold the bank accountable to its procedures. But frankly, I think your only chance is in court. I hope it was a small amount (small claims court is easy to do). And if you are inclined, you can pursue a criminal complaint against the person. I hope it was not family. Good luck.

The check was a World Points Rewards check. (Credit Card points redeemed for cash.) Chase Bank readily cashes third party checks. Since I am not a Chase customer, they have been unwilling to cooperate. They will not do anything until they are subpoenaed by the police.

It is stealing. So you either report it or deal with it directly. Police don't have subpoena powers, only the courts do. So you have to file a lawsuit and then gain access to the evidence through depositions and supoenas. It is an expensive process. But you can certainly report the theft and provide the evidence. The police will pursue and decide whether or not to prosecute. Your claim is a civil claim and must be pursued in a civil suit - if the amount is less than $5000 (different in different jurisdictions) you can go through small claims court and obtain a judgment. Then you have to collect. Good luck.

I contacted someone from the LA Times, who expressed an interest.

That is interesting, but it won't get you your money back. You will have to pursue this in court. Since you have the canceled check, it should not be hard to prove. Go for it. I would tell the person who stole it to either pay up or you are going to go to the police and to court. Give them a chance to make it right and if they don't then go for it.

All I have is a name...I can't look in the phone book and contact everyone with that name.