The Associated Press 11/30/00 1:34 PM

GADSDEN, Ala. (AP) -- A spokesman for AmSouth Bank said an employee error caused a problem in the telephone banking system that caused some accounts to be overdrawn.

About 22,000 accounts could have been affected.

"It's an extremely rare error," AmSouth spokesman Rick Swagler said.

Some customers who pay bills by phone found that the money for those bills was deducted from their accounts twice, causing their checking accounts to show insufficient funds. The mistake was caught before the money was actually sent to the vendors.

Swagler said the problem was discovered early Saturday, and corrections began immediately.

"For most customers, there won't be any effect at all," Swagler said. "For any fees they incurred, we automatically enter a correcting transaction."

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-- Doris (nocents@bellsouth.net), November 30, 2000