life and puppies

I am about to sound — and I know I do enough of this already but please indulge me — like a complete cliche.  What the *&%$#^* is going on in this world?  I just opened my bill for my mortgage and was astounded to find it $43.87 more than it has been for the past year.  At first, I thought they were actually charging me more for escrow or something, which would have been nonsensical as my real estate taxes had actually declined last year (barely, but still).  No, I then realized, it is not escrow or more going to mortgage or principal.  It is more going to the collective wallet that is *&^%#@^* Countrywide Bank.  It is a $43.87 late fee because, according to them, they received my payment — with my check dated January 12 — on January 20, when it was due January 17, a Saturday.  So, I called.  I expected — naively — to have the late fee erased given my timely payments in the past, as well as the credit/banking/housing/economy disaster that we are all currently drowning in.  Instead, I was given a fax number to use to dispute the charge.  What?  I argued and argued, I asked to speak to someone above Augustus (the nice young man with whom I was speaking), I implied that I didn’t believe that they had received it late, I threatened to bank elsewhere, I nearly lost my head.  I told Augustus that I did not control the mail, to which he sharply replied that Countrywide did not, either.  I said, yes, but you do control the late fee.  At this, he again directed me to the fax number.  This is simply ridiculous, says I. Seriously, although I’m not particularly keen on the idea of going through a refinance again, I’m going to look into it.  We’re going to spend billions bailing out these banks so that they can turn around and assess ridiculous late fees on those of us that actually borrowed money in a responsible manner and consistently pay it back.  So angry, am I.