It was so thoughtful of Chase to send a letter of condolence to the family of a recently deceased customer in Florida. Or at least it would have been had the woman actually been dead.

“I don’t know why the bank made this type of disastrous mistake,” says an attorney for the not-yet-dead woman, who is suing Chase, alleging that their mistake has ruined her credit rating made it impossible for her to refinance her home. “There is no possible way to have credit extended when you’re deceased.”

According to the Orlando Sentinel, the woman and her husband have two mortgages from Chase totaling $460,000. The couple tried, unsuccessfully, several times in 2009 to get a modification on their loans.

And then last November, her family got a letter of condolence from Chase that read, “We are very sorry for your loss,” while the credit-reporting agencies were notified of the woman’s unfortunate passing.

From the Sentinel:

She notified the bank that she was still alive, according to the suit, and a few weeks later tried again, going into one of its branches, asking it to correct the error.

A month later, credit-reporting agencies were still reporting she was dead, according to her suit.

A rep for Chase tells the Sentinel, “We’re investigating how it happened.”

It hasn’t been a good July, PR-wise for Chase. Last week, they threw a guy in jail for the weekend for trying to cash a completely legitimate cashier’s check, though the situation was ultimately resolved with both parties playing nice (and one party probably significantly wealthier than he had been a week earlier).

Oviedo woman to her bank: I’m not dead [Orlando Sentinel via MSNBC]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.