Exclusive | Widow shunned by JPMorgan in feud over husband's $53K pension gets suprise check -
Share and Follow

A New Jersey widow who was turned away by JPMorgan in a dispute over her husband’s $53,000 pension recently received a surprise check for the full amount. The unexpected gesture came from two strangers who were moved by her story, according to sources.

Elaine Silverberg, 73, has been in a 13-year struggle to recover the funds from the largest bank in the United States. JPMorgan had initially denied her claim due to an error made by her deceased husband.

The battle of the Teaneck, NJ grandmother, likened to the David and Goliath tale, gained attention after it was covered exclusively by The Post last November. It resonated with two insurance professionals from North Carolina, located over 600 miles away.

Roy Messer, a 57-year-old health insurance broker from Charlotte, and his business partner Bill Rice, also 57, said they were shocked by the penny-pinching from the bank run by Jamie Dimon and took matters into their own hands.

“I couldn’t believe for such an amount of money that they wouldn’t want to do the right thing. There is no doubt that her husband would have wanted that money to go to her and his kids,” Rice said.

“I imagine that for Jamie Dimon this is like a nickel falling out of his pocket. I would like to believe that he just doesn’t know (about this).”

Messer, who served in the Marine Corps between 1986 and 1989, said he was “touched” Silverberg’s story and that wiring her the money was “the right thing to do.”.

“I don’t know her and I could have very easily just turned the page. But when something like that reaches out and grabs you, I looked at it and thought: What if that was my mother?” he told The Post.

Silverberg was left stunned by their gesture, saying it “restored my faith in mankind.”

“In this crazy world we live in, it is remarkable that such kindness also exists. I am flabbergasted at their extreme generosity,” she told The Post.

JPMorgan declined to comment, but a senior source inside the bank said the rules governing its pension fund ban any exceptions from being carved out.

JPMorgan insiders then told The Post in December that the bank would never back down after Grinches at the bank denied Silverberg’s repeated pleas to hand over her husband Mel’s $331-a-month pension pot.

According to Silverberg, a former government administrator, the fully vested cash pile is worth an estimated $53,000.

But JPMorgan bean counters said Mel, a former system analyst with Chase Manhattan Bank until 1979, failed to fill in the necessary forms before he unexpectedly died at the age of 43 from multiple organ failure in 1988.

Chase Manhattan went on to merge with JPMorgan in 2000. The Wall Street giant posted record profits of $58.5 billion last year, with Dimon raking in $39 million in compensation.

The Ronald Reagan administration passed the Retirement Equity Act in 1984 so spouses like Silverberg would automatically benefit if their loved ones died.

JPMorgan insists it wrote to Mel on three separate occasions asking him to elect survivor coverage after he stepped down. His widow says none of that correspondence ever arrived at the family home.

She said pension managers can only dig up documentation that they say proves they contacted Mel in 1990 — two years after he died.

Silverberg even once enlisted New Jersey Senator Cory Booker and ex-Bronx Rep Eliot Engel to convince the firm to change their mind, to no avail.

Share and Follow
You May Also Like
Ohio kids as young as 8 steal car, lead police on chase crash into home, worried about Santa, presents: police

Ohio Children, Ages 8 and Up, Lead Police on High-Speed Chase Ending in Crash, Concerned Over Santa’s Gifts

In a surprising turn of events, three young boys from Ohio, including…
A sharps disposal bin to safely discard used syringes and lancets is installed in Austin, Ind., by the Scott County Health Department Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Obed Lamy)

Community Faces Challenges in Sustaining Vital Syringe Program Amid New Regulations

In Jeffersonville, Indiana, a storage room at the Clark County Health Department…
Kyle Chrisley accused of threatening to KILL police during arrest

Kyle Chrisley’s Shocking Arrest: Allegations of Threatening Police Unveiled

Kyle Chrisley allegedly threatened police officers during an intense confrontation in Tennessee…
Off-camera hearings for Charlie Kirk's suspected assassin raise warning from legal expert

High-Profile Legal Twist: Alleged Charlie Kirk Assassin Fights to Oust Prosecutors

In a significant development surrounding the case of the accused killer of…
Fears woman is mauled by shark off California coast

Shark Attack Concerns Rise as California Woman Feared Mauled Off Coast

In a tragic turn of events, a 55-year-old woman is missing and…
Search suspended for missing California swimmer after possible shark attack; witness says seeing a shark with body in its mouth

California Swimmer Vanishes: Search Halted After Witness Spots Shark with Human Remains

MONTEREY, Calif. — Authorities have called off the search for a swimmer…
Chiefs announce they are moving to new stadium in 2031

Kansas City Chiefs Plan Exciting Move to New Stadium by 2031

The Kansas City Chiefs have unveiled plans to relocate from their long-standing…
Proposed AI ‘Bill of Rights’ filed in Florida Senate with support from Governor DeSantis

Florida Senate Introduces AI ‘Bill of Rights’ with Governor DeSantis’ Backing

A Senate Republican has introduced SB 482, a legislative measure designed to…