Consumer complaint received 2022-12-28
Company: HUNTINGTON NATIONAL BANK, THE
State: OH
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Deposits and withdrawals

Complaint:
I submitted a mobile deposit in the Huntington Bank on XXXX. The check was a student loan refund. The check was issued by the U.S. Treasury. The check was for {$6100.00}. The check appear on my account on XXXX. 

I received a email on XXXX that stated that a hold was placed on my account, and that the hold was placed on the deposit through XXXX. On XXXX, I received an email that the hold on the check that I deposited on XX/XX/22 for {$6100.00} was released. The funds appeared to be available in my account at that point. I tried purchasing something using my debit card, and my card was declined. I deposited {$140.00} dollars into my account on XX/XX/22 and after the deposit my printed deposit slip show XXXX dollar negative on my account. I called an they indicated that my full account was now on hold, but that it would clear once the check was released. I called on the status of the account numerous times. They told me I that I had to get proof from the department of treasury that the money was mine. I went to local branch and showed them the physical check as proof that it's the same. I called the department of treasury and they indicated that the check was cleared. They described the check and it was the same description of check that showed on my Huntington deposit statement. The check was issued by the US Treasury bur it was a student loan refund from the US Department of Education. So I called the US department of education to help. They even spoke to Huntington on the phone. Both the department of treasury and department of education said they could not issue another check or stop the check because it had already been paid and was in my account. Huntington refused to release the check because they claim that it shows as a duplicate deposit in the Treasury XXXX system. The treasury indicates that the check is only deposited in XXXX account, and I can see from my balance that it is deposited in my account. The department of education ( via XXXX ) advised us to file a police report. We filed a report with the XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) XXXX on XX/XX/22 ( XXXX number - XXXX ). We retrieved the report from the station on XX/XX/22. We went back to the local branch afterward for any update and they continue to indicate that the hold remains and that they will not release the money. We spent hours on the phone with Huntington Bank over the past few weeks, and have not made any progress at all. They refuse to let us speak to fraud department and everyone that we talk to tells us something different. We do what they say and have not made any progress. At XXXX point they indicated that the funds would be available the next day, but it was the same story and the hold was never released. Huntington bank has the {$6100.00} check and is profiting on that money but refuses to either release to funds to me, or release the funds back to the US treasury so that the Department of Education can re-issue a check. We literally do not have any more options. We have exhausted all our options to gain access to our money.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation