Consumer complaint received 2020-02-08
Company: FIRST CITIZENS BANCSHARES, INC.
State: NC
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Problem caused by your funds being low
Sub-issue: Overdrafts and overdraft fees

Complaint:
First Citizen 's response to my first Complaint addressed none of the following : therefore, I am filing another complaint against them. 

1. The bank 's response was extremely condescending and smug. However, the attachments provided proved my point. They admit that " priority debit transactions '' are posted before " deposits and other credits ''. This is so unfair - especially when you deposit funds because you have a " priority debit transaction '' coming up. In a way, I think this is shady. Account holders of First Citizen 's be aware. At least they admit to debits are fist then credits. I guess this ensures the NSF fee income they rely upon! 2. How is the following fair to a person who lives check to check and due to insurmountable OD fees, can not pay her bills although she has more than enough money to cover them. Some anecdotal evidence : In XX/XX/XXXX I deposited {$2300.00} and spent {$2200.00}. But since debits are taken before credits, I was charged {$140.00} in OD fees - meaning I was already starting the next month with a negative balance. It gets worse. In XX/XX/XXXX ( the following month ), I deposited {$2300.00} and spent {$1700.00} - leaving more than enough funds available to cover the incoming negative balance and all the items I charged that month. However, I was charged an additional {$250.00} in OD fees. 3. The banks explanation of its posting order is confusing in light of its so called " Basic Overdraft Protection ''  which you can opt in or out. In the example in No. 2, I was both opted in and opted out of that protection with no change on what debits were paid as the bank NEVER not paid anything presented to my account. Even when I was over drafted and presented a {$7.00} charge, they paid it and then charged a {$36.00} OD fee. When I called the bank and said hey, you weren't supposed to pay that, they said because I had a prime checking account,, they pay it as a courtesy no matter if I opted out. How on earth can one get ahead with the OD fees if you can't opt out of the overdraft protection or you opt out and they pay as a courtesy. How unfair is that? To me, the bank is giving out loans that were expressly not agreed to by opting out of this protection. 4. On the internet, apparently First Citizen has reputation for OD fees " scams '' and that its practice are not those of a " real bank '' ( XX/XX/XXXX bank review ). 5. I have alerts on my account, and ironically, I do not receive alerts over the weekends telling me my account is below {$50.00} but oddly receive an alert that my account is overdrawn. And then find out the following Monday that I was hit with 5 OD fees of {$36.00} each. Why are they paying these debits - constantly? 6. Another online review of First Citizen practices : " charge OD fees right down to the minute rather than business day, however the transactions are not time-stamped and batch processing is arbitrary and this especially affects low income households ''. 7. I am in a financial hardship and struggling to buy necessities. I have a recent traumatic medical diagnosis which will require XXXX. Due to the in excess of {$1000.00} I have paid First Citizen 's in pure OD fees when I deposit more than I spend is crucifying me and my ability to pay for my health care. 8. I was stuck in a spiral of OD fees and charges constantly putting me in the red without any rhyme or reason especially when I was opted out of the basic OD protection. I have essentially stopped using my First Citizen 's account - had no choice. Money that I budgeted for food and utilities was eaten up by First Citizen for months and it was a constant cause of anxiety. I paid what I could to stop them from harassing me for collection of the OD fees. Talk about insult to injury. 9. Again, I hereby request that First Citizen bank write off as a gesture of good will, decency and humanity because I live paycheck to paycheck and am currently experiencing an incredible financial hardship with the need to have XXXX  XXXX and having no extra funds to pay medical bills ( extremely high deductible ) available due in large part to the {$1000.00} in OD fees paid to First Citizen. For the year XXXX, I was charged AND PAID {$910.00} in overdraft fees and ask that they immediately be deposited back into my account. There is a very good chance that due to the nature of my medical condition ( XXXX  XXXX  ) I may be out of work and I have no XXXX insurance. Time is of the essence.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation