Consumer complaint received 2023-04-06
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: CA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Problem accessing account

Complaint:
I have had multiple problems with Citibank. To include : They routinely locked my account and wouldn't verify that I was me. I had to go in person and sit with the banker ( showed ID and did all account processes ) and they contacted the bankers by phone to lift the hold on my account for verification. Then they would randomly re-lock it and I couldn't verify my identity. On the days it would let me XXXX to another account, it worked. Most days it wouldn't allow me to do it or take out the funds. I would have to go in person to the bank and verify my identity to get cash out instead. I did find that one issue was they mixed up answers to my verification process and I could never get them right because their answers were wrong and they refused to correct it. 

In XXXX I had them cancel my wire transfer, which was done in person with a banker, because of fraud and went through the same process of verifying myself and they almost didn't want to release the funds to a verified account. It took several hours. 

They should not be allowed to withhold funds and transfers because you can't verify yourself, based on their own system swapping questions to answers. At one point I realized this issue because they asked me a verification question I was never given as an option to answer at sign up or at any other point during my banking time. It seems more like they are trying to keep funds wrongfully. 

Additionally their online XXXX transfers would " error '' when I could verify myself. The in person bank said it was usual and to just try it on a different day. 

This was a repeated problem- they wouldn't allow me to access my funds. 

When I closed my account in XXXX of this year I was still do a tax document for interest on the account. To date they haven't sent it or uploaded it online. I've repeated contacted them via phone and via their online chat. On XX/XX/XXXX I was informed for the first time that I could no longer use the chat feature as they didn't have access to my account. Mind you, I used this feature repeatedly trying to find out where my tax document was. I was told it would be online, I was told it would be mailed. I was told it wasn't due until the end of XXXX. Finally on XX/XX/XXXX I was told that they couldn't help me with the chat feature and I had to call. When I called they told me they already mailed it at the end of XXXX ( to date no receipt ). I asked why they would tell me on the chat it would be published online or not given until the end of XXXX. They didn't have a good answer. Then the person on the telephone said they would have to get permission to give me any tax documents. After a hold I was told permission was granted for me to have the tax documents. They were due to me months ago and once again I am getting the run-around from Citi. 

Thank you.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief