Consumer complaint received 2023-10-30
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: TX
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Deposits and withdrawals

Complaint:
I am filing this complaint on behalf of my mother who recently passed away and I had Power of Attorney for : My mother 's banking institution closed her checking account in XXXX of XX/XX/XXXX. I went to the local branch in person and spoke to an agent, branch manager, and with their internal security team to discuss the matter. They all indicated the account had been closed and they also showed me their computer screen to tell me the account was closed and that nothing could be added or changed to the account since it was closed. I asked if the account could be reopened which they stated it could not. I asked if I could open another account in her name which they said they would not. I was told I would have to open an account at another institution for her. Which I ended up doing. 

During this time, my mother was receiving a monthly pension as a retired teacher in Texas. I contacted her retirement system and had to make the direct deposit changes to her new account since her previous account was closed so she could receive her funds going forward. It took some time for them to process the paperwork so she did not receive funds for XXXX and XXXX since her old account was closed. 

On XX/XX/2023, my mother passed away. About 4 days later I checked her new account and noticed only the month of XXXX pension was wired to it but there was no back pay of XXXX and XXXX. I contacted the teacher 's retirement system and they stated that the funds for XXXX and XXXX were wired to the account that was on file at the time before the change took place to her new account. I told them that impossible for the account that they had on file to be closed and could not be accepted into a closed account. They double-checked their system and it indicated it was indeed sent and accepted. 

I then contacted my mother 's old banking institution on how they could accept funds to a closed account. I told them I had POA and I did not authorize them to reopen the account nor did my mother. They indicated to me that the account was never closed and that I did not know what I was talking about. I fell out of my chair when they told me this and told them how I went to the branch and was told by multiple levels that the account was closed and could not be reopened. That I had to go to a different institution but also I saw it with its own eyes when I went to the branch in person. They just told me that all these folks were not trained properly and that I must have made a mistake as well when my eyes deceived me on what I saw. 

The bank had frozen the account because they were notified by Social Security of my mom 's passing so I could not get the funds withdrawn and close the account that they reopened on their own. I provided a death certificate to them as they asked but now they want me to take it to the courts and file it with a probate court to get all this paperwork to prove them to finally get her funds released. There isn't much in the account and I told them it will cost just as much in legal and court fees to take it to probate just to get those same funds released. It's like having to spend {$100.00} to get my {$100.00} back. 

I told them we would never have been here if they had on their own reopened an account that was already closed. It was like, " Oh someone is trying to send us funds on an account that is closed, well let 's reopen it so we can take it '' without our permission or letting us know.

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 explanation