Consumer complaint received 2021-05-25
Company: TRUIST FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: MD
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Problem making or receiving payments

Complaint:
Summary Tried to refinance in XX/XX/XXXX. Discontinued auto-payments to mortgage holder ( i.e. XXXX  ). Tried to make a number of mortgage payments manually over the phone using my bank account and the branch routing number. Two out of three payments failed. Mortgage holder informed me my bank was refusing to make the payments. Contacted my bank. They stated that the use of the branch routing number was incorrect and that I needed to use he a special routing number for electronic payments which neither myself or or the mortgage holder had any way of knowing. Gave mortgage holder correct routing number and XX/XX/XXXX payment was finally made on XX/XX/XXXX but not before I was declared delinquent and it was reported to the credit bureaus damaging my credit score and preventing refinancing. Mortgage holder will also no longer accept phone payments, personal checks, or internet payments. Will only accept certified checks which is a huge expensive time consuming hassle.. Contacted mortgage holder. They were willing to reverse negative reporting and reinstate my payments methods but would only do so with a letter from my bank ( Suntrust ) explaining why the payments were late. Contacted Suntrust. Suntrust refused to provide me with a letter or let me to speak to the branch manager and began claiming I placed a stop payment on the account for the mortgage holder on XX/XX/XXXX. They were contacted on XX/XX/XXXX to stop the auto-pay and not to place a stop order for the mortgage holder on my checking account. So they are either lying or there was a miscommunication or a misunderstanding but they will not clarify this and steadfastly maintain I am the one at fault. Finally contacted the local Suntrust Branch manager. He gave me the same story as the branch staff and refused to provide a letter claiming the stop payment was by my request and they were not at fault. This ( stop payment ) is believed to be a fiction invented by the branch staff to avoid responsibility and certain retribution by Truist upper management and to avoid having to do anything to help a 20 + customer at the branch. Branch manager also claimed he couldnt help me because it presented a legal issue yet no law was broken, they're not being accused of breaking the law, and they do not stand to lose any money. Its a bureaucratic error involving correct routing numbers.. This is a procedural change mandated by Truist when they bought out Suntrust but unfortunately didnt pass it on to anybody. When the branch manager was asked why the third payment went through on XX/XX/XXXX for the same payee using a different routing number on the same account with a stop payment in place he could not provide an answer other than stating both routing numbers should have worked yet the branch routing number obviously did not when used on XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX. 

Suntrust refuses to take responsibility for their error and do any extra work to help me repair the damage to my credit score. Even if it was my fault why wouldn't they help me anyway? As previously mentioned its a simple bureaucratic error, they wont lose any money, and haven't broken any law. Shows you what contempt they have for their customers. A global banking giant with billions in assets wont even write a simple 5 minute letter indicating it was a routing number issue that prevented payment and help me repair my credit score, save a couple hundred buck a month on my mortgage, and not have to pay {$38000.00} in interest. They would rather blame me and do nothing which is a lot easier and less risky for their precious banking careers. Meanwhile, my chances of refinancing have been destroyed, my excellent credit score has been demolished, and I have to jump through hoops backwards to make my mortgage payments now. 

DETAILED INFO Since XXXX I have made my mortgage payments to XXXX XXXX XXXX and Reporting ( i.e. XXXX  ) through my Suntrust ( now Truist ) personal checking account # # # # # # # # # # # # # via auto-pay and never missed a payment in 17 years. | In XXXX of XXXX I attempted to take advantage of the current low interest rates and refinance my mortgage thus lowering my monthly mortgage payment and avoid having to pay {$38000.00} in interest. | During the refinance process I discontinued using auto-pay to make monthly payments to XXXX in early XXXX of XXXX and began making my mortgage payments manually using the phone and internet. | I attempted to make my XX/XX/XXXX mortgage payment in the amount of {$1100.00} on XX/XX/XXXX by phone ( conf. # XXXX XXXX but the payment was subsequently reversed by Suntrust Bank though it was unclear why at the time. XXXX XXXX contacted me by mail and by recorded message several days later notifying me that the XX/XX/XXXX mortgage payment had not been made. | I then attempted to make the payment a second time on XX/XX/XXXX but again the payment did not go through. XXXX XXXX subsequently contacted me days later by mail and notified me that my bank was refusing to make the payment. ( i.e. PAYMENT STOPPED ) I then contacted Suntrust about the issue on XX/XX/XXXX and the phone representative informed me that XXXX was using an incorrect routing number of XXXX which corresponds to the local bank branch where personal checking account is located. | They further informed me that the correct routing number to use for electronic payments ( i.e. phone debits ) was XXXX. XXXX Unfortunately I had no way of knowing that a special routing number had to be used until repeated attempts to make the payment had failed and the mortgage holder could notify me of the issue by the notoriously slow process of US Mail. |When XXXX  was supplied with the correct routing number the payments went through normally on XX/XX/XXXX7. | Suntrust claims that I placed a stop payment on my account for XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX which is why the payments were not made. XXXX This is incorrect and the real cause is due to the routing number. XXXX I contacted Suntrust on XX/XX/XXXX to inquire about discontinuing auto-pay but I was specifically told by the customer service rep at that time that they could not do this and I would have to contact XXXX  to discontinue auto-pay. XXXX This was subsequently done on XX/XX/XXXX. XXXX If a stop payment for XXXX  really had been made and was in place on my account then the third payment I made to XXXX  on XX/XX/XXXX would not have been processed yet it was so how could that happen if there is a stop payment in place for XXXX? | The use of an incorrect routing number is the real issue and Suntrust has no evidence to back up their claim of a stop payment request. XXXX Also how would I pay my mortgage and why would I continue making payments to XXXX through Suntrust if a stop payment was in place.? | The claims by the local Suntrust branch that I placed a stop payment on XXXX  are false and were created by the branch staff to shift blame for their routing number mix up onto me and thus avoid retribution by Suntrust upper management for making an error and avoid having to do any extra work in handling this issue. | Its a lot easier for somebody to simply claim I was at fault and do nothing rather than take responsibility for the error and have to do extra work in assisting me straighten this out. | At first the branch staff also refused to put me in touch with the manager hoping I would go away after gaslighting me for 2 weeks straight claiming it was all my fault but when I finally did reach the branch manager he gave me the same story he got from the branch staff. | He claimed that my first two attempts at payment had failed because of the stop payment I placed on the account for XXXX, yet when I asked him how a third payment could have been made successfully with a different routing number using the same account even though a stop payment was in place on the payee ( XXXX  ) he didn't really have an answer. | I then spoke to a supervisor at XXXX  since the customer service reps were useless to explain the situation but was informed that though XXXX would consider retracting the derogatory credit reporting and reinstate my ability to pay by phone and internet they would only do so with a letter from Suntrust explaining why the payments were late. | Unfortunately Suntrust, now Truist, has categorically refused to provide me with this information claiming they cant for legal reasons, yet its a simple bureaucratic error, they stand to lose no money, and no law has been broken. | So basically the local branch refused to help me out even though theyre at fault and stand to lose nothing and just blamed me so they wouldnt have to do anything. | They werent interested in helping me repair the damage done to my credit score but they did offer to help me seek refinancing through Suntrust. | Thanks Suntrust. | Since the mortgage payment was late my mortgage holder declared me delinquent and took a number of automatic actions which included ; 1 ) They will no longer allow phone or internet payments ( until they get a letter from Suntrust verifying the routing number issue ) 2 ) I can no longer use a personal check to pay the mortgage and must send them a certified check every month for an entire YEAR or until they get a letter from Suntrust verifying the routing number issue ) 3 ) They have reported me as delinquent to the three major credit bureaus seriously damaging my credit score but have indicated they will withdraw the negative reporting information if they can receive a letter from Suntrust verifying the routing number issue ) 4 ) XXXX  will not allow me to reinstate auto-payments with Suntrust. | So all that for a SINGLE missed payment that was due to a bureaucratic mixup over routing numbers on the part of my bank. | Suntrust will also not provide me with proof of their claims that I am at fault but steadfastly stand by their claim. | In addition my chances of being refinanced now or in the future have been destroyed and I must now make time consuming special arrangements for an entire year to make my payments. XXXX XXXX has indicated they can reverse the abusive actions they took but not without a letter from my bank ( Suntrust ) explaining why the payment was missed which Suntrust refuses to do and I am now caught in the middle between them. | One wants to punish me with harsh draconian measures for a simple bureaucratic error that resulted in a single missed payment in 16 years ( or 1 out of 192 payments ) while the other wants to blame me for the error to avoid accepting any responsibility whatsoever or having to lift a finger to assist a 20 year customer repair his credit history. | The effects to me from this bureaucratic and communication mix-up are serious, unwarranted and completely out of proportion to what happened based on my payment history and credit score which was not taken into consideration.

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