Consumer complaint received 2018-06-23
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
State: PA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Other banking product or service
Issue: Closing an account
Sub-issue: Company closed your account

Complaint:
On XX/XX/XXXX, I was approved for a merchant account with XXXX XXXXXXXX ( Merchant ID Number : XXXX ) after filing an application ( Application ID Number XXXX ) and speaking with XXXX XXXX, EVP Head of Sales of XXXX XXXXXXXX. XXXX XXXX, Phone number is : XXXX. Email : XXXX. My reason for obtaining a merchant account was to start an online business and operate it as a sole proprietorship. Despite purchasing a website domain, I was never able to fully fulfill my goal due to the unethical and fraudulent business practices of XXXX XXXXXXXX. As of the date of this complaint I do not own and or operate any sole proprietorship. 
From XX/XX/XXXX until XX/XX/XXXX, I was a customer of XXXX XXXXXXXX. During that time, I fully complied with all terms, covenants, and conditions as outlined in the agreement. On XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email from XXXX XXXXXXXX Risk Department informing me that my merchant account had been terminated due to a violation of section 10.3 of the merchant agreement. After spending the next week making repeated phone calls and sending emails to XXXX XXXXXXXX customer service department, I still had no explanation as to exactly why my account had been terminated. At this point, I decided to apply with several other banks for a new merchant account. Each time, I was denied credit and was told that my name, address, birthday, social security number, and other personal information had been placed on MasterCards MATCH List, also known as the Terminated Merchant File ( TMF ).  Through these credit denials, I learned that XXXX XXXXXXXX had placed me on the MATCH List. As of the date of this complaint, no bank has approved me for a merchant account. 
Since XX/XX/XXXX, I have contacted dozens of nameless customer service representatives from XXXX  XXXX and JPMorgan Chase, which owns XXXX XXXXXXXX. No one could give me a reason why my account was terminated, nor were they able to confirm that XXXX XXXXXXXX had placed me on the MATCH List. On XX/XX/XXXX, I filed a complaint against XXXX XXXXXXXX with the XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ). On XX/XX/XXXX, the complaint was closed because XXXX XXXXXXXX never had the courtesy to respond to my complaint. During this time, I sent certified letters through the USPS to multiple XXXX XXXXXXXX employees, specifically XXXX XXXX, President, XXXX XXXX, EVP of Sales, XXXX XXXX, Director, and XXXX XXXX, Director of Client Relations. In addition, I sent certified letters to XXXX XXXX, President of JPMorgan Chase Merchant Services and XXXX XXXX, CEO of XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX. As of the date of this letter, none of these individuals, with the exception of a representative for XXXX XXXX, have had the courtesy to respond to this vital matter. 
On XX/XX/XXXX, I filed a complaint with the XXXX against JPMorgan Chase. I received a letter dated XX/XX/XXXX from Chases Executive Office in response to my complaint. The letter included the terms of section 10.3, as cut and paste from the merchant agreement, along with a short statement that the reporting was accurate, and they were unable to remove me from the MATCH List. In response, I sent a letter demanding that they provide me with evidence that I had violated the terms, covenants, and conditions stated in section 10.3 of the merchant agreement. 
I received a response from JPMorgan Chase, dated XX/XX/XXXX, stating they were sorry I was dissatisfied with how they had researched my concerns, but that their decision was final. Furthermore, they would no longer be able to respond to any of my concerns. After six months of contacting JPMorgan Chase by  phone, email, and written letters, they still did not provide me with an explanation as to how I violated section 10.3. As a result, they have no legal justification for placing my name on the MATCH List. As of the date of this complaint, JPMorgan Chase still refuses to respond to my inquiries. Their lack of ethics in handling this matter is just one of the many reasons they have established such a sordid reputation in the banking industry. 
In regard to XXXX XXXXXXXX, the only person who responded to my complaints was a representative of XXXX XXXX named as XXXX XXXX, a paralegal for XXXX XXXXXXXX. In a letter dated XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX stated XXXX XXXXXXXX had been alerted of a violation involving my merchant account. She reported that my merchant account had been used to process a single transaction in the amount of {$79.00} on a website other than my own. The transaction was dated XX/XX/XXXX and involved the sale of XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) from the violating URL. This was a breach of the merchant agreement, resulting in XXXX XXXXXXXX terminating my merchant agreement on XX/XX/XXXX and adding me to the MasterCard MATCH List. 
I responded to XXXX XXXX in a letter dated XX/XX/XXXX. I explained that my merchant account did not process any transactions in the amount of {$79.00} on XX/XX/XXXX. I further explained that I had never sold XXXX products. Furthermore, I am in no way associated with the violating URL. I followed up with another letter dated XX/XX/XXXX providing evidence to XXXX XXXXXXXX showing that my merchant account had not processed a transaction in the amount of {$79.00} on XX/XX/XXXX, as they were falsely claiming. In my response, I offered to provide a sworn affidavit stating that my merchant account was never used to process any transactions on the violating URL. Additionally, I requested that XXXX XXXXXXXX provide me with evidence to support their false claims that I had breached the merchant agreement. As of the date of this complaint, XXXX XXXXXXXX has refused to respond to my inquiries. 
Under section 10.3 of the merchant agreement XXXX XXXX can terminate our agreement by giving me thirty ( 30 ) days prior notice. The agreement further states that XXXX XXXXXXXX can terminate the agreement if I failed to comply with any terms, covenants, and conditions. As I stated above, I always complied with the terms, covenants, and conditions outlined in the agreement and for XXXX XXXXXXXX to claim otherwise is simply false. The information I provided with my merchant application was 100 % true, complete, and accurate. XXXX XXXXXXXX was fully aware of the types of merchandise I sold and had approved by website and inventory after the agreement was signed. All transactions were processed in accordance with the merchant agreement and were valid and legal transactions between myself and the respected cardholder. At no time was my merchant account used for anything other than what it was intended, as stated in our agreement. 
In regards to putting my name on MATCH List, XXXX XXXXXXXX had no legal authority to do so. ( This would be the case, even if I had violated the agreement, which I didnt. ) In recent years, MasterCard has set strict guidelines on how banks can add individuals to the MATCH List. Specifically, for a person to be put on the list, he or she must be found to be involved in : fraud, money laundering, bankruptcy, theft, identity theft, merchant collusion, illegal transactions, fraud conviction, etc. I have advised XXXX XXXXXXXX that none of these conditions apply to me and anyone who claims otherwise is trying to defame my reputation. 
JPMorgan Chase and its affiliate, XXXX XXXXXXXX behavior has been both unethical and discriminatory and is just one of the many reasons why they have an F- and D- rating respectively with the XXXX. It is also one of the reasons for their sordid reputation, as discussed online by tens of thousands of current and former customers. Additionally, this is one of the many reasons JPMorgan Chase been made to pay billions of dollars in fines and settlements for civil and criminal lawsuits, as well as been subjected to reprimands by Federal Bank Regulators, the US Federal Government, the US Department of Justice, various US Attorney Generals, and consumer watch groups, such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 
To settle this complaint, XXXX XXXXXXXX can rightly remove my name from the MasterCard MATCH List. Personally, I find it disgusting that a business located within the United States and governed by numerous state and federal laws can not only make false allegations against someone, like myself, but can also list them on the MATCH List. What makes it even more deplorable is the fact that neither XXXX XXXXXXXX nor JPMorgan Chase have any evidence that I did anything wrong. 
Due to being unlawfully added to the MATCH List by XXXX XXXXXXXX, I have been blackballed and discriminated against within the financial community. No bank located in the United States will allow me to obtain a merchant account for a minimum of five years. As outlined in this complaint, I have spent the past six months desperately trying to communicate with XXXX XXXXXXXX and JP Morgan in an effort to resolve this unjust and illegal ban. All of the information reported in this complaint against XXXX XXXXXXXX is 100 % true, complete, and accurate. Furthermore, supporting evidence, including written communications between myself, XXXX XXXXXXXX, and JPMorgan Chase, is available.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation