Consumer complaint received 2023-03-17
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
State: NY
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Savings account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Problem making or receiving payments

Complaint:
To whom it may concern : Today we learned that our savings and checking accounts at Chase have been frozen and funds have not been accessible. We are unable to pay bills, withdraw money for living needs. We are a family of XXXX people, including XXXX minor children, XXXX XXXX  aunt and XXXX dogs. 

Upon being declined a XXXX payment, XXXX called chase customer service, was bounced around 3 fraud departments, only to finally land with the Compliance Department at Chase. A very rude man indicated that there is a missing document on these trust accounts and the accounts are out of compliance. The man did not want to hear anything. He simply said its out of regulation and to contact the branch. These accounts are about a decade old. 

XXXX and I have been chase private clients with the bank for many years now. Just on XX/XX/2023, XXXX went into the XXXX, NY XXXX and opened up a CD account in the amount of {$200000.00} with XXXX XXXX. When XXXX came home, I saw the receipt and noticed that on it was an address for XXXX XXXX, in XXXX CA. This was our rental home about 6 years ago. This is now 4 houses ago for us, as we moved 4 times since then. XXXX immediately emailed XXXX ( on XX/XX/XXXX see attached email PDF ), to advise her that the address is strangely incorrect. He asked her correct the address. This was very bizarre because we even had a mortgage with ChasXXXX for XXXX XXXX, a house we purchased after we moved out of XXXX XXXX. We receive other tax statements and account notices on our current New York address. It was very bizarre that the XXXX address was used when we have since purchased a home with Chase at XXXX XXXX and have since even moved twice from XXXX and receive our statements at XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX NY XXXX address for over 2 years now. Anyway, XXXX sent XXXX the email to update the address and assumed she did it. 

Fast forward to today, XX/XX/2023. We learn about a freeze on our checking and savings accounts. We are told we can not get to the money. We are explained that there is a notarized document that is required for XXXX and I to sign and turn in as settlors of the trust. We are told this document was not collected from us 10 years ago when we opened the trust account and now compliance picked up this issue 10 years later. We are then told that a notice was sent to us on XX/XX/2023 to this effect to XXXX XXXX address in California. We are also told that even though the notice was only sent on XX/XX/XXXX, the account was frozen on XX/XX/XXXX ( only XXXX calendar days later ). 

XXXX is in California this week and Im in NY. We can not get to a notary until Saturday, at which point the document wont even stand a chance of review until next week. We are without money, with bills bounced back and payroll that was sent on XX/XX/XXXX which I can not get either because it went to the checking account. We pleaded with the bank manager at XXXX NY XXXX ( XXXX ), to contact compliance and explain the situation to them. Explain that we never got the banks notice. Explain that the bank had an incorrect address for us for unexplained reasons. I asked XXXX to explain that we asked XXXX to update the address but she never did. All I got back from XXXX was I have been working with the bank for 20 years its compliance department they will never unfreeze your account. 

I was mentally broken down. I have been unable to function the rest of the day. I can not look the kids in the eyes- we have no money to function. On Sunday this week XXXX and I are accompanying students to XXXX as supervising faculty of XXXX University on a global health mission trip. XXXX returns from CA on Saturday morning. We will be running to a notary to get the paper for the trust notarized and will pray that when we submit it on Saturday at the bank that someone will follow up and send it to Compliance so that they can review and unfreeze our account. We feel completely abused by the system and are victims of this situation. 

When I went online to chase.com and look at my accounts, I dont see any sign of any notices that have gone out on our account. No one called us to tell us we have some paperwork missing form 10 years ago that urgently needed to be done. No one emailed us. There is no notices on the account ( see screeshot of account that shows no notification past 30 days ). We have never been notified by letter, email or phone to advise us of an deficient trust account papers and have been using these accounts for over a decade. Even so, the bank claims they sent this notice on XX/XX/2023. How can they send a paper document on XX/XX/XXXX and then freeze our accounts only XXXX calendar days later on XX/XX/XXXX without further notice. This created such an unsafe situation for our family. We are stranded. Im unable to pay XXXX for XXXX. We paid IRS tax bill with a check that will bounce since the account is frozen. We are leaving the country on Sunday and I can not even get a couple of XXXX dollars in cash to have on me and to leave for my kids while we are away for a week. This is humiliating, demeaning. I have never been victimized like this by a banking institution and never imagine this kind of treatment from Chase bank, let alone for private chase clients. And for clients who just opened a CD account not even 10 days ago. 

I am requesting urgent review of this matter. 
I am requesting immediate extension of the remedial action compliance has identified to accommodate the lack of proper notification of the matter and the numerous mistakes made with the handling of the accounts, including wrong address use for mysterious reason when opening CD account on XX/XX/XXXX. 
Please unfreeze the account so that the family can continue to survive, function, pay bills, receive paycheck. 
We are working to get the document for trust notarized, but would like humane treatment and reasonable timeline to fix this issue that the bank has failed to tell us about for over 10 years. Its not our fault the bank didnt ask to get this done when we opened up a trust account. Why are we made to suffer for this oversight from the bank from over 10 years ago? Why are we not given reasonable notice and reasonable amount of time to address the issue? 

XXXX and I are law abiding citizens, health professionals who work on the front lines every day. On top of that, I am educator and work at XXXX training students to become healthcare providers and good citizens of the world. We have done nothing wrong and do not deserve to be cut off from our hard earned money. 

Chase please redeem your name and reputation. Please send a kind, compassionate, smart person our way to review the situation and help address appropriately. It has been a stressful 12 hours. I am worried sick about this situation. The branch personnel and the compliance person on the phones so far have not been kind or helpful to understand and intervene on the situation. It just feels like no one cares. I have never had this experience in any bank, let alone Chase. Please fix this.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation