Consumer complaint received 2019-04-16
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: NY
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Problem caused by your funds being low
Sub-issue: Bounced checks or returned payments

Complaint:
I was in the process of finding a job, and it had been some three months looking. A company recruiter interviewed me online and after  about an hour-long interview, the recruiter told me that the company board approved of my interview, and that I had been hired on Thursday, XX/XX/2019. I was told that I was to begin work immediately, but because it was a work from home situation, I was to purchase office equipment from their assigned vendor. I received a check via XXXX from the recruiter for the amount of {$7300.00} in order to purchase office equipment on Friday, XX/XX/2019, and deposited into my Bank of America in XXXX XXXX, New York in my checking account via ATM, and sent the person at the company who sent me the check a copy of the receipt. The person then said they would sent the deposit receipt to their accounting oce to verify and clear the check to my account, so that I could then purchase the office equipment. That check was cleared by my bank that same day, and once the check cleared a few hours later, on Friday, XX/XX/2019, I was then instructed by the recruiter, who originally sent me the check, to have a cashiers check made out to a person, which they gave me a name, a XXXX customer, XXXX XXXX account number, and XXXXXXXX XXXX routing number for. The check of {$6900.00} was to pay the vendor, who were scheduled to deliver the oce equipment to my home from XXXX XXXX, NY late that afternoon. I obtained the cashiers check Friday, XX/XX/2019, from my bank ( Bank of America ), and walked next door to XXXX XXXX, and deposited the cashiers check to that designated person. I sent a copy of the receipt to the recruiter, as I was told, so they could inform their vendor that they had the green light to purchase and deliver my oce supplies and equipment on Friday, XX/XX/2019 around XXXX. 

I called the vendor for an updated on delivery, and they said it would have to be rescheduled for the next day, Saturday, XX/XX/2019, because of traffic issues. The next day, Saturday, XX/XX/2019 I went to check my balance at my bank, and it showed that the original check sent to me from the recruiter, via XXXX was returned, and not approved to my account, because of a fraudulent signature. I was alarmed and met with my banking representative immediately that morning, Saturday, XX/XX/2019. The bank said I was probably a victim of fraud, and they allowed me to le a scam report. The bank also said that because the check was deposited in the bank 's ATM machine, there was no way to verify the funds were there, even though the bank made those funds available right away. Isn't it their responsibility to at least warn me of this type of activity, especially with that amount of money? That is why I was able to obtain a cashiers check in the rst place. It wasn't until after the cashiers check was issued by my bank, that the check was deemed fraudulent. I was never informed or warned about any of this, until I went to meet with my banking representative. 

My bank said they could not do anything to help me recover the funds charged against my checking account. This never happened to me in all my eighteen years banking with them, and they could not help me? Why wasn't I warned or informed of the returned fraudulent check? Why did I need to nd this out on my own, and go in person to speak with my bank representative about this? I believe my bank made a grave error that aected my account, by allowing a cashiers check to be issued to someone, while those funds were pending and not fully cleared. 

Yesterday morning, I went over to the XXXXXXXX XXXX and the banking representative was helpful by requesting a stop payment on the cashiers check. Shortly after that I went over to meet with my banking representative, who said the teller who issued the cashiers check made an error by issuing the cashiers check, even though the funds were pending in their system, and a thorough vetting process was not entirely completed. When I asked her to stop the cashiers check, she claimed that I must wait a whole ninety days before I can even file a claim against the cashiers check, and that they could not stop payment until I file a claim. That is their process.

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 monetary relief