Consumer complaint received 2023-11-24
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: CA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Problem making or receiving payments

Complaint:
My father XXXX  on XX/XX/XXXX of this year. It was unexpected. The sense of loss was staggering. After the initial shock, I began to be able to process the grief. Until @ BankofAmerica turned the grieving process into an absolute nightmare. This is the story of how the business model of some banks is to sit on money that is not theirs and to profit on peoples inability to find their way around the administrative labyrinth they have become whenever it suits them. 

My father lived in XXXX, where I was born and raised, but he had an XXXX life insurance. I received a check in dollars at my XXXX address in XXXX. It might have taken ages to clear at my XXXX XXXX, so I decided to make my way to the XXXX as soon as I could and open an account there in order to cash the check. Upon arriving in the XXXX, I opened an account at the XXXX XXXX branch of @ BankofAmerica in XXXX XXXX, CA, on XX/XX/2023, and cashed the check in the following minutes. 

I was told the check would take 6 days to clear. I found that long but ok, I said. I had business in XXXX. Off I went. A week later, I realized I could not access my online banking nor use the debit card I had been issued and so I showed up at the branch in XXXX XXXX to find out what was going on. 

I was told that the check appeared to have been altered ( this was a XXXX check from XXXX ) and that my account had been sent to closure. In the ensuing XXXX weeks, I spoke to XXXX different Bank of America representatives over the phone, repeating at length every detail of the story, from my fathers death, the fact that the check for his life insurance had been sent to my XXXX  address, etc., etc. XXXX different times. In the process, I listened to an estimated XXXX hours of jazz while being bounced around from XXXX @ BankofAmerica to the next and XXXX supervisor to the next. I was told at least 15 different things by the XXXX representatives. I flew back to XXXX. 

Finally, after three weeks of incredibly frustrating, debilitating conversations, the fraud department of @ BankofAmerica apparently ascertained it had made a mistake. I say apparently because I was told out of the blue by a random representative that the funds appeared to have been credited to my now apparently reopened account. I did not hear a word of apologies or anything of the sort. I was not even told that my bank account had been reopened. I was just told by the XXXX person I spoke to that the funds appeared to be on the account. I could not believe my ears. 

This was XXXXy ( XX/XX/2023 ). At this stage, I decided I did not want to bank with Bank of America. I proceeded to access my account using the BofA online banking and to wire most of the funds to my French and British bank accounts. Heres where it becomes truly appalling and frankly, insane. 

Yesterday, when I tried accessing my online banking to check where these two wire transfers stood, I discovered I could no longer do so. I was asked to call in. It was XXXX, so I had to wait until today, Friday XX/XX/XXXX, to call and find out what was going on. When I did manage to speak to a representative, after waiting on the phone for over XXXX more hour, I was told that I could no longer be identified over the phone, that I appeared to be a high risk client and that I needed to show up at the California branch where I opened the account with XXXX valid pieces of ID to be able to talk to someone about why my online banking was no longer operative and what was going on with the wire transfers I have ordered. I just received an email informing me that the wires had been cancelled. Seriously, @ BankofAmerica, this is how you treat clients who are grieving a parent?

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