Consumer complaint received 2018-01-08
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: NV
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: Traveler's check or cashier's check
Issue: Unexpected or other fees

Complaint:
My mother who banks at Bank of America, made a wire transfer to XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, the wire transfer was for XXXX dollars that was a gift for my boyfriend and I for the purchase of our first house. The wire transfer was made on XXXX XXXX 2017. On XX/XX/XXXX,  after we had signed the purchase of the house, the tittle company realized the wire transfer never went thru. My mother went to the local branch of bank of America, located on XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX NV XXXX, where they told her there was a hold up with the transfer because they needed more information about the country where she was born and the citizenship of my boyfriend ( which he was the reference name on the wire transfer, both my boyfriend and mother are US citizens, at this point my mother never received a phone call or email telling her about any issues ) My mother 's English is not 100 % but she understood the banker that they were gon na fix the problem and they were gon na process it thru, but they never did. after I got off of work that day I went to the branch with my mother and talked to the banker again. They told me the transfer was being held for approval after the citizenship and my mother 's place of birth was confirmed. At this point my mother had to withdraw money from some credit cards in order to come up with the rest of the money to buy a cashiers check for XXXX dollars, because without that money we could not close the deal and seller of the house could n't get funded, that held us back 1 day. The banker told us they had put a cancellation order for the wire transfer and that the money should go back into her account as soon as possible. It has been 2 weeks and the money has not been returned to her account. Today she went to the branch again to ask what is going on and she was asked to provide my boyfriend 's social security information and ID to proof citizenship again before they can return the money back to her account. Now my question is, why are they withholding her money? Is there any law that prohibits a US citizen not born in the US to not be able to wire transfer money? Is it even legal for a bank for a bank to hold her money? i would assume if there was an issue and she could not wire transfer money, that money should have been returned automatically to her account? I am very confused and angry about the treatment she is getting, We have never experienced anything like this before, She has made many wire transfers before, she is a business owner so she always makes transfers, deposits withdraws and never experienced anything like this. The whole point of a wire transfer is to be able to transfer money in a secure and fast manner. The lack of commitment from bank of America to solve this problem is really appalling. And as soon as she gets that money back into her account she will be switching banks.

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