Consumer complaint received 2023-04-05
Company: FIRST INTERSTATE BANCSYSTEM, INC.
State: WY
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Other banking product or service
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Funds not handled or disbursed as instructed

Complaint:
My Mother 's Trust account of which I am trustee and only legally authorized signer was allowed to have approximately {$40000.00} worth of checks written on it from XX/XX/XXXX ( date written ) of XXXX to XXXX. I reported this when I received the XXXX statement. I was told I had 60 days to report this from receipt of the first statement that showed fraud. 
When the complaint was addressed I was told I had only 30 days in the state of Wyoming from the date the first statement was available. This would mean that I was requited to do online banking and or contact the bank by phone, guessing when the date would be that it was available as per her response, the date is different each month. My mother was XXXX and did not use a computer. I rarely used the account except to pay for her bills. I feel this was a reach to require this and would like proof of this rule. Additionally, in my research regarding a bank 's duties, there is a level of trust that a customer should be able to feel, based on the bank 's fiduciary duties to ascertain that checks written have been signed by the correct person, signed by the person named as owner of the account and that the information such as title and address on the checks match any previous transactions, however this small bank allowed 11 checks to go through consecutively without noticing any of the red flags, including the fact some of the checks were quite large. My mother 's address was changed on the created checks from her address in Wyoming to an address in XXXX XXXX TX and a complete stranger was allowed to write each check. Additionally I was told different versions of the amount of time required to report.. I reported the day I received the XXXX statement and was not concerned that I did not receive the XXXX statement as I had also received a letter in XXXX saying an account at that same small bank had an incorrect address. ( it did not or I wouldn't have gotten the letter ). The bank 's response was that they apparently did not have client 's information in one database as an excuse as it was " for a different account?? : '' The bank watched my account activity and requested a copy of my POA and Will although this was sent by my Mother 's financial adviser in XXXX, brought in to the XXXX branch physically by me in XXXX and kept by them and requested again. I was told each time, copies were made and put on file but no one seemed to have it. I did send it to the XXXX XXXX in XXXX who scrutinized my use of the account but did not notice 11 Fraudulent checks that were clearly fraudulent went through without notice. The last response stating that I only had 30 days from the random date accessible only online or via phone makes me question, also, if that is also the case in the bank in the state of Montana that I had to contact initially since after several calls to both branches in XXXX, no one answered. l believe the Wyoming banks are branches of the XXXX XXXX.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation