Consumer complaint received 2023-02-24
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
State: OR
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Cashing a check

Complaint:
The Chase Bank in XXXX AZ is where my potential mother-in-law banks, exclusively. I opened an account at my local XXXX Oregon Chase so that we could easily transfer money and as she advised me to do.

One day I get a call from the future mother-in-law. She said she'd arrived back from the bank ; she couldnt transfer any money into my brand new account. She continued. The teller told me that you wouldnt be able to use your ATM card, make withdrawals, deposits, transfers or do online banking because of some type of fraudulent activity happening. She recommends me to... get ahold of the bank and sort it out immediately! She ... would wait until it is sorted out to transfer. the much needed funds. 
I apologized more then needed, it showed how much embarrassment I felt. I assured her that I could not think of any reason why this would be happening. I also had to assured others who had quickly found out over the course of a weekend. This ordeal left me feeling unexpected shame. I must look like a liar! My banking history in combination with my almost perfect credit score is something I am very proud of. Its a mistake and I was sure that the FRAUD that I was accused of committing has to be the other way around I suggested that maybe someone else had tried to charge my account fraudulently? Chase had my best interest at hand, after all. 
I called the bank. I learned how the government funded checks that I had attempted to deposit were rejected. I had done so to help a very dear friend of mine. The checks did not make it past the third party verification process. The representative I spoke with assured me that all funds were frozen and admits that everything the mother in law had said was true. I demanded the reason for this. What was stated next is the direct opposite from the morning I opened my account. I was told upon opening my account that third party checks are dealt with on a case by case bases however the bank employee assured me that I shouldnt be subjected to such scrutiny. I was left feeling confident. I felt confidence that I would not have any problems banking with Chase, and why should I? Now after an hour of prodding they finally reveal the reasons for the rejection. I did not yet have the amount in my account to cover the entire amount of the deposit. On top of that, it was then illustrated to me that the back office could not find any appropriate relationship between me and the person the check had been originally written for. 
For that being admitted really hurt me and wounded my dignity. The fact was clear, I am a younger XXXX who is also a XXXX person and the person the check had been originally written to was a very elderly XXXX. Had I been an older professional white male this transaction would not have been questioned.

This is a violation of privacy, discriminatory as well as arbitrary.

Chase is very aware of the situation. Its been close to a year and I am still fighting to get funds released and my account back in good standing. 
Only getting a courtesy call from Chases executive office alerting me in a very authoritative and questioning tone We take complaints about discrimination very seriously. The tone used was to intimidate me. 
. 
How should I proceed.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation