Consumer complaint received 2019-08-26
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: FL
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Banking errors

Complaint:
This complaint is directed at Bank of America. In XXXX of XXXX, I found out that Bank of America claimed that I had a closed overdrawn account. They had reported it as such to two companies, XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX XXXX. I didn't know about this issue until I tried to open an account at XXXX XXXX XXXX in XXXX, XXXX and was turned down. It took 5 weeks to get a report from XXXX XXXX and see the issue. From that point on, I worked diligently for over a year and a half to try and understand what the situation was. I had closed this account at a local branch in XXXX, Florida on XX/XX/XXXX and started using my XXXX XXXX account. I closed it because I was upset about their lack of service during hurricane Irma. Like I said, I spent at least one to two days per month from XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX calling the bank to try and understand how there could have been a overdrawn balance. I would literally spend 4 to 5 hours being transferred around to various departments within the bank and no one could tell me the exact reasons why. There were several fraud claims filed that I found out were never investigated, mainly because they didn't involve the real issue. However we did determine that 2 instances of fraud occurred 1. ) someone called the bank and requested a replacement ATM card. I filed a complaint with the postal inspector because I suspected that this card was intercepted and stolen. 2. ) someone tried to deposit a {$1700.00} check using their mobile app and the area code was from XXXX XXXX, TX. This was revealed in a call on XX/XX/XXXX ( mind you I had called in repeated from XXXX till then ) and I was told at that time that because the bank didn't suffer a loss that my record would be cleared. A claim was opened that day # XXXX. The employee who opened the claim was XXXX from Tennessee # XXXX. I was told to expect resolution in 4 to 5 weeks. I followed up on XX/XX/XXXX. Again I was routed around to various departments until I reached XXXX # XXXX. She told me that the claim filed in XXXX was never acted on. In a further review she asked me about a {$2500.00} check supposedly written in XX/XX/XXXX that I knew nothing about and it wasn't in the stack of statements they had mailed in XXXX ( two pages were missing ). She opened a claim # XXXX to investigate that {$2500.00} check as fraud because the bank actually honored it and that was what created the overdrawn situation. She said that I really should have been issued a provisional credit and that would have left the bank owing me {$880.00}. I followed up with them again on XX/XX/XXXX and was told nothing had been done with that claim and nothing would be done because a self imposed timeline had passed. My response back was that a lot of that time had been wasted by them due to gross incompetence. I believe if the correct issue had been identified way back in XXXX of XXXX, it could have been dealt with then. But I don't think they were really motivated to do that or help me make things right. I'm not in the habit of paying for things I'm not responsible for. I asked repeatedly why I was never notified of the overdrawn account earlier than when I discovered it myself. The bank said that for a period of 90 days, they didn't send notifications because of XXXX XXXX. Keep in mind I was an on line customer and had suppressed paper. They claimed they don't routinely email or call or send letters to customers about overdrawn accounts ( per XXXX XXXX in NC account recovery ). This whole situation spiraled out of control because of the bank 's incompetence and I, my wife and my two adult children are paying the price. This is {$1600.00} and I've invested more that that much of my time and I'm sure the bank has as well, so I don't understand why they refuse to own up to not protecting me from fraud and why they won't make this right.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation