Consumer complaint received 2018-01-10
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: NH
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:
I have college educational funds for my children at XXXX XXXX. In XX/XX/XXXX, while I was serving at a diplomatic post, I directed XXXX to send the proceeds of my XXXX account for my son to his college. They did not do so, and never told me that they had failed to send the funds. Instead, they placed a hold that they internally refer to as a " XXXX '' on the account -- and failed to notify me about this hold in any way.

In XX/XX/XXXX I decided to consolidate all accounts with another firm. That firm sent a normal transfer request to XXXX for the remaining accounts. XXXX ignored the request and never responded in any way. 

I am now getting ready to move to another XXXX XXXX I have pressed the matter with XXXX. I only discovered yesterday about the hold that XXXX had placed on the XXXX accounts, and XXXX will still not facilitate any transfer or release of the funds. They demanded my passport and drivers license to release the " XXXX ''. I obliged in person. However, they have continuously requested additional proof of my identity ( e.g. social security card ; and my son 's social security card - who is only a beneficiary and not the account holder ). They seek to find what identity documents I have, and those that I do n't have readily available ( e.g., because they are shipped in sea freight to a XXXX XXXX  ), and then XXXX will automatically pivot to require whatever item is unavailable at that time. They will not give me access to my funds despite my personally delivering to them yesterday two drivers licenses, two passports, two US Government employee IDs, etc. 

Now today, after also giving them a copy of my son 's drivers license ( which they said was the only step left to allow the transfer ) they have identified their own mistake in entering my son 's social security number with one digit off the correct number, and are relying on their typo as a major obstacle and an additional excuse not to give me access to my funds. They are now also making new demands for a copy of my son 's original social security card -- a document which unfortunately has been lost -- and which they know from my personal conversations with them can not be readily obtained. 

This denial of access has cost me days of work, and is particularly harmful because of the short timeline I have to work with before deploying abroad. There is no legal basis for XXXX to make unnecessary demands for triple and quadruple levels of identification from me or my son -- especially when my son is merely a beneficiary and not the owner of the account. I was shocked to learn about the XX/XX/XXXX hold and lack of notification XXXX provided to me about it when XXXX failed to heed my direction that the funds be sent to my son 's college. The lack of any apology, and refusal to identify relevant personnel at XXXX  makes the matter even worse. For example, the XXXX Assistant VP would go into another room to make calls, and come back with new sets of unreasonable demands, but will not tell me who is making the shifting demands ( even though I asked for that person 's name and contact number ), nor will they identify what office he/she is working from or how to get in touch with a responsible person. XXXX 's made-up and shifting internal rules represent a disgraceful and abusive situation, and XXXX should be severely penalized for these abusive practices.

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 explanation