Consumer complaint received 2020-06-04
Company: CITIZENS FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.
State: OH
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: I do not know
Issue: False statements or representation
Sub-issue: Attempted to collect wrong amount

Complaint:
In XXXX, I had opened a joint checking account attached to my mothers via Citizens Bank ( formerly known as Charter One ). I was vaguely aware when I had the account set up that I would have overdraft protection that was never fully explained. To my understanding at the time, as well as now ( 11 years later ), my overdraft protection would pull from my savings account. 

On XX/XX/XXXX I attempted an online transfer of {$110.00} into my savings account from my checking, and it was transferred into an account called my ODP Checking. I've always seen this account online, but never had anyone explain this to me so I never touched it because my banking was also attached to my mothers. Once the amount was in accidentally transferred to account, I could not undo my mistake, or re-transfer the money to the proper savings account. It was stuck there. 

Over the course of the following week I called Citizens Bank  customer service twice. Each time I was dismissed by the representatives saying the money would go bounce back into the original account after a few days. It never did. 

When I called customer service a third time on XX/XX/XXXX to understand why this happened, the representative said she knew exactly why. She began to explain that the ODP account was actually a line of credit that my bank claims I agreed to open when I started my account at the age of XXXX. She went on to say that I currently owed {$850.00} for on the line of credit that began in XXXX. I apparently started to acquire debt when over drafting a total of {$3.00}, and an additional charge later on ( The she told me about yet I dont have access to viewing proof of ) that began to accumulate 21 % interest per month ever since. Apparently each month the bak would pull {$20.00} from my checking account to help me " pay off the line of credit ''. 

The assumption that any amount in overdraft was transferred from savings was false. At this very young and naive age I never recall agreeing to having a line of credit, nor my mother agreeing to sign me up under the age of XXXX to have access to credit of any kind. I'm not sure if this was something that wasn't properly explained to us, but it feels like manipulation and fraud. The customer service rep insisted that it had to be one of us who agreed to this, which is either not true, or that they had signed up an underage customer for a line of credit that was not properly explained to her or her guardian with the proper repercussions. 

The representative said that she receives many calls each day of customers not knowing that Citizens Bank had attached a line of credit to their accounts. To make matters worse, I had no idea that I was in debt of any kind with them for over two years. My email address has been attached to the account, and each month I have never received any type of notice from them that I currently owed such a high amount. This statement also does not come up anywhere on my online banking, and now I can't even access the account itself. When I tried to go back through statements on the ODP line of credit, the website claims there's " no history of transactions '' making it impossible to view any statements from any online browser. The rep said I must try multiple browsers, clear any cookies, cache, and refresh my log in before it can be attempted to viewed. In addition to this, once gaining access to any type of statement, it does not show the credit amount that is owed, and makes it very difficult to read. 
With the lack of bank notices for two years, incredibly high interest rates, and intentionally withheld information via their website, it is absurd to me that I can call customer service three times before finding out that I owed a unknown debt of over {$900.00} ( this  includes the {$110.00} transfer ). If I had not continued to call and inquire, the amount would have kept increasing without my knowledge. I do not understand how it is legal for a bank to open a line of credit without someones aware consent, and then charge them with high interest for years without giving them a monthly statement. If I didnt keep calling them and asking, I would have never known and owed even more. 

Now I cant even access proof of statements from this ODP account because I asked for rep to make overdraft stop pulling from my checking account. Once that occurred they closed the account and any proof I had available. They didnt make it easy for me to view my statements anyways, but now its completely closed, leaving only proof from my checking account of its existence which I am happy to provide. 

I then paid this off in full out of fear of acquiring anymore unknown debt and adding another month to a 20 % interest rate.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation