Consumer complaint received 2020-09-22
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: TX
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Savings account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Funds not handled or disbursed as instructed

Complaint:
XX/XX/XXXX I opened a Citibank High Yield Savings Account online. 
XX/XX/XXXX I linked my local bank checking account with the Citibank savings account to transfer money to the new Citibank savings account. 
XX/XX/XXXX Citibank sent me an email telling me the account link was verified, and I could transfer money. 
XX/XX/XXXX I logged into the Citibank savings account and transferred {$100000.00} from my local bank ( not Citibank ) to the Citibank savings account. I received an email from Citibank on XX/XX/XXXX that they received my request to transfer the {$100000.00} to my Citibank savings account. 
XX/XX/XXXX The {$100000.00} was taken out of my local checking account at my local bank by Citibank on XX/XX/XXXX. 
XX/XX/XXXX Citibank sent me an email that my money transfer had been suspended and that I needed to contact them to resolve the matter. The email said the money would be back in my local bank account in 3-4 business days. When I called Citibank, the person verified all of my personal info, but because I could not give her a debit card number, she said I needed to call back once I could give her my debit card number. I explained to her that there is {$100000.00} missing, not being deposited in my Citi account which has already been taken out of my local checking account, and I need to know what is going on. I told her this is a new saving account, that I do not have a debit card. She kept repeating that without a debit card number to give her, she could not help me. I asked her what I am supposed to do to get the {$100000.00} back, she said to call back once I have a debit card ( which Citi had not even mailed out to me yet ). She kept saying I needed to call back once I have a debit card. I asked for a supervisor, she said she is the supervisor. I hung up and called back hoping to get someone more helpful. When I called back, I went through the story again, the lady was able to verify the {$100000.00} was rejected because it was determined it was fraud, and it would be returned to my local bank account on XX/XX/XXXX. 
XX/XX/XXXX Deposit was not returned. 
XX/XX/XXXX I called Citibank again, was eventually routed to the fraud department, where I was told the deposit return was attempted on XX/XX/XXXX but did not go through. Then I was told that another attempt was going to be made on XX/XX/XXXX. So, I called my local bank and asked them to check to see if there was a pending deposit from Citibank for {$100000.00}. There was nothing pending. I again called Citibank back, then I was routed to the IT department, because the fraud department said the IT department had to help because this was a transfer initiated online. The IT department said the return deposit was not going back into my local bank account because a debit return request had to be made by my bank in order for me to get my money back. So, I went to my bank and worked with a banker to get this done. My local banker said if a bank to bank transfer was rejected, it should automatically come back into my account, there are not any requests that need to be made. So with my local banker, I again got on the phone with Citibank fraud department, who now said that no requests have to be made to get the money put back into my account, that Citibank will have the money back in my local bank account in 3 to 4 business days. The Citibank rep said by XX/XX/XXXX if the money is not back in my local bank account, then I should call them back. This is absolutely ridiculous. If Citibank was concerned that my transfer of {$100000.00} was fraud, they should have called me. Or they should have called my bank ( they said they did, but there is no evidence of this ). And once they decided they were going to reject the {$100000.00} transfer, it should have gone back into my local bank account where it came from. I should not have to spend this much time and effort and have to stress about where my missing {$100000.00} is. If I practiced medicine like they have treated me, I would be sued for malpractice.

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