Consumer complaint received 2021-04-07
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: VA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Closing an account
Sub-issue: Company closed your account

Complaint:
Wells Fargo closed my primary checking account of 28 years, as well as a savings account due to an internal XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  ) error on their end. The XXXX error is associated with my wife, XXXX XXXX, who XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX. The only communication about this CIP error was addressed to my wife, but sent to her mother 's address in Connecticut. We live in Virginia, and at the same primary residence here for the past 14 years. I, XXXX XXXX, am the primary on the account since it was opened in XXXX. My wife was added in XXXX when we were married. 

Per Wells Fargo, there was a dupilicate profile issue with my wife, thus a XXXX letter being sent about it to the wrong address. When my mother-in-law sent me a picture of the letter in late XXXX, shortly after it was received in my wife 's name at her address in CT, I made an appointment with my local Wells Fargo branch in XXXX, VA for XX/XX/XXXX. I went in to the branch with my wife XXXX XXXX ' death certificate, and was informed that it was associated with an account that was closed back in XX/XX/XXXX, shortly after my wife 's passing. He advised me that whenever I'm ready to come back to remove her from my accounts, just bring the death certificate back in, and he can do so, along with updating the beneficiaries. 

On Friday, XX/XX/XXXX, I received a text from Wells stating my checking account balance was at XXXX dollars. I called Wells and they informed me it was a XXXX error account closure and I needed to go into the branch to resolve. I went to another local branch and worked with the branch XXXX there for nearly 2 hours as he called the XXXX department and XXXX XXXX department to no avail. He ultimately had to file an XXXX internal complaint with Wells Fargo on my behalf. 

My 28 year-old checking account, one savings account, and my mother-in-law 's XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX checking account she was a joint owner with my wife XXXX XXXX on, were all closed out due to this Wells Fargo error. I had been to Wells Fargo twice since my wife 's passing in XXXX with a death certificate, which the banker viewed, but never did anything with. Then Wells sends communications to the wrong address for my wife. This is 100 percent, a Wells Fargo error, which they have acknowledged multiple times. 

The XXXX XXXX my case was escalated to, has been able to do absolutely nothing since it was assigned to them on Friday afternoon, XX/XX/XXXX. The representative I have been working with called me yesterday afternoon with an update stating that the internal XXXX XXXX team will not even speak with her team, so she had to contact the branch XXXX I was working with to reach out to the XXXX XXXX team. She then advised they stated they can not guarantee they can remove my wife from the accounts that have been closed. They were hypothesizing that if they remove my wife from the accounts, the XXXX error will fall off, thus allowing them to reopen my erroneously closed accounts. I have zero confidence with Wells Fargo at this point. This is time sensitive and I feel that they have been unethical, unprofessional, and possibly even discriminatory as my wife is XXXX, and a customer of Wells for 16 years herself and suddenly was targeted for a XXXX review. 

The impacts so far has been : - 3 bounced auto-debits from my account - State/Federal Income Tax refunds are in limbo, as it was file about 2 weeks ago and they should be processing to my checking account now - My paycheck scheduled to deposit on XX/XX/XXXX, will bounce back to my employer XXXX XXXX, and since everyone is remote still, they can not cut me a paper check, and will not attempt to give me that money until my next paycheck, 2 weeks later - Car Insurance auto-debit payment bounce - Potential Credit Score drop - Mother-in-law 's XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Social Security payment did not deposit on Saturday, XX/XX/XXXX, as scheduled Wells Fargo has shown zero sense of urgency in fixing their error and getting my financial lifeblood for nearly 30 years reopened. This was their error, and they have spent more time providing internal roadblocks due to their own hierarchy/silo issues instead of helping a long time customer they have wronged. I have been impacted financially and XXXX as I am still XXXX my wife 's passing due to XXXX nearly a year ago, and now I have to stir things up because of a situation with her. I find it absolutely ridiculous nothing has been done and I have been put on standard SLA 's for getting this 'potentially ' resolved.

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 monetary relief