Consumer complaint received 2017-11-30
Company: BANK OF THE WEST
State: MO
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Deposits and withdrawals

Complaint:
On XXXX XXXX, 2017, I deposited a check into my checking account via mobile deposit ( which I have used several times ). Online banking displayed the deposit as pending. We did not receive the first {$100.00} available as we typically do with other deposits. We have made several deposits in the past, much larger than {$300.00}, with no problem, and with the first {$100.00} available the first day and the rest available the next day. 

The next morning, on XXXX XXXX, 2017, we checked our account, and we saw the account being debited {$300.00} with the error stated XXXX and no further explanation. 

I called the bank around XXXX am on XXXX XXXX, 2017. I spoke wiht a XXXX at the branch in XXXX, Missouri, on XXXX XXXX. She informed me that she was not sure why there was a hold on our account, and to contact the customer service 1-800 number. She said she could see that there were items coming out of our account the same evening that we deposited the check that would have made us negative before the deposit. I told her that is why we made the deposit. 

I immediately contacted the customer service number, and the representative on the phone said the back office has the information on why the check was taken back out of our account, and that we could call the branch back and ask them to please make our funds available. 

I contacted the branch back, and spoke with XXXX again. She told me she would research the account and get back to me in a few hours after she met with some appointments she had scheduled. 

She called me back a few hours later, only to inform me she was not sure why they placed a hold on our check still. I asked her if we could verify funds on the check to make the money available ( or at least show it as pending instead of them taking our money back out of the account ) and she said that XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX does not verify funds. I asked how long the check will be on hold, and she said it is not authorized to be released until XXXX XXXX, 2017. I asked her why such a long hold, and she said she did not know. I did not know what else to say, so we got off the call. 

Later on that evening, I attempted to contact the 1-800 customer service number to discuss asking if we could stop the deposit so we could take our check to another bank account we have, that we never have this type of problem with. I waited on hold for 30 minutes and finally hung up after becoming frustrated. 

On XXXX XXXX, there is still nothing resolved, except on the morning of XXXX XXXX, we received a {$35.00} fee. 

We do not believe that is right, as we made a deposit the same day, that would have taken care of the fee we were charged, had the bank not chosen to place a hold on that particular check for some reason. 

It definitely appears that our check was placed on hold ( with no immediate funds made available and then the check taken out of the account - not even placed in pending mode ) to allow the bank to let our account go negative to collect a fee from us. Had even the first {$100.00} been made available to us, we would not have even received a fee or gone negative. 

We have never deposited a check that has not cleared our account and posted. We have never deposited a fraudulent check.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation