Consumer complaint received 2020-03-07
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: GA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Deposits and withdrawals

Complaint:
My mother committed XXXX  almost 3 weeks ago. She was a Wells Fargo customer and we found out as we started going through her affairs that she had set up all of her financial obligations on auto-pay to try to make things easier for me, her only son. 

I am also a Wells Fargo customer and stopped by my local branch to discuss her account and see what needed to be done. My mom had me listed as POD and the sole beneficiary for her account. They said they needed a death certificate and then could give me access to statements and to have the ability to administer her account. 

After speaking with the coroner I was notified that because she took her own life that an autopsy and toxicology report would have to be done and the official death certificate would likely take 4 months. 

I went back to another branch with what paperwork I did have at the time which was a notarized letter of cremation from the funeral director and a statement of death by a funeral directory which I'm told is what they send to social security. 

On the second visit I sat down with a banker and told him my concerns. I needed to make sure her auto-pays stay active for the time being and that I can see statements to make sure no fraud is occurring while we sort out her affairs and go through probate. 

The banker called the Estate Department and they reviewed my documents. I told them that was likely all I would have for quite some time and asked if they could help make sure everything stayed in place. 

Not only did they not help, they immediately froze her account and turned off her auto-pays and blocked the brokerage transfers she set up to keep the account funded. I basically begged them to work with me and asked if there was anything we could do to vet the situation ... .they came back saying " policy is policy. '' My local banker could clearly see the situation and that this was a com-passionless response that would make my families life worse. He escalated the situation and a day or two later I spoke to their resolution team. Same response ... '' policy is policy '', come back with a death certificate. 

As of right now her mortgage, power, gas, water, car insurance, and homeowners insurance payments have all been stopped even though she intentionally put all those in place to try to make my life a little easier knowing what she was about to do. 

I am POD and beneficiary and Wells Fargo has made no attempt to work with me and intentionally froze the account as I pleaded with them to find another way. Again, I am a longstanding Wells Fargo customer too and they had all my information. 

We now have to track down all of mom 's bills, pay late fees, and try to pay her mortgage and ours along with all the legal fees and everything else out of pocket which has caused an unnecessary hardship in our time of grief. Worst customer service I have ever experienced and I will be closing both our accounts as soon as it's practical.

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