Consumer complaint received 2016-08-08
Company: Comerica
State: OR
Product: Bank account or service
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Deposits and withdrawals

Complaint:
I serve as XXXX. My father called me for assistance on an account he has at Comerica Bank. Based on my father 's experience, I believe Comerica Bank is in violation of Regulation E and is operating its Direct Express program in an Unfair and Deceptive Manner. The arrangement between the XXXX XXXX and Comerica should be looked into considering the vulnerable population they serve. 
My father receives Veteran 's benefits via a Direct Express account. On XXXX/XXXX/2016 he phoned their Customer Service line XXXX to verify his direct deposit and confirm his account balance. His balance was unexplainably lower than expected, so he went through a complicated touch tone process, eventually reaching a representative who read him a series of transactions that had recently occurred - each of them out of state and for varying amounts at establishments to which my father had never been. My father reported these transactions as fraudulent. The representative told my father that looking into these transactions could take 90 days and mentioned nothing about providing him provisional credit within 10 business days. On XXXX XXXX, my father phoned me to explain that he had called again to the XXXX number to find out if they had learned anything about the fraudulent transactions. The representative to whom he spoke said that he should have received something in the mail. My father informed the representative he had not received anything in the mail. The representative said he should wait because today is only the XXXX and they placed the information in the mail on the XXXX. This is when my father called me ( concerned that he will not be getting his money back ). We phoned the XXXX number together as a conference call. The Representative, " XXXX '' to whom we spoke at XXXX Pacific Time, went through a litany of identification processes to confirm my father 's identity, and then proceeded to explain that she is prohibited from having a conversation about my father 's account. We then explained that we would not ask questions about my father 's account specifically, but we wanted to gain an understanding of Comerica 's Reg E Dispute process. She stated she could not speak to us. I asked her if there was a number to call - and she reiterated the same XXXX number that we had dialed into to. She stated no one could answer our questions. We ended the call. I asked my father if he received a bank statement on this account. He stated that he does not - and does n't know why he does n't get a statement. I phoned back to the customer service line and went through a number of prompts to learn how he could obtain a paper statement. An electronic recording stated that in order to enroll in paper statements, a {$0.00} per month fee would be assessed. My father is unaware of how to reconcile his accounts online and is challenged to navigate Comerica 's terrible XXXX number, and is unable to have a helper assist him in navigating his account via telephone. To our knowledge, Comerica is doing nothing about the fraudulent charges and he is without any means of obtaining more information or customer service. To my knowledge, Comerica owes him provisional credit by the XXXX of XXXX, and has 45 days to research his claim from the date of learning about it, and up to 90 days under special circumstance. It is unfair and abusive that veterans are not entitled to free paper bank statements that would allow for others to assist them with their reconciliation processes. Comerica is in violation of Regulation DD in not allowing consumers to ask general product questions and receive account disclosure information unless they have an account. I understand that they can not ( for privacy reasons ) discuss account matters with persons that are not signers on the account.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation