Consumer complaint received 2022-05-15
Company: M&T BANK CORPORATION
State: NE
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Funds not handled or disbursed as instructed

Complaint:
Below ( redacted ) is what I sent to M & T bank. ( In short, M & T gave POD money left to me to someone else ). Their process after receiving this letter was to have a person who 'volunteered " to take on my complaint, XXXX XXXX XXXX reach out personally to me. After him calling me at XXXX one morning and multiple phone tags. I spoke with him. 1 ) Dude hadn't even READ my letter ( below ). 2 ) Asked me multiple times what I wanted, I directed him to the letter again that he didn't read, XXXX ) Dude Called me back with some ridiculous offer without even asking about my expenses and it seemed clear he still hadn't read my letter so I sent it to him and he said he'd get back to me before the end of the week. THAT WAS XX/XX/XXXX. I never heard back from him but I did receive an apology voicemail from corporate and to reach back out to them as the people who messed the bleep up couldn't be bothered apparently to make me whole. I just feel like the managers at the brick and mortar stores and doing a lot of XXXX  for each other and refusing to acknowledge how much I was WRONGED in this situation. If I had not personally reached out to corporate, if I had not had my own fund to pursue going above and beyond to prove I was wronged, nothing, I still be out everything!!!! After several months I am still so infuriated at the behavior of M & T banks in PA and DE, that I just had to let it go for a bit so I could come back in a better head space to move forward. 

To Whom it May Concern at M & T Customer Service, If this had happened to anyone but me, I would think that person was a liar or exaggerating wildly. How is it even possible that POD funds did not go to the person listed on the account as POD? I am not lying or exaggerating, and I can prove it. Please find attached a detailed timeline with names and dates. 

In short, an M & T bank location gave POD ( payable on death ) money, left to me, to the wrong person, my cousin XXXX. I spent considerable time and sums to correct the situation including flying from XXXX to XXXX XXXX, because I was directly told that I had to appear in person to discuss the bank error and that in person was literally my ONLY option. The situation was proven to be 100 % the fault of M & T bank employees and 0 % my error.

A bit longer but still a shortened version, An M & T bank location ( XXXX, PA ) gave POD  ( payable on death ) money to a person who was not listed as POD. The XXXX bank location ( XXXX, DE ) told me repeatedly that I needed to appear in person at an M & T bank before I could have a conversation about what happened, or discuss possible recovery of the funds. Neither I, nor people from the M & T XXXX number could convince the home bank ( Delaware ) to consider remote identification validation using notary. I was directly told that my distance from an M & T location ( I live in Nebraska ), that the existence of a covid peak and that there was a precedent and procedure for remote was irrelevant. The home M & T location ( XXXX, DE ) just kept repeating that they could not help me and I needed to come into a bank location because until then they could not help me even though I lived across country. 

Shortly thereafter, I flew LITERALLY halfway across the country, paid out of my pocket. It took XXXX days, multiple people, and a lot of headaches to get the M & T error straightened out. The situation was found to be 100 % XXXX & XXXX fault. 0 % my fault. M & T employees ( Pennsylvania and XXXX ) did not follow procedures on multiple counts. After many conversations and a XXXX trip to a physical M & T bank location, I received the M & T POD funds by mail, at my home in Nebraska, XXXX weeks later. During that time the bank where I resolved the issue, in person, ( XXXX, VA ) regional XXXX was looking into how and if I could be reimbursed for my quite reasonable travel expenses. It took him over a month to relay that I needed to call the XXXX M & T number again because the people at the XXXX number would have to assist me because there was nothing future he could accomplish. 

I called the M & T XXXX number and told this lengthy ridiculousness a nice gentleman ; the gentleman put me on hold to talk to supervisor. At some point into the lengthy hold, I was transferred to an even nicer M & T employee, who had no idea of anything, she was not a supervisor, just a random new M & T employee who picked up the line. She told me to send a detailed letter via snail mail to this address. 

Multiple times during this process I have wanted to scream and throw things. This is NOT how someone should be treated after the death of a loved one. 

Lastly, I have zero proof that my cousin, XXX XXX, did anything wrong. In the meantime, my cousin continues to slander my name by telling everyone who will listen that I went against my grandmothers wishes and that I, the victim, stole the M & T account money ( and other funds ) that our grandmother left. I have no proof to the contrary. ( I have been ostracized by the family. ) If this had happened to anyone but me, I would think that person was a liar or exaggerating wildly. How is even possible that POD funds did not go to the person listed on the account as POD? I am not lying or exaggerating, and I can prove it. Please call me to discuss. 


Addendum 1 : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX passed away with me in XXXX. 
Account info on next page. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX I called the M & T XXXX bank ( XXXX, DE ) and was told that I was the POD on the account, and told the wrong information as to what I had to do as a POD to collect the funds ( wills, court orders etc ). I had teller check with her XXXX, XXXX XXXX, since of course a will etc is irrelevant for a P.O.D. XXXX corrected the incorrect information, and I was told to what I needed to send. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX Account closed and emptied. 

XX/XX/XXXX I find out that the account is closed and emptied. I suspect my cousin, NOT the POD, withdrew the funds on XX/XX/XXXX. 

XX/XX/XXXX I called XXXX M & T number. That person said I needed to talk to home M & T ( XXXX, DE ) and gave me the number and XXXX name. XXXX name was the same person I referenced on XXXX XXXX, XXXX, XXXX XXXX. 

Same date I called the XXXX bank M & T ( XXXX, DE ) and was told repeatedly that they could not help me and that MY ONLY OPTION to prove my identity as P.O.D. and speak further with me about this issue was for me to travel to an M & T branch as proving my identity was impossible by phone or notary. I directly pointed to the fact that given XXXX bank physical location closures that there much be an applicable process and procedure in place for remote. I was literally told, for the 10th or more time, that M & T ( XXXX, DE ) would not help me unless I appeared in person at an M & T branch. When I pointed out yet again that I live over a thousand miles away, the directive to appear in person was repeated. I could not believe this was the correct and only answer so I called the M & T XXXX number back. 

Same date I called the XXXX M & T number back and I explained the situation ( yet again ) this time to a very lovely woman including that the home bank wouldnt budge and surely there must be another way. The wonderful woman said it was ultimately up to the home M & T bank location XXXX that the XXXX M & T employee would call and see if something else was possible. The lovely woman put me on hold and came back to say that the home M & T bank said they had already talked to me and told me that I had to come into a bank location despite my location. The lovely XXXX woman was amazing and helped me find the closest location to be which was several states away from [ where I live ]. I make plans to travel to Washington DC because I know that city well and it was a direct flight XX/XX/XXXX Before I left home, I called my grandmothers M & T XXXX XXXX location again to ask them to confirm that I had everything that I would need at the back in DC and to ask if they would give the bank a heads up call. The really lovely woman who answered the phone said her XXXX, XXXX XXXX, was in a meeting but that she, the woman who answered the phone, would leave her XXXX. XXXX XXXX, a note for the XXXX to call me back as I had some time before I had to leave for my flight. XXXX XXXX did not call the DC bank or me. Never heard back from her. I called twice that day. 

Same Day I drove from [ XXXX XXXX to another XXXX XXXX ] took a direct flight to DC and went to the closest bank that had the latest open hours because I figured it would take a while. I spent ALL afternoon at the DC area M & T bank in XXXX while the AMAZING woman tried to figure out what happened and why the heck Id had to fly instead of remote during a COVID surge. Did I mention that I was in a walking boot from a stress fracture in my second metatarsal? XXXX XXXX can verify. We spent HOURS, I was there until the bank closed and it was clear that I would probably be needed to be in person at the bank the next day, so I got a hotel room near the airport and didnt leave the hotel at all due to COVID surge. 

XX/XX/XXXX The day that would have been my grandmothers XXXX birthday Same Day I returned to the M & T to sign paperwork and get a few things notarized. 

Same Day I sent an email to the DC area location that had so wonderfully assisted me and also asked verbally about my travel expenses being reimbursed. They said they would investigate. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX The DC area branch got back to me and told me they could not help and that I should call the XXXX M & T number to find our who could help me. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX I called the XXXX M & T number and told gave the short version of the story. I was put on hold for a long time and at some point a new person answered and I had tell this long bleeping story again and the awesome lady gave me this snail mail address. 


XX/XX/XXXX Finalized Letter and timeline. Addressed and mailed. 

[ the interactions with XXXX XXXX happened a few weeks later, I'm still feeling disrespected and XXXX did not help that feeling at all. ]

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation