Consumer complaint received 2023-08-29
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: MA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Problem caused by your funds being low
Sub-issue: Non-sufficient funds and associated fees

Complaint:
Today ( XX/XX/XXXX ) I signed in online to to check my bank account with Bank of America. 
XXXX large debit charges for XXXX and XXXX were listed on my account. I do not have funds in my bank account to cover these charges. 

I called Bank of America thinking that these XXXX charges were fraudulent. The representative informed me that these were legal holds from the state of Indiana. I asked if I had any rights to refuse these charges, and I was given the number for the Indiana XXXX  XXXX XXXX : XXXX I lived in Indiana from XXXX while working as a professor at Indiana University XXXX XXXX. In XXXX I moved to Vermont and then several years later I moved to my current address in Massachusetts, where I have lived for over a decade while working as a professor at a small XXXX XXXX XXXX. 

I do not know what these charges represent and was not notified in advance of any impending deduction. I am also concerned that the statute of limitations on this debt may have expired. Now I do not have money to pay any of my bills. It is quite upsetting. 

When I looked online, I learned that Bank of America has been sanctioned by the Consumer Finance Bureau for allowing out-of-state garnishments of bank accounts and paychecks. This was just XXXX year ago, and the bank agreed to clean up its systems. They obviously are continuing to subject consumers to this illegal practice. 

Here is the link to the article on your web site, " CFPB Orders Bank of America to Pay {$10.00} Million Penalty for Illegal Garnishments '' XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX 

Massachusetts has clear laws governing how much can be deducted from bank accounts and paychecks. According to XXXX, " In Massachusetts, the most a creditor can garnish from your wages is the lesser of : 15 % of your gross wages ( that is, before taxes or other mandatory deductions are taken out ) or. your disposable income less XXXX times the greater of the federal or the Massachusetts hourly minimum wage per week. '' I am dismayed that Bank of America would disregard the rights of its customers in this way and that my XXXX years as a customer with Bank of America did not warrant even an advance notification. I am also upset that despite the Consumer Protection Bureau 's order, issued in XXXX, the bank has ignored the Consumer Protection Bureau 's order to clean up its systems to halt these illegal out of state garnishments of bank accounts. 

Please help if you can.

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