Consumer complaint received 2021-07-24
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
State: CA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Deposits and withdrawals

Complaint:
I am the XXXX  of a XXXX XXXX XXXX in XXXX XXXX, California that is registered with the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. I have had my XXXX  accounts with Chase Bank, since 2010. Since we are a decent size account, a private banker is assigned to us help us with our banking needs. 

On Wednesday XX/XX/XXXX, I was approached by an employee who had his check rejected by the bank. The check was around {$600.00}, and I had a balance in excess of {$110000.00} in the Chase Bank, as I regularly check my account balances. I called our private banker to see why the check is being rejected. She was not available and I left a message for her. Since it was late in the afternoon, I thought she would certainly call me back the next day. 

Early morning on XX/XX/XXXX, I checked the bank again. Our payroll tax deposits from IRS and EDD which were scheduled to be paid out of our account were not there either. We checked the XXXX  system and it showed that the payment was settled, but not was showing up in our bank account. 

I tried our Private banker one more time, but it I got her voicemail again. So, I sent her an email explaining the problem again. I thought while I am waiting for her response I would try the customer support for Chase. I was bounced around 3 times before I was connected to the person who could answer my question on why I don't see any of my transactions going through my account. Her response was that my account has been frozen because the bank had sent a notice to me to verify the ownership of the account in XXXX, and I did not respond. This was odd, because our office is very good with handling the mail in the office because of our profession. My first thought was the notice must have been lost in the mail, but then I thought the notifications are also posted in our online banking portal. To my surprise nothing was posted there either.

Nevertheless, I asked the Chase representative on options to reactivate the account. She said, the only option would be to go to the branch and sign the ownership verification form. She left the branch a message for me to be contacted, and finally an hour later I was contacted by our private banker, and made an appointment to go and sign the paper. I asked the private banker, whether I needed to bring any document with me to prove the ownership. She said I didn't need any documents. It is an honor system, and I just need to sign that I am the owner of the account. My driver 's license was the only document needed. 

During our conversation, I asked her whether she knew of any notification on my account, or whether she was ever notified that this document is required from me. She said she had not gotten any notification either. At that point I was certain that the bank has arbitrarily has made a decision to freeze the account without any notification. 

So, I thought this is an easy fix. I go to the bank, sign the document, and my account would be activated. I was wrong again. Once I signed the one page preprinted bank form, she said that it would take 2-3 business day to reactivate the account. I asked for an explanation, on how this could be? She said it would need to be reviewed by another department. That seemed really odd. I am signing a one page pre-printed form, which does not require any back up documentation and it is based on an honor system, and it would have to go through a review by another department? 

Meanwhile, my employees checks would bounce, my payroll taxes would bounce and my employees health insurance premium payment would bounce. To give her credit, she agreed that this is a ridiculous thing for the bank to do, especially on an account that has always had sizable balances and has always been in good standing with the bank. She was nice enough to write a formal complaint on my behalf to the branch manager explaining the situation. She gave me the business card of the branch manager, and she said the he would call me tomorrow XX/XX/XXXX to resolve this issue with me. 

I did not receive any call today, so I decided to right a complaint to the branch manager and explain the situation myself, and see if that could have any impact. In my letter to the branch manager, I requested for the bank to lift the freeze for one day and let the outstanding transactions to go through, and they could deactivate it until the review of the ownership verification is complete. As of the time of this complaint XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX pm PST, he has not responded to my email, and XXXX  system and California XXXX XXXX shows that the payroll tax payments have been bounced.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation