Consumer complaint received 2022-12-15
Company: FIRST FINANCIAL BANCORP
State: FL
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Incorrect information on your report
Sub-issue: Account status incorrect

Complaint:
On XX/XX/XXXX I called First Financial Bank to close a checking account over the phone. This was an old account I wasnt using much anymore and had nearly forgotten about. On XX/XX/XXXX I was quickly reminded of it when I received a letter showing that I had accidentally tried to use that account to pay a credit card instead of using my current checking account. It was a matter of hitting the wrong button during an online payment. In a panic, I called First Financial to straighten it out and learned that everything was fine. The bank simply declined the payment. I wasnt overdrawn, owed no late fees and did not use my overdraft line of credit. To avoid this happening again in the future, I closed the checking account in the same phone call. The representative said that there were no issues with the account and that I would soon receive a check for the remainder in the account, which was between XXXX and XXXX  dollars. It took a couple of weeks, but I did receive the check. Not long after, ( XXXX, I think ) I got the idea that something might not be quite right because I got a statement in the mail showing I owed interest or possibly fees on an overdraft line of credit associated with the checking account I had closed in XXXX. I emailed First Financial Bank to ask what this was and got no response. On XX/XX/XXXX I got a call from XXXX at First and she told me that I owed the entirety of my overdraft line of credit XXXX XXXX XXXX to the bank. We both seemed to be puzzled by this. If the overdraft line is in use, the checking account cant be closed without it first being paid off. So neither of us were sure how my checking account was closed and I received a check if my overdraft line was not paid off. The other reason it was puzzling was I havent used that overdraft line in years. Neither of us knew why it the system would be showing that it was in use. XXXX said she would need to do more research and call me back. I told her that if a mistake has been made then I want to help fix it. Since I could no longer see my statements online due to my account being closed, I emailed First again to see if theres any way to access my statements. Again, I got no response. XXXX never did call me back, but about a week later I got a letter explaining that processing errors had occurred and an apology for the inconvenience. At this point I thought First had figured out the error and that it was resolved. I will attach the letter with this complaint along with a text showing the times two of my calls to First Financial took place. On XX/XX/13 I got a call from First stating that I owe the XXXX  from the overdraft line, plus interest that had been accruing over the past few months. I was also told that I needed to clear it up because its affecting your credit score. This representative put me in touch with XXXX, who was the first person who was able to explain what seems to have happened. From what XXXX said and showed me through documents that he emailed to me, it appeared that the overdraft line had accidentally disbursed into my account in XXXX, even though there was no need for it to, and it was not caught and corrected before I closed the account. So if this is correct, the representative I spoke with when I closed the account didnt notice it and the bank overpaid me by XXXX at the time they closed the account. Also, if this is correct this is a simple mistake made by the bank. All they would need to do is ask me to pay the {$500.00} back. Where it gets complicated is, they didnt. I asked about this in XXXX when I got a hint that something wasnt right, and although XXXX did tell me that they received my email, he also acknowledged that no one responded. He acknowledged that no one responded to my request for statements in XXXX as well, and that I did not get a call back from XXXX. He also told me that although XXXX had requested research on this issue, it had gone neglected for a month. During this time, and this is the real problem, First has made a report against my credit score 1. even though it was their mistake, and 2. before altering me to the problem and giving me the opportunity to fix it. Again, the opportunity to help them fix their mistake. This is a false report that has been made against me ; I didnt do anything except cash the check they sent me in the mail, and then help them try to figure where they messed up. Correcting this credit report is now contingent upon my paying back the money they accidentally gave me, which Ive already offered to do if they can show me that it was actually given to me, but now theyre asking for interest and a closing fee and Im in the position of negotiating lowering the fees on money that they gave me by mistake. It doesnt seem like they shouldve been able to make this credit report at all, yet they have and theyre using it as a fear tactic to get me to do what I have been trying to do since XXXX. I dont know how to proceed and I need guidance. It seems unethical for them to make an error and then report it against my credit in order to use it to bully me into fixing their mistake. It also seems unethical for them to send me a letter acknowledging that theyve made the mistake and the matter is resolved, then contact me two months later and tell me I owe them interest on the matter they said they resolved. I dont know what to do. I havent seen definitive evidence that they overpaid me in the first place, and I have no reason to believe that when I do pay them theyll retract their report against me.

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 non-monetary relief