Consumer complaint received 2021-04-20
Company: Synovus Bank
State: GA
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Home equity loan or line of credit (HELOC)
Issue: Trouble during payment process

Complaint:
We closed on our current home in XX/XX/XXXX. In order to avoid a jumbo loan, we have a principle mortgage ( with a 3rd party lender ), as well as a HELOC mortgage with Synovus Bank of XXXX, GA. This complaint regards my dealings with Synovus Bank since XXXX of last year, as I have attempted to pay my HELOC. Right before we closed on our mortgage, we were offered {$500.00} to open an account with Synovus, which we declined because we already had a bank account and did not want to confuse things. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I submitted a payment in the amount of {$200.00} via XXXX Bank ( my bank ) to Synovus via electronic bill pay. Synovus for some reason is unable to receive electronic transfers of money, so XXXX let me know that it would have to cut a check ( as it had done before ) and mail it to Synovus. On or about XX/XX/XXXX, I received correspondence from Synovus that I was behind on my payment. I called customer service and learned that they had not received my payment. I called XXXX and learned that my payment had never cleared. So, I immediately stopped payment on that check and paid Synovus bank through XXXX 's online bill pay {$400.00} on XX/XX/XXXX to make up for the missed payment in XXXX. At this time I also requested that the bank retract any comments it had made to credit reporting agencies, which they did. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I submitted a payment of {$370.00} to Synovus Bank through XXXX Bank 's automatic bill pay. Since XXXX I had made an effort to pay Synovus in the middle of the month ( although the check was not due until the 1st ) to give it time to clear. On or about XX/XX/XXXX, I received correspondence from Synovus that I was behind on my payment. I called customer service and learned that they had not received my payment. I called XXXX and learned that my payment had never cleared. So, I immediately stopped payment on this second check and paid Synovus bank {$750.00} on XX/XX/XXXX to make up for the missed XXXX payment. I made the payment on XX/XX/XXXX in person at the XXXX XXXX of Synovus Bank located at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, GA XXXX. When my XXXX check had failed to arrive to Synovus, their customer service representative had told me on the phone that it would be preferred for me to go into a bank branch to pay my mortgage, even though we were in the middle of a pandemic. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I made a {$380.00} payment via check ( # XXXX ) through the XXXX branch of Synovus bank, and this check cleared through XXXX bank on XX/XX/XXXX. However, on XX/XX/XXXX, I received a notice that my HELOC account was again in arrears. I wrote back to the customer service representative XXXX XXXX that I had paid my HELOC on time and attached images of the cleared check for her information. On the next day, the customer service representative stated that she would endeavor to look for our money. In the meantime, she suggested that we set up an autodraw on our account for the HELOC. I emailed her at the end of that week for a status update, but heard nothing back. On Monday, XX/XX/XXXX, she emailed me back that she found the check and had applied it to our account. I asked her how this had happened, and she had no information, but suggested that I could call the XXXX branch and inquire. 

At this point, I am concerned about Synovus ' internal processes and their ability to responsibly handle other people 's money. I work in a sensitive job for which I need a security clearance and any problems with my credit could be detrimental to my ability to maintain my employment. In addition, we could be in jeopardy of losing our home or having it foreclosed by Synovus if I were not very vigilant about this account. I am worried about authorizing an autodraw to Synovus given their poor history of handling my payments in the past. I also feel like this behavior is potentially retaliatory against our family for failing to have opened an account with them when we applied for our HELOC. This seems like a coercive business practice and I am concerned about Synovus ' ability to function in a trustworthy manner for other members of the public.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation