Consumer complaint received 2017-10-17
Company: CITIZENS FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.
State: MA
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Private student loan debt
Issue: Took or threatened to take negative or legal action
Sub-issue: Threatened to sue you for very old debt

Complaint:
Dear Sir/Madam : I am being sued by XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) who filed a complaint against me in XXXX XXXX, XXXX. I now have a pre-trial conference scheduled for XXXX XXXX and a trial scheduled to take place the following month. I have been in a legal battle with this entity for two years and managed to vacate a judgment placed against me. I do not have a lawyer because I simply can not afford one. I have filed numerous complaints ( before I was sued ) with the Attorney Generals Office as well as Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ( CFPB ) against XXXX who claim to own my private student loans to no avail. Both agencies failed to conduct a proper investigation into the matter and failed to protect me as a consumer. After I had conducted an investigation, I realized that XXXX did not own my private student loans due to the following : 1. XXXX provided copies of my promissory notes with missing pages ( e.g terms and conditions ) 2. XXXX provided copies of their Pool Supplement and Deposit & Sale Agreements which were not fully executed, did not list my name, did not reference promissory notes, no purchase amounts listed and not notorized. 
3. It is unclear if the name listed under the lender, Charter One Bank, N.A. Is an authorized signer. Most companies have a delegation of authority in place. 
4. XXXX is claiming I owe more than what I borrowed and paid towards the private student loans. 
5. Charter One Bank was acquired by Citizens Bank in XXXX but did not change their name until XXXX. It is unclear whether Citizens Bank sold the debt or paid it off when they purchased Charter One Bank. 
6. Citizens Bank is unable to confirm the business transaction between Charter One Bank and XXXX. 

When I read the XXXX XXXX XXXX article about CFPB filing a lawsuit against XXXX, I thought finally there was light at the end of the tunnel. This quickly changed when I called CFPB only to find out no one knew about the case. I thought CFPB made it clear to XXXX to cease all collection efforts in regards to debt collection until an audit was performed? Why am I still being sued? I hope you understand that there are individuals going through the legal process now. Not just those who were already sued and have been paying XXXX. What do you say to those individuals such as myself? Sorry we can not give legal advice. This does not make any sense. CFPB should take full responsibility for letting millions of consumers down. XXXX have been illegally filing false claims in court against borrowers since XXXX. You finally did a review and filed a complaint against this entity in XXXX. Really? If you think you deserve a pat on the back ... ..you dont deserve it. As a matter of fact you should also be sued for your failure to properly conduct an investigation, communicate with consumers and taking action against the entity in question. I need someone in upper management who is familiar with this case to contact me.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation