Consumer complaint received 2016-03-22
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: MD
Product: Bank account or service
Sub-product: Other bank product/service
Issue: Deposits and withdrawals

Complaint:
To Whom It May Concern, I am contacting you regarding a matter from the 2015 tax season. I was unable to receive my refund last year due to issues with my bank processing my return. I should start by bearing some responsibility for this mishap but due process was not followed by the Bank to fix the issue. 

Last year I filed my taxes and opted my tax return be direct deposited into my Bank of America account. I gave my correct account number, but mistakenly provided my routing number for incoming wires instead of an electronic routing number. Because of this error, my tax return was unable to be deposited into my account. After about waiting a month for my return, I contacted the Comptroller of the state of Maryland and was told that my return has already been sent to Bank of America. I proceeded to contact Bank of America but they informed me they had not received any transfers and could not help me. It should be noted that I called and visited centers of Bank of America multiple times early on and I was told by multiple representatives that they could n't help me and to check back with the state. I even put representatives from both Bank of America and The Comptroller of Maryland on a conference call, but they were unable to find a solution. 

Bank of America told me that if I gave the incorrect routing information, the transfer would be denied and returned immediately. The state told me that no money was returned so they could n't reissue me a check. The state helped me by giving me a trace number for the transfer ( XXXX ). Bank of America used the trace number to track the funds but could not locate its precise location because their records in the wire department & ACH department are deleted after three months of the initiation of transfer. The money has not been returned to the state and the tracer shows that it was deposited somewhere in Bank of America. I have talked to banking center managers and I 've talked to the bank ( XXXX XXXX XXXX ) of the comptroller who has provided me with more than enough evidence ( Trace Numbers ) showing that they have sent the money to BOA and it was never returned. Bank of America has told me they no longer can help me with this issue and to not contact them again regarding this mishap. 

I am filing this claim not because I need the money ( Even though being a XXXX student, it would certainly come in handy ). I am filing this claim because it is a matter of principle. I ca n't be forced to accept the bank loosing my hard earned money because of some " Technical Deficiencies ''. 

I should note that the Federal Return was processed correctly. The money from the IRS was returned by Bank of America and I promptly Received a check in the Mail four days later. I do n't understand why the same thing was not done for my Maryland return. 

I am frankly appalled with the way my bank has handled this situation. From treating it as a " Non Issue '' from the start, to then coming around and blaming me for not contacting them earlier ( even though they have records of me calling multiple times to inquire about my funds ). At this moment my tax return is somewhere in Bank of America, and I would like the CFPB help me find it.

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 explanation