Consumer complaint received 2022-06-08
Company: DISCOVER BANK
State: NC
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Closing an account
Sub-issue: Company closed your account

Complaint:
-On XX/XX/2022 I opened a checking and savings account with Discover Bank XXXX 
-On XX/XX/2022 I sold my home and provided the Discover Bank Checking account as the account that the sale proceeds should be wired to. 
-On XX/XX/2022 the wire transfer was successful, bringing my Discover Bank checking account to {$180000.00}. 
-I made multiple point of sale transactions on the account, some ranging up to {$1500.00} without issue. 
-On XX/XX/2022 I requested an outgoing wire transfer of XXXX via the Discover mobile app. The wire was to a car dealership to purchase a vehicle. I included the vehicle 's VIN in the wire request. After submitting the wire request, I called Discover Bank and spoke with someone in the wire department to verify that I authorized the wire. The representative told me the wire was authorized, and that the funds would be sent out the same day. 
-On XX/XX/2022 I tried to login to my Discover account to see if the wire had gone through, and I couldn't log in. I was given a message that suspicious activity was detected on my account with a number to call. 
-On XX/XX/2022 I called the number provided in the message, and the fraud department representative informed me that a business decision was made and my account had been closed. I asked why the account was closed, and she said the only information she could provide was that a business decision was made to close the account. I asked where the money in my account would go, and they said they would mail me a paper check in 60-90 days for the remaining funds in my account, which at the time the account was closed, was around {$170000.00}. 
-I told the customer support representative that this was unbelievable and that the money in my account was from the sale of my home, and the outgoing wire transfer was to purchase a vehicle for my family. I asked why no one contacted me if they believed my activity was suspicious or fraudulent so I could clear up any concern, and she said that all should could tell me was that a business decision was made to close my account. I asked how my money would be returned to me, and she told me it would take 60-90 days to return my money. 
-The activity on my Discover account was legitimate and was not fraudulent in nature. And still, Discover Bank closed my account. As a result, I've lost access to the funds I earned from the sale of my home, for up to 90 days. Additionally, I lost the vehicle intended to purchase because Discover Bank canceled the outgoing wire before closing my account. 

The money I used to fund this account was not fraudulent, I could have easily proven where the money came from ( the HUD from the title company ). If this was their concern, I should have been given the opportunity to provide information as to where this money came from so the bank felt comfortable with me maintaining the checking account. 

The money I attempted to wire to a dealership was not fraudulent- I wanted to purchase a car for my family. Discover is not a physical bank, so I could not request a certified check- the only option I had was to request a wire.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation