Consumer complaint received 2015-06-22
Company: REGIONS FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: FL
Product: Bank account or service
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Account opening, closing, or management

Complaint:
Back ground info -- several months ago I signed for a loan with a friend because she had no credit, she was with REGIONS BANK and her banker told me I would have to add myself to her checking account so we could receive the loan for her. I did so and for several months she paid as agreed. In XX/XX/XXXX she closed her account without notifying me. 
Current information -- I have dealt with the local bank on XXXX XXXX in XXXX Florida the last several months. 
1 ) On XXXX XX/XX/XXXX while visiting the bank I spoke to one of the officers and he suggested that I deposit the sum of {$50.00} into a new bank account with them and that I could just transfer the payment from my current credit union each month to make the balance of the loan payments. 
2 ) On XX/XX/XXXX I received a letter from the Social Security Administration informing me that " on or about XX/XX/XXXX we changed your direct deposit information. We will send your Social Security payments to the new financial institution or account you selected ''. 
Immediately I contacted the local Social Security office and informed them that I had made NO SUCH request or changes. I was informed the bank did it for me. 
3 ) I then proceed to the Regions Bank in XXXX FL and demanded them to explain what was done. I was informed by the bank manager that the only way that the change could have occurred was if I had done it myself or the Social Security office was called while I was at the bank and I told them to do it. I DID NOT EVER CALL, CONTACT, OR REQUEST THE CHANGE BE MADE. The bank manager stated there was NO OTHER WAY it could be done that it was not in the scope of the bank. But clearly IT HAS BEEN DONE BY THEM, and someone is not owning up to this theft of my information. 
4 ) On Thursday XXXX XXXX the bank manager called Social Security on my behalf while I was in the office after some great deal of time she and the person on the other side of the phone were able to determine that I HAD NOT MADE ANY CALLS and that the transfer was done by computer. The bank manager was given a number to call XXXX for the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX office. they were to have returned her call in XXXX hours that time ran on Friday XX/XX/XXXX and it is now Monday XXXX XXXX at XXXX XXXX with no response from the bank. 
5 ) This is causing a great hardship on me because I live on a limited income and ALL of my bills are auto deducted from my bank account at my credit union. 
6 ) I have also checked with my credit union and they report that they did not move the Social Security account either. 
7 ) Finally I was informed that the Regions Bank account was free and that they would supply me with a debit card in case I I decided to use the account for anything else in the future or if I decided I wanted them to become my primary bank, Of which I informed them I had no intention of doing so that the account was only to be a convenience so as to make the payments. I ELECTRONICALLY signed for the account. At NO TIME was I shown the screen the bank officer was typing on or what i was signing for. In fact it was NOT until I received the notice from Social Security that I read the paperwork that was handed to me on the way OUT OF THE BANK that showed there is an {$8.00} per month charge just to have the account. 
I feel this is a breach of security and identity theft by the REGIONS BANK and they do not want to take responsibility for it as proved by the branch manager stating they had no control of the information that was transfer to Social Security and trying to tell me it is MY FAULT

Company public response: Company chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation