Consumer complaint received 2016-02-09
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: FL
Product: Bank account or service
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Deposits and withdrawals

Complaint:
I am submitting a complaint about Wells Fargo holding funds from a check I deposited into my business checking account. The check was from a client and written to myself, the business owner, and my employee. I deposited the check in the ATM and was told funds would be available the following day. The funds showed up the following day on my account, but when I attempted to make a business purchase my card was declined. I immediately went into the branch and was told by a banker that there was a hard hold on the account even though the check funds had cleared due to the third party name on the account. They called loss prevention who advised me to simply bring in the third party and have her sign a hold harmless agreement and that the funds would be released or if I did nothing the funds would go back to the original account after ten business days. I took my employee out of the office to go to the branch and sign the agreement. After signing the paperwork, they then told me that they needed a proof of payment letter from the issuer of the check, XXXX. They told me to go to XXXX to obtain this letter. In an attempt to get this taken care of I went to XXXX personally to ask for this letter. XXXX advised me that it was ILLEGAL for them to give me a proof of payment and funds from the issuers account. I went back to Wells Fargo to inform them of the illegal action they sent me to do. The loss prevention team then told me to bring in my client who wrote me the check to verify the check and the funds. My client, myself, and my employee came into the branch and verified the check, showed the online banking for the account indicating the check was good and had processed. He also had XXXX verify over the phone the proof of funds to the personal banker and branch manager. They told us that the release would be completed within 24 to 48 hours. It has now been 19 business days, over three weeks and no funds have been released to myself or back to my client. I have been called a liar, given the run around, yelled at, hung up on, and treated like a criminal by Wells Fargo loss prevention. They have frozen my account and all my funds, in addition to the check funds. They have ruined a business transaction for over {$21000.00}. I have spent hours trying to speak with them and explain the FCPB regulations just to be hung up on. They are unreasonably holding my funds and not releasing them to myself or back to my client. This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever had to deal with. They keep telling me to do one thing, I do it, and then they say no do another thing. After all the running around I 'm doing I still have no account access, no funds, and no explanation. I have never been treated like this by anyone, no less a bank I have been loyal to for years with my business. This situation needs to be resolved right away, this is beyond out of hand. I have continued to reach out to managers and was told Id receive a call back and still never was called.

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