Consumer complaint received 2017-02-28
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: NM
Product: Bank account or service
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Account opening, closing, or management

Complaint:
I am recently divorced. The accounts at the Wells Fargo Bank on XXXX XXXX, NM were awarded to me by Court Order. Initially I went into the Bank Office there & was told that if my Ex-wife is removed from the account I MUST start a new account with fees etc. Since I have important direct deposits on my checking account, I did not want to do this. My Ex-wife, just to mess with me, came into that Branch Office. She showed the Bank Officer the Marital Agreement which plainly states that these accounts go to me. The Bank 's argument is that because they do NOT have a separate Court Order specifically addressed to them, this Court Order is not binding! So, on XX/XX/2017, my Ex-wife was allowed to close out my accounts & get the funds from those accounts! Fortunately, my Ex-wife is not stupid ( just nasty ). She then took those funds & made them into cashier checks made out to me. However, over that weekend I find my accounts empty & closed out & my debit card canceled! It turns out that the decision to cancel an account & make the owner start a new account is at the Bank Office Manager 's discretion! I did get back my accounts on XX/XX/2017 & let it be known that I expected no charges for doing so! My concerns are twofold : 1. Customer 's have rights also. I was categorically told initially that there was no way that I could keep my account. Yet, the reality is that I could but the Branch Manager did not want that because then they then can not charge you fees for a new account! Once again Wells Fargo Bank has found a way to rip off their customers. The customer 's should be given a choice of keeping the old account or setting up a new account. This choice was never presented to me until I raised XXXX on XX/XX/2017. 
Second, I find it incredulous that a Bank Officer after reading the Divorce Agreement signed by the Judge, decided that it was NOT binding! Then that Bank Officer allowed my Ex-wife to close out my accounts & get the cash funds from those accounts. All of this without my authorization!. Had my Ex-wife decided to keep those funds, she would have been legally guilty of stealing from me & the Wells Fargo Bank would have been an accessory to the crime! My attorneys assure me that the Judge 's Order on the Agreement is binding, despite the Bank Officer telling me it was not. 
It is clear to me that Wells Fargo Bank has been ripping off their customers ( what a surprise! ) with their arbitrary policy of making the customer 's close out their accounts when they did NOT have to. Then they charge the customer for opening a new account! 
It is absolutely mind boggling that the Bank XXXX would allow my Ex-wife to close out my account & get those funds, despite having seen the signed Court Order. Their argument that a Court Order is NOT binding unless it is separately made out to Wells Fargo Bank is specious & I doubt will hold up in a Court! 
As a final note, I wonder just how many customers, having gone through a divorce, then were ripped off by the Wells fargo Bank?

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