Consumer complaint received 2016-05-01
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: TX
Product: Bank account or service
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Account opening, closing, or management

Complaint:
I applied for a business bank acct w/Bank of America online. I was approved & went into a branch with the co-owner and we established signature cards. BofA Business banking advised us that we could get a good deal on XXXX Payroll services if we each established personal checking accounts with BofA & used Direct Deposit. Each of us applied online for personal checking accounts and were approved. I went to BofA in XXXX and got a temporary personal ATM card on XXXX/XXXX/16. XXXX/XXXX/16 As a business, we contacted XXXX to find out how to set up payroll through BofA. On XXXX/XXXX/16, I bought breakfast with my temporary BofA personal ATM card at XXXX XXXX. On XXXX/XXXX/16, I went to buy breakfast from XXXX and was told by XXXX that the BofA Personal ATM card was inactive. XXXX : I called BofA from XXXX, XXXX and was told my personal ATM card had been reported " lost or stolen '' and I 'd have to get another card. I called back less than an hour later and was told my account was frozen and closed and that I had to personally go into a branch to retrieve my account balance and could not receive any further information over the phone. I was working XXXX & could not stop working to drive to BofA 2 hrs away. This caused me to be without food and our business was forced to incur a XXXX fee from XXXX because this was the only way the co-owner could send me payroll funds to allow me to have food to eat. On XXXX/XXXX/16, Saturday morning I traveled 2 hours to get to Bank of America to retrieve my funds and attempt to find out why I could not access my account and why it was frozen. Upon reaching the bank, XXXX bank representatives in XXXX tried to assist me. We contacted a phone number for internal Bank of America reps that said my account was frozen and closed due to suspected identity theft. I stated that I was in fact XXXX XXXX and I had opened the account and they said that it was too late now. I 'd have to re-open an account with new funds. In addition, they would not give me my bank balance in person. Instead, they mailed it 4 hours away to my home in XXXX, XXXX. Here 's the problem : 1st : After opening the personal acct, I went in person into BofA branch w/multiple forms of identification ; sat at desk of a branch rep & got a temporary ATM card. I 'm on VIDEO! A brief investigation would 've uncovered this information. There was no identity theft to warrant closing/freezing my acct 3 days AFTER I WENT IN PERSON ; 2nd : They told me to drive to a BofA branch to get my money, but when I paid expense to get there to retrieve much needed gas/food money they refused to give it & said they mailed it to mt home 4 hrs away. 3rd : They caused my business to incur added cost. 4th : They discriminated against me personally, but not my business account. I want to know how and why they are able to do this. Last week our business filed a complaint against XXXX XXXX because over zealous investigators failed to release {$1600.00} dollar XXXX payment to us from our business customer. XXXX got no customer complaint, held the payment for a week & then made contact w/our customer & misled him by announcing they were Fraud Division. He thought it was an unrelated charge. I personally drove 2 hours back to the customer to find out what was said. The customer wrote me a check for the {$1600.00} and I used that check as an opening deposit with Bank of America Business Account with the intention of making Bank of America my new bank because I did not appreciate XXXX & XXXX handling of the matter. It 's my belief that my complaint against XXXX may have something to do with this treatment by BofA because BofA approved my personal account but then committed bad business practice by closing my account w/out even calling me to notify me of their action. Also Is BofA 's treatment a result of XXXX misreporting? Is it retaliati

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