Consumer complaint received 2019-12-06
Product: Checking or savings account — Savings account
Issue: Closing an account — Can't close your account
Company: HSBC NORTH AMERICA HOLDINGS INC. (VA)

This is the craziest thing I have ever heard in banking. I work for XXXX. I have an HSBC savings. I had a checking there that I closed, and have a credit card that I am closing. I thought, last year, I lost a cashiers check of {$10000.00}. It was my money that I took out from HSBC, put in their savings account, and withdrew it to deposit elsewhere. I really think this company makes it difficult to leave. They issued a new one and had me stay there signing all kinds of notarized affidavits to issue a new check, of my money, and told me it was an exception to do this. The new check and the old had no expiration dates. Last week, I found one of the checks and tried to deposit it and it was returned by my other bank, XXXX. XXXX told me it may be returned because the date was XX/XX/2018. But, they said since it had no expiration date, they would try to see if the deposit would go through. If not they said to talk to HSBC. It didnt. That was fine. The assessed me {$12.00} for the return check fee today and said before, I could waive the charge. I went to HSBC this week. They refused to allow me to close my account and said I owed them {$10000.00} because I was issued two checks and they may have been cashed. I went off. One was supposed to be cancelled, stop payment, before it was deposited. The new one that I received, I couldnt recall if or where I deposited it. I am experiencing health problems and my short-term memory is fair at best. They could not even tell me which bank either was cashed at. Their research department is investigating and it takes them 7 to 10 days to do that. And, get this, they cant call the research department. I was there and asked, and they said they couldnt. I am so done with HSBC. As an XXXX  employee, I will file a complaint on any financial institution thatI can not get service from. I did years ago, against XXXX XXXX, because I couldnt close the account and get {$70000.00} from them. My reason was the same. I could not get though to talk to anyone via phone, and then when I would, I would be transferred, and transferred again, and then it would discount. Same situation except HSBC has a brick and mortar office near my condo. XXXX is online. So I have wasted my time, being sick, going and spending hours there just to do normal transactions. The VP there blamed me, for depositing two checks. Really, they should be able to trace transactions to ensure a cancelled check isnt cashed. And, she then told me they dont cancel or stop payments on checks. I XXXX near fell out of the chair. Why the XXXX would they keep me in there last year signing all of this paperwork, issue a new check, and not tell me the old one wasnt really cancelled, because their checks expire 90 days after non-deposit. Well, that would have been good to know then. So, when people lose, misplace, or have checks stolen and possibly cashed when they thought the HSBC branch cancelled it, HSBC expects to be paid for the deposited amount of the check that was supposed to be cancelled. But, oh wait. They dont cancel or stop payment on checks. Truth is stranger than fiction. The examiners should look into their IT systems. And this policy. It is the most ridiculous thing I ever heard from a bank. Thank you for looking into to this. Whether they trace and find the other check or not, they would never get their money back, especially if it was found by someone else and cashed. That alone is stupid. Have them fix this and save others this trouble. 

Also, I left a {$1000.00} in the savings maybe {$1500.00} because I thought it was a good bank and didnt want to close the account. They are holding my money while they research the two cashiers checks, and will not return it if they find that both checks were cashed. Well, get this, XXXX returned the one I deposited. SO THIS SHOULD BE A NONISSUE. There is no way both checks could be cashed. It is a wash. But their VP didnt understand this until almost one hour later of me arguing with her. Nor did the other person. A third person, employee, a personal banker, was there who completely understood and agreed with what actually happened. And understood that. I had to look up the rejected check in my XXXX account, have them take a phone shot of it because their inadequate IT system could not see the transaction. They had to have the research department look into it. They had no record of it in the branch. What the XXXX kind of institution is this where the branch can see their own rejected checks and cant call another division to find out what the XXXX happened? Their security systems are so good they cant even talk to each other. Too bad the rest isnt so. Thanks for looking into this and please check their IT systems. Or have an IT examiner go in and do it. They say because they are an international bank they are regulated more strictly and have more protocols. XXXX. So is XXXX and I dont have that problem with them. I can get my money anytime and they can reach back while Im standing there and get an answer in five minutes. Just like the rest of XXXX products, the services are below par too. Im sorry but Im pissed off. Consumers cancel checks so this wont happen and I was blamed for depositing two checks. Excuse me for having a brain injury. Happy holidays!