Consumer complaint received 2022-08-09
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Problem making or receiving payments
Company: PNC Bank N.A. (MI)

My accounts was offset ( cleared to XXXX balance ) by another account with my name on it. I was unaware of a transaction that put the other account in the negative and PNC 's decision to close or offset that balance with funds in my checking and savings account. This other account is my daughter 's account. This account was opened before she left Michigan to attend college in Tennessee. My name was placed on the account to allow me ability to perform transactions in her account during her absence. The branch representative never disclosed my ownership to this account or partnership in this account with putting my name on her account. Her name is not on my primary account. At the time of opening, she was XXXX turning XXXX in two weeks. She has had this account for two years with negative balances occurring occasionally but my account has never been affected ( deducted to offset the negative balance ) so I had no knowledge of any links between the two. When my account was cleared, I initially thought I was a victim of identity theft. I contacted PNC to find out what was going on. This was approximately XX/XX/2022. I was told that PNC took the money to offset a negative balance of {$16000.00} in my daughter 's account. My accounts were cleared of {$5000.00} total between checking and savings. According to PNC, a cashier 's check from Chase bank in the amount of {$16000.00} was deposited in her account through the ATM on XX/XX/2022. A letter was generated from PNC to my home address to me on XX/XX/2022 stating the check would be placed on hold for verification. However, I never received this letter. Three days later, according to PNC several phone calls was supposedly made by my daughter asking the bank to release the funds for a funeral. PNC stated they contacted XXXX XXXX to verify the check by phone, XXXX verified it, and the funds were released. Days later, the check was not cleared and the account reflected a negative balance and two weeks later the offset was taken from my primary account. I got this information after I started an investigation to find out why an offset was taken. I was never notified of any of these actions during any of these transactions. PNC claimed that I was a monitor/part owner of this account because my daughter was under XXXX when the account was opened. I was not notified of this or we could have waited the two weeks until her birthday to open an account if this was the case. I was told she was receiving a XXXX account due to her going to college and being a XXXX  but not that she was a minor or I would be responsible for her account. Also, as a customer myself, PNC has never released funds from a check to me unless the money was in my account to cover the check amount or the check had been verified. I asked why this process was not followed for my daughter 's account especially when PNC told me that my daughter 's account was negative {$500.00} already when the check was deposited in the ATM. In addition, when the alleged phone call was made by my daughter to PNC to give an exception to the process and release the funds, why was I not contacted for verification if I was the monitor/part owner and she is the minor. Finally, when PNC did decide to release the funds based on this phone call and called XXXX to verify funds, if the check was not valid, why did PNC not put in a report against XXXX instead of directing all fault to me. PNC decided not to reverse this transaction made to offset funds using my account, closed my daughter 's account and decided to leave my account open and send the remaining balance of approximately {$10000.00} to collections. I decided PNC did not protect me as the client so I closed my account on XX/XX/2022. I asked PNC for copies of the letter generated to place the check on hold ( XX/XX/2022 ), the phone recordings of my daughter calling in asking them to release funds, and the person contacted at XXXX who verified the funds. Also, I asked for a copy of the camera view of who deposited the check in the ATM because PNC stated it was not my daughter. PNC has refused to give me any information retrieved during investigation of this case. They told me if I wanted it, I would have to get a lawyer and have it subpoenaed for them to release documents to me. Therefore, I have no attachments to collaborate this statement as of yet. I have received a notice of collections on XX/XX/2022 to dispute by XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX. This notice is solely directed towards me and does not include any ownership from PNC for not following their company 's policies to protect me from these kind of situations. My primary account has never had anything of this sort in over 15 years of service as a client of PNC.