Consumer complaint received 2024-10-08
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Deposits and withdrawals
Company: BMO Bank, N.A. (CO)

My BMO Checking account was overdrafted on, XX/XX/year> by a recurring monthly charge of {$510.00}. BMO paid the overdrafting charge and applied an overdraft fee of {$15.00}, putting my account into a balance of - {$130.00}. I was notified in writing of the overdraft charge and fee on XX/XX/year>. On XX/XX/year>, I deposited my biweekly paycheck from my employer for {$3100.00} into my BMO Checking account via mobile deposit and received an email confirming the deposit. I received an email confirming the mobile deposit was approved on XX/XX/XXXX. I successfully logged into my online banking account and could see the new positive balance with the full value of the check minus the initial negative balance on XX/XX/XXXX. I called the BMO Customer Service phone line to request the removal of the {$15.00} overdraft fee as a one-time curtesy on XX/XX/XXXX at XXXXXXXX XXXX MT. The customer service representative could access my account, saw the charge, and approved the fee removal, but on attempting to remove the overdraft fee my account was locked, my online banking access was locked, and I was transferred to the fraud department phone line. The BMO fraud department agent informed me that the account was locked for suspected fraud and I would need to wait up to 30 days to receive my deposited check funds, and the call was concluded within 18 minutes from my initial call to the customer service line. I went in-person to the BMO Bank XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX after XXXXXXXX XXXX on the same day ( XX/XX/XXXX ) and spoke to the branch manager on duty. I presented the physical check which I had deposited via mobile deposit and the paycheck stub from my employer. She called the fraud department phone line and informed me they had flagged the check for fraud due to the appearance that it had been altered. I was informed there was nothing else they could do for me, nor could the check be cancelled and reissued by my employer for me to deposit in person with another bank. They provided me the phone number for the fraud department. I called the BMO fraud department on XX/XX/year> after receiving no further communication regarding my frozen account or funds from the check and still being locked out from logging in to my online banking account. I spoke with another agent who provided no explanation for the lack of written or proactive correspondence from the bank, suggesting that the verbal communication I initiated was sufficient. I was informed during this conversation that my case had not been assigned to an investigator with the banks fraud department, but I would receive a call from them once they had received my case and begun investigating the allegation of a fraudulently altered check. As of today, XX/XX/year> at XXXX XXXX I have received no written or verbal communication from the bank or their representatives since the last conversation initiated by my call on XX/XX/year>, and I remained locked out of all online banking and checking account access with BMO.