Consumer complaint received 2024-10-22
Product: Checking or savings account — CD (Certificate of Deposit)
Issue: Managing an account — Problem with fees or penalties
Company: CITIBANK, N.A. (CA)

I am a Citi Priority customer, I have a checking account ( ending with XXXX ), two savings accounts ( ending with XXXX and XXXX ), and a Certificate of Deposit ( ending with XXXX ) under my name ( XXXX XXXX ) at Citi , which has my life savings around {$65000.00}. On XX/XX/year>, when I tried logging into my Citi account, it says " Access Blocked ''. After multiple calls to Customer Service without resolution, I finally got a call on XX/XX/XXXX from Citi, telling me that they have unblocked my accounts. I confirmed that I could login. I also received a letter from the Citi Fraud Department, dated XX/XX/XXXX, stating the reason for the block was that " the account received a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX deposit of {$1000.00} ... Once [ their ] Fraud Department completed their review, the decision was made to remove the block from [ my ] accounts and restore [ my ] online access on XX/XX/year> ''. For me, this reason is not valid since the debit card is not a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. It is my own debit card from my checking account at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. 

Just days later, on XX/XX/XXXX, I was blocked from accessing my accounts again despite making no further transactions. I called customer service and Fraud Department multiple times again, receiving inconsistent responses. I was repeatedly questioned about the same {$1000.00} deposit, even though Citi had already stated in their letter that the issue has been resolved. 

During one of these calls, I was told that the block had been lifted, but I was still unable to login. When I called again, I was told that they had a miscommunication and that the only way to remove the block was to get me verified through a reference letter that they will send in the mail even though they had already verified me in the beginning of the call by sending a verification code to my phone number. 

The next day, I got a letter from Citibank Fraud Prevention in the mail saying that pursuant to a recent review, they can no longer service my Citibank accounts and that they have taken the steps to terminate my banking relationships with Citibank and that my accounts will be closed within sixty days from the date of the letter. The letter also said that I may visit my local branch to determine if Im entitled to the funds sooner. 

I went to a Citibank branch and showed the letter to XXXX XXXX, the personal banker there. She told me that I will be able to receive all my funds from all my accounts, but in order for me to receive the funds from my Certificate of Deposit account ( {$60000.00} ), I will need to pay a {$630.00} penalty because my Certificate of Deposit has not reached its maturity date. 

The penalty, however, is unfair and illegal since it was Citis decision to terminate the banking relationship of all my accounts, INCLUDING my Certificate of Deposit, without any valid reason, which forced me to withdraw all my funds. It doesnt make sense that I should be the one to pay the penalty for the early withdrawal since it was Citi who wanted to close my accounts and I did not have a choice. Also, it was because of their own negligence and the lack of due diligence of their Fraud Department that the deposit of {$1000.00} seemed fraudulent such that they had to block access to ALL my accounts TWICE within a week, even after they said that they had completed their review and had decided to unblock my access to my accounts the first time before blocking it again a few days later, even though I have not made a single transaction at all. 

Citi should refund me the {$630.00} penalty along with the one month worth of interest that I have earned through my Certificate of Deposit account ( since it has been around one month since Ive opened the Certificate of Deposit account and I haven't received any interest yet ).