Consumer complaint received 2024-07-14
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Closing an account — Can't close your account
Company: CITIZENS FINANCIAL GROUP, INC. (OH)

I provided the following information to the Ohio Division of Financial Institutions on XX/XX/XXXX, and they referred me to you : I had created a XXXX XXXX business ( XXXX XXXX  XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ) in order to rent a condominium I had purchased in XXXX The account was opened on XX/XX/XXXX, with a Business Checking account at XXXX XXXX XXXX ( now Citizens Bank ) at the local branch ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX ). Business Checking Account XXXX was under the name of XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX, XXXX XXXX Trustee. I maintained that exclusive banking arrangement through the sale of my XXXX condominium in XX/XX/XXXX. I kept the account open until XX/XX/XXXX. Upon the advice of my accountant, I initiated a request to close the account via a letter dated XX/XX/XXXX sent via XXXX Mail from XXXXXXXX XXXX where I was staying during the winter months. I have included a copy of the letter, which stated : I have dissolved XXXXXXXX XXXX after the sale of my rental property in XX/XX/XXXX. My accountant has advised me to close the checking account XXXX associated with this business. In further reviewing transaction history for this account, it was brought to my attention that a credit card processing company ( XXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX ) whom I had ceased doing business with in XXXX continued unauthorized debits of {$5.00} per month from my account. Please stop this debit. I will be pursuing these past issues directly with the credit card processing company. 
I am wintering in XXXX and am not able to visit a branch personally to close this account and will not be returning to XXXX until late XX/XX/XXXX. In the interim, I have issued a check ( XXXX XXXXXXXX, dated XX/XX/XXXX in the amount of {$7700.00} ) against this account to deposit most of the remaining cash balance into my XXXX account. Please allow this letter as an authorized request to close this account in its entirety and pay any additional remaining balances to me XXXX XXXX XXXX at the above address. 
Should you have any questions or issues regarding these matters, you may contact me via cell phone and/or email as indicated above. Thank you for your assistance. 
I assumed the account was closed based upon my instructions and the fact that I had withdrawn {$7700.00} from the account with a remaining balance of {$1.00}. On XX/XX/XXXX, I received in the US Mail a letter dated XX/XX/XXXX from Citizens XXXX titled FINAL REQUEST FOR OVERDRAWN PAYMENT. This was my first and only communications from Citizens that anything was wrong with the account closure. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, at XXXX XXXX, I called the phone number on the letter ( XXXX ) and spoke with XXXX XXXX. XXXX went through some preliminary account verifications and the telephone number he had listed on the account had been closed after the sale of my condominium in XXXX. He corrected the telephone contact on the account to my cell phone. I explained in detail what had occurred. He really could care less telling me that I had not appropriately closed the account. I offered to send him a copy of the letter I sent to my local banking branch, and XXXX said that even if I had closed the account properly, it would re-open if any transactions were processed against it within 30 days of closure. I told him that the first and ONLY notification I had of any overdraft situation was the above referenced Final Request received on XX/XX/XXXX. He stated that two telephone attempts were made to my disconnected telephone number on XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX. I explained to him the telephone number had been terminated when I sold the condominium in XXXX, and asked why he thought that a telephone call attempt to t discontinued number was sufficient, and why no written correspondence to my still valid address was made. I asked why a letter was not sent advising me of an overdraft situation before the Final Request letter I received on XX/XX/XXXX. ( He had no record of the Final Request letter. ) He proceeded repeatedly to tell me that the bank has NO OBLIGATION to notify me of an overdraft situation, and this was done as a COURTESY ONLY. I asked him several times to make sure what he was telling me was what he said, and each time he reaffirmed this. He then spoke with his supervisor requesting a resolution which would entail me paying via a credit card an amount of {$35.00} for a subscription payment request from XXXX XXXX for {$25.00}, and two additional unauthorized and fraudulent charges from XXXXXXXX XXXX for {$5.00} each. I told him I would be pursuing the unauthorized charges with XXXX XXXX, but it had been years since I used their card processing platform, and I would have to search my business records to find out who to even call. I told him I would assume if my Checking Account were closed, it would not be possible for additional charges to occur. He told me again that I had not properly closed the account, and even if I did, if additional monthly payment requests were made against the account, the checking account would re-open and incur that liability. He then stated he could not complete the proposed resolution of the {$35.00} payment, and I would have to call back on XX/XX/XXXX to XXXX so that they could process the credit card collection of the overdraft amounts. I asked to speak to a supervisor, and he came back and said, she isnt available to speak to you. He stated he would document our conversation and open a ticket on his end of my concern for an unresolved call. I spent a total of XXXX minutes trying to get this issue resolved ( unsuccessfully ). 

Today, ( XX/XX/XXXX ) at XXXX XXXX, I called the number XXXX had provided. The number was to the Repossession Department, who was closed, and whose business hours are XXXX from XXXX XXXX to XXXX XXXX 

I am leaving for XXXX on XXXX ( XX/XX/XXXX ) and will not be returning until XX/XX/XXXX. Telephoning from XXXX is not financially possible. I used this bank exclusively transacting all my rental income and expenses for over 15 years ; it should not be this difficult to terminate an at will business checking account.