Consumer complaint received 2024-03-16
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Problem accessing account
Company: WEBSTER BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION (CT)

Im making this complaint on behalf of myself ; the below contact information is accurate for me and matches the relevant accounts.

I am a probate attorney and professional fiduciary. In this role, I have accounts where I am signatory for an entity ( estate or trust taxable under an EIN ), and I also have conservatorship accounts ( I am sole signatory to another individuals account taxable to the individuals SSN ). I presently have two accounts of each type ; the complaint is in reference to the individual accounts.

One Account was created several months ago, about a month after the Sterling back-end system was adopted. It was incorrectly set up by one manager, per another. This account never appeared in my online banking profile as it should have. 

I spoke with online banking support and was told the issue needed to be reviewed in-branch. 

I met with the manager of the XXXX XXXX branch to resolve this issues. That issue was summarized to me as follows : The new system offers three separate online banking interfaces individual, business, and treasury accounts I was incorrectly instructed to create a profile in the individual system, when I should be in the more fully-featured business customer system Websters issued an internal policy last year that customers can only have one login and only use one system. Additionally, customers enrolled in the incorrect system ( between individual and business ) would not be transferred to the correct system. 
The individual system was struggling with accounts of this type. 

I was told that he would work on getting the account type corrected, or worst-case open a new account the right way ( which I stated I was fine with ) so that it would correctly show up in the system. 

That meeting was six weeks ago. Not only is the issue not resolved, but a second conservatorship account that predated the system upgrade and was properly showing up in my online banking portal was removed from the portal. That is more concerning, as that account had online statement delivery and set up certain recurring payments, and these still exist in the system but I can not view and edit them. I continue to get emails that my online delivery statements are available rather than getting paper statements, so I have no access to statements. 

I have left two messages with the manager who helped me over the past three weeks ; those calls have not been returned.

I recognize that there may be no inherent entitlement to use online banking. But when a bank has issued online banking and allows that platform to be relied on for statement delivery and online bill payment, it seems a serious infraction to eliminate access to edit those arrangements after allowing them to be made. From what I understand, simply placing my customer account into the correct online banking system will resolve this issue, but for the fact that the architecture requires retail banking staff to do this and policy instructs them not to expend the effort doing so. Your assistance in encouraging them to make the necessary correction would be much appreciated.