Consumer complaint received 2024-01-17
Product: Checking or savings account — Savings account
Issue: Managing an account — Deposits and withdrawals
Company: CITIZENS FINANCIAL GROUP, INC. (NJ)

On XX/XX/XXXX I opened a Citizens Access Savings account with citizens bank which is the biggest mistake I have ever made in my XXXX  years alive. ACCOUNT NUMBER : # XXXXXXXX, and since then I have made 7 different deposits which comes to a total of {$410000.00} into this account, On XX/XX/XXXX I called Citizens over the phone to request a withdrawal to my linked external account and I was giving a confirmation number for the request with is XXXX XXXX, about 1 hour later I received the email below, Hi XXXX XXXX XXXX We are informing you that a restriction has been Add on your Citizens Access Savings account ending in XXXX. Details of the restriction are listed below : Restriction Name : XXXX Restriction Date : XX/XX/XXXX Please call us at XXXX with any questions. 


Thanks for banking with us! 

Your Citizens Team Which means almost immediately they locked my funds, and canceled my withdrawal request, I called Citizens immediately and requested they make my asset available and they told me they need to review my account for 7 days, then on XX/XX/XXXX. XXXX I received the email below. 

Hi XXXX XXXX, We are informing you that a restriction has been Delete on your Citizens Access Savings account ending in XXXX. Details of the restriction are listed below : Restriction Name : XXXX Restriction Date : XX/XX/XXXX Please call us at XXXX with any questions. 


Thanks for banking with us! 

Your Citizens Team " And once they claimed my funds were available, and restriction has been removed I logged into my account online and made a withdrawal request, then again my withdrawal request was canceled then they disabled my online banking, and again restricted my account from making any withdrawals.

Then again I called to ask what's happening and they couldn't provide me any information but the agent re-activated my online banking and told me that I will receive an email again to inform me the restriction as been removed, and told me to call back in 3 days if the restriction on the account has not been removed, but up till today XX/XX/XXXX I have not received any email of such and I am unable to access my money. 

On XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX I received a call from someone at citizens who told me to make a call back request through my other bank for deposits made, but majority of the deposits came from my bank account which I already closed after moving my funds to citizens bank, and I made her understand that this is not possible because I moved everything in external bank to citizens and I closed the account after that, there is no way I can call back funds into a closed account. 

I am XXXX XXXX XXXX and I have served this great nation in the XXXX XXXX XXXX and in my almost 7 decades of banking I have never experienced anything like what Citizens bank is making me go through, and I do not think it is in any shape or form fair on me to be going through such stress over my own funds, this issue has caused me significant inconvenience and financial distress, and it has critically affected my health, I have called citizens bank over 10 times with different case numbers listed below. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Essentially citizens has stolen my {$410000.00} XXXX dollars and will not release it back to me. I am unable to withdraw into my active linked verified bank account, they keep saying I can only withdraw my asset into my external bank account which was previously linked to citizens, but I keep telling them it is impossible to withdraw funds into a closed bank account, the external bank account linked to citizens in the past is no longer active I closed it and there is no way I can send my funds to a closed account, they have refused to allow me withdraw my fund to the bank of my choice which is also linked with citizens and i have made deposit to citizens from, I did not violate their terms and this problems started when i tried to access some of my funds which I have deposited into citizens over a period of months. 

The worst part is they keep telling me they are not allowed to tell my why I cant have my money which I deposited on a verified account. 

I made the decision to move my banking relationship to another institution * ( Citizens ) that could offer me the reliable services I need to manage my finances easily and securely. However, To my regret citizens has failed to do that. 

Considering the circumstances, I request a fair resolution in this regard so i can withdraw my asset and close citizens bank for good. I am escalating this matter with the hope that your organization can facilitate a resolution between myself and Citizens Bank. 

Citizens keep promising to get back to me for the past XXXX days on top of that, I have myself and a family to take care of and citizens has made me suffer as I have bills that are past due just because I can't access my funds, Citizens bank made XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX the worse ever for me.