Consumer complaint received 2023-07-04
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Closing an account — Can't close your account
Company: HSBC NORTH AMERICA HOLDINGS INC. (FL)

In the time period of XXXX XXXX, 2020 I was let go from my XXXX XXXX role due to the pandemic. I had opened an HSBC XXXX account to take advantage of the welcome bonus that requiring direct deposits. It also required some minimum direct deposit per month or else I would have to pay a {$50.00} maintenance fee. 

Since I was no longer employed, I could no longer make direct deposits and needed to close the account. I walked into an HSBC branch at some address between XXXX and XXXX XXXX and XXXX in XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX ( branch is no longer there ). 

I stated to the female teller that I needed to close my account and wished to withdraw my balance. The teller immediately began acting pushy and demanding in a very likely attempt to prevent me from closing the account. They asked why I needed to close the account and stated it was required that I tell them. After a mild protest, I informed them it was because I was laid off and could no longer make direct deposits to prevent the maintenance fee. The teller than began cycling through my recent deposits and demanded a full explanation of each and every deposit. 

My most recent one for {$3400.00} was from my employer. After stating this, the teller demanded that I provided paystubs and documentation verifying this information, on the spot and quite bizarrely within the bank branch. Since resigning, I no longer had access to my paystubs. The hard drive on my computer containing all of my documentation additionally had unfortunately failed and I no longer had no way to access the documents. The teller, as far as I am aware, had no right to demand this information from me, and would not allow me to withdraw my substantial balance and proceed with closing my acccount. It seems that false pretenses is a modus operandi of HSBC to prevent losing customers. 

Since I was getting nowhere in the face of this bizarre situation, I walked out of the branch. I wrote a check from this checking account and deposited it to my XXXX bank account and resolved to wait the 7 day waiting period to complete the deposit. Due to this situation, I wound not paying the balance on one of my credit cards and had to pay interest for that month. Once my HSBC account balance was down to XXXX, I called and had the account closed over the phone, which was entirely within my purview. 

For two months, however, the account remained open despite the phone operator confirming that it was in the process of it being closed. The maintenance fee was charged on the account twice, as well as negative account balances. I had to call several times to have the negative account balance removed. 

Since this incident, it appears that HSBC has willfully supplied inaccurate information to reporting companies including XXXX. I most recently had a checking account application with XXXX denied as a result. This entire experience is outrageous and has cost me many wasted hours dealing with willfully incorrect information supplied under malicious motivations that has caused precise damages from charged credit card interest subsequent hits to my credit score.