Consumer complaint received 2024-04-02
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Closing an account — Funds not received from closed account
Company: CITIZENS FINANCIAL GROUP, INC. (FL)

At the end of XX/XX/2024, I received an offer in the mail from Citizens Bank with an offer code that would reward me with up to a {$600.00} bonus upon completing the requirements of their offer which included depositing {$500.00} to a checking and {$500.00} to a savings account initially. I opened both accounts on XX/XX/2024 and deposited {$500.00} into each from my original bank ( XXXX ). I received email confirmations of this from Citizens Bank ( screenshots attached ). The withdrawal was posted on my original bank account on XX/XX/2024, including XXXX transactions of {$500.00} each. A couple days later I attempted to access my online Citizens Bank account, and I was locked out. I tried over several days, and I was still locked out. Therefore, on XX/XX/2024, I reached out to Citizens Bank via their online chat, and through that I was informed that Citizens Bank had decided to end the banking relationship and I would receive communications with more information about the decision via mail very soon. I was given no further information via the chat and the chat was closed. I have since called Citizens Bank a numerous amount of times, and Ive been given the widest variety of inconsistent answers to my questions including being once told that I never had an account with them. I also have yet to receive anything from them in the mail. Eventually, I was told by a supervisor to reach out to my original bank to file a dispute because Citizens never received the money and it was immediately returned. So I reached out to XXXX and informed them of the situation, and they advised me that they would not be able to file a dispute but needed additional information in order to track and investigate this alleged return. After numerous days and hours on the phone with Citizens, I only obtained part the information my bank requested : the date that my account was closed - XX/XX/2024 and the date they are claiming they returned my money- XX/XX/2024. I never received the actual trace/tracking number for each return, which Im now realizing as I put together this application. When attempting to obtain these numbers, a supervisor informed me that she was unable to access any information on my account because they had closed it. She told me she was trying different ways to find more information on my account, and while she was searching, she told me that shes worked for two other financial institutions and shes never heard of asking for a trace/tracking number. Eventually she gave me two numbers, one for the checking account and one for the savings account, and she didnt specifically say these were the tracer/tracking numbers, but she said hopefully this is what your bank is requesting because that would make more sense to me. I then called back my original bank and provided all this information to them. They investigated it over a few days and informed me today XX/XX/2024 that theres no evidence of any returned funds with the information that was provided and I should call Citizens Bank back to obtain two 15-digit tracking numbers. I informed her that the two numbers provided were what Citizens Bank gave me after endless hours on the phone with them. I then verified those numbers with the agent as she informed me they would double check with these numbers again. I now realize that the numbers this supervisor provided me were just the transaction IDs that I already had from the confirmation emails I received from Citizens the day I opened my account which is so frustrating. In summary, Citizens Bank has taken my {$1000.00}, and I can no longer continue to call them and request this information because they are incredibly incompetent, so Im filing an investigation with CFPB. Additionally, throughout all of this, I never received any mail or email communications regarding my account ( aside from the three screenshots I provided which are from the day I opened my account ) nor did I ever receive my account number.