Consumer complaint received 2024-06-10
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Banking errors
Company: OLD NATIONAL BANCORP (IN)

On XX/XX/XXXX, I discovered that two checks that had been mailed on my behalf in XXXX were intercepted, changed and fraudulently cashed/deposited by someone different than I had written them to ( my future landlord ). The amounts had been changed for two checks : one from {$200.00} to {$2000.00}, the other from {$1400.00} to {$4400.00}. 

I immediately called my local banking branch ( at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, IN XXXX ) and was told I need to come in person to file an Affidavit. I came in first thing the next day and was assisted by XXXX ( I forget his last name ). We filed an affidavit. I also filed a police report immediately and provided XXXX with the report number as requested the same day. 

He could not give me any assurances about when or if the full amount taken from me would be replaced by the bank although I asked several times and stressed that this was a large amount of money for me. 

I then called CFPB to learn that the bank has 10 days to make a decision, at which point is then responsible for replacing the funds to me in the form of a credit while they work the issue out with the other banking institutions. 

I called regularly to get updates on the status and was told things were still in motion. I was told that it was the other bank - the bank of deposit - that was responsible and the funds would not be restored until those banks came through. 

I also received a call from one of the banks, XXXX XXXX, who had picked up on the potential fraudulent check and wanted to verify if this was the case. I verified, and discovered that they had the funds on hold, ready to be sent back to my bank, but hadn't received a return request. I then played go-between with my bank and the other to try and sort it out, and was told a request was re-issued, but still the funds were not restored. 

It is now many days past the 10 day limit, and last Friday I called my bank again to check on the status. I was told they were now hearing that they have 45-90 days to rectify the missing funds. I then let them know they are not in compliance with federal mandate, according to what I had learned from CFPB. I asked for a written version of what they were currently telling me about who's responsible for the funds and the manager, XXXX, told me she could not supply that due to the risk it could pose to her job if the bank were to be sued. 

The check fraud information is as follows : Check no : XXXX, originally made out for {$200.00} to XXXX XXXX, from my account ending in XXXX, written on XX/XX/year>. 
Fraudulently changed to read {$2000.00} to XXXX XXXX and deposited in a XXXX XXXX. 

Check no : XXXX, originally made out for {$1400.00} to XXXX XXXX, from same account. 
Fraudulently changed to read {$4400.00} and deposited to a XXXX, XXXX bank account. 

I now have a {$6400.00} hole in my account and the bank is continuing to deny their responsibility to cover this. The amount of time I have also head to spend taking me away from my work and other responsibilities simply to advocate for myself and get updates has also been ridiculous. 

The two staff I have been working with have been very compassionate and I know they are doing all they can to advocate for me, but the banking departments they are working with are clearly not. The two staff have been helpful by waiving fees for other things I have had to do as a result of a fraud ( order new checks, create verified checks to pay my landlord... AGAIN ) but I'm extremely disappointed in the institution as a whole.