Consumer complaint received 2018-07-13
Product: Checking or savings account — Other banking product or service
Issue: Problem with a lender or other company charging your account — Transaction was not authorized
Company: U.S. BANCORP (CA)

This is a complaint against US Bank, where I have maintained my account for 20 years, with never an overdraft. This account secures a safe deposit box, for which I have paid a yearly fee for 20 years. 

Without warning, my US Bank account was completely emptied to XXXX, without any written notice or explanation as to where the money went, what it was for, or whether more money would be removed if I deposited further funds. Only after the funds were gone did I receive a form letter which contained very little information, no amounts, and phone numbers with no help at the other end. 

US Bank refuses to communicate with me regarding this matter by either phone or US postal mail. 
US Bank refuses to send me a copy of the levy notice they received from California FTB US Bank does not return my phone calls, after repeatedly promising it would do so. 
US Bank repeatedly has my phone number wrong online, so that I am prevented from accessing my account online. 

DETAILS : On XX/XX/2018, I received by mail a form letter from US Bank informing me of a California FTB levy. It was very impersonal : unsigned by a human, addressed to " Dear Customer '', No dollar amount for the levy was mentioned in the letter. Nor was my account number in the letter. Just a phone number for the Levy Dept to call for more info. I called it multiple times. I spoke with several different agents who gave only their first names, and sometimes not even an employee number. 

The letter said calling the number would answer my questions, but this was not true. All the agents would say was that my account balance was XXXX. They verbally stated the amount of the levy, but all agents refused my request to send me a hard copy of the actual levy order. I had not received a copy of the levy notice from the California Franchise Tax Board as required by Calif Revenue and Taxation Code [ and would not receive one until I made many calls to FTB ] During the month of  XXXX, I was on the phone almost daily trying to reach US Bank and/or California FTB. Every time I called, I asked US Bank how it could be legal for any Federal bank to empty my account without written notice. 

The excuses they gave for not sending it ranged from : " it's a court order '' to " it was issued electronically so we can't/do n't have to send it to you ''. These excuses were so lame I repeatedly asked to speak to a supervisor or manager. If I wasn't disconnected while I was on hold, I was told a manager would call me within 2 hours / 24 hours /72 hours. I always provided my cell phone number [ XXXX ] which has voicemail and lists every call made to it. To this day, no manager or supervisor from US Bank Levy Dept has ever returned my calls as promised. 

I also tried calling the general number XXXX, but was always told to call or reconnected with the Levy Dept. Connecting to the Levy Department thru this number did not result in better service. 

I also attempted to connect with my account online. I typed in my account number and SSN. But then I was prompted with a wrong phone number unable to use online services After I filled out an online survey condemning the deplorable service, I received a follow-up email from " XXXX XXXX ''. I thought this email came from a human, but after my phone number changed to the wrong one, and I filled out a second online survey, I received the exact same " concerned apologetic '' email from XXXX XXXX. It is obviously a form letter ; no follow-up action has been taken. 

I did communicate with my local branch manager, but she says she is having the same trouble getting info from the levy dept. She is the only US Bank employee who has returned my call. She advised that if I deposit more money in the account, US Bank will just remove it again. 

On XX/XX/2018, I received a call from FTB Supervisor XXXX XXXX [ XXXX ] XXXX. XXXX stated that the levy was automated and was actually in error. FTB made a mistake in not notifying me of the levy in advance as required by law. FTB had already sent faxes retracting the levy notices to both US Bank and XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX [ where I have another account ]. [ In fact, FTB wanted to send me a refund of about {$280.00}, which it did! ]. My XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX account is completely unmolested, as if the levy never happened. US Bank however, has taken no action to change the status of my account, send me an apology or any accounting of what happened. Just a quarterly statement showing a balance of XXXX.