Consumer complaint received 2022-10-04
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Closing an account — Funds not received from closed account
Company: CITIBANK, N.A. (IL)

This complaint is regarding closure of 3 accounts due to what I am being told is a violation of the terms of the account involving the appearance of fraud. I got a letter from Citi regarding the closures. I made 30 or 40 attempts to call. Most of the people i talked to said they couldnt tell me anything ; one employee was able to help me figure out that the issues involved a {$15000.00} transaction made in late XXXX and early XX/XX/XXXX. I made many requests for someone at Citi to call me but I never received any calls. 

I have been an account holder with Citi since XXXX, for 35 years. I did not commit fraud. What occurred was as follows. 

I wanted to transfer {$15000.00} to my husbands account at XXXX XXXX XXXX 

On XX/XX/XXXX, she transferred {$16000.00} from her XXXX savings account to her Citi account ending in XXXX ( {$15000.00} to give to her husband, {$1000.00} I kept for unrelated purposes ). 

I had planned to use XXXX in her Citi account to send money to my husband and discovered that she could not send that high amount by XXXX. So I transferred {$15000.00} to my husband using XXXX. The account ending in XXXX is the account I use for XXXX. 

When using XXXX, the transaction came back reading as if the transaction had been a {$15000.00} payment to a vendor. I did not feel comfortable with this transaction being categorized as a payment from a customer to a merchant, so I cancelled the transaction. 

I called Citi to explain. I was told I would receive a {$15000.00} provisional credit. This was what Citi advised me should happen. It wasnt at my request ; I was only trying to inform Citi and make sure I was doing everything right. 

I also was credited {$15000.00} by XXXX. This led to an over-credit of {$15000.00} in my account. I informed Citi to take the provisional credit of {$15000.00} back and I was told that would be done and this issue closed. 

I then wrote my husband a personal check for {$15000.00} ( check XXXX ). 


As an additional problem beyond the account closures, I was told I would not get the balances belonging to me returned. In a similar pattern to my phone calls regarding the closure, I was not able to get any information that makes much sense and my requests for a call from someone who can help go unanswered. I t was told at one point I will not get my money back because it doesnt appear to belong to me. At another point I was told it was sent back where it came from. 

Other than a {$600.00} payroll deposit on XX/XX/XXXX, the rest of the funds in her accounts should not fit the category of being returned. I am also due {$200.00} from XXXX, {$25.00} from XXXX and {$250.00} from XXXX. Plus, the {$600.00} payroll deposit that she informs me has not been sent back. 

As stated, I have been an account holder since XXXX. I did not commit any kind of intentional fraud or rule infraction. It appears that this is a case where Citis algorithms led to an inaccurate result. 

I ask for an explanation of the specific activity that led to the decision and the specific account terms alleged to be violated. Further, I was told I was sent a letter XX/XX/XXXX. I did not receive it, nor did I receive the copy I was told would be sent.