Consumer complaint received 2022-10-08
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service — Domestic (US) money transfer
Issue: Other transaction problem — 
Company: CITIBANK, N.A. (NC)

XXXX received wire instructions to close on my mortgage from the settlement attorney. Submitted wire request online with Citibank. Reference number and request says will be reviewed by the next business day. Immediately called the bank at XXXX XXXX to inform was a transfer for a mortgage closing happening the next morning, asked that the transaction review be expedited. Was told nothing could be done to expedite. 
XX/XX/22 XXXX XXXX called the bank again about the wire. Bank account shows transaction pending. Tried to move other money out of that account, transaction was blocked because of the pending wire. Again told nothing I can do. Cant talk to the wires department. Cant escalate. Just wait. 
XX/XX/22 XXXX XXXX received an email from Citibank that they tried to reach out to me about the wire and I needed to call them or it would be cancelled. 1. They did not call me to discuss. 2. I called them at the number requested in the email and was told the email was sent in error there was nothing wrong with my wire request. Again XXXX cant talk to the wire department, nothing I can do, please just wait, it takes time. 
XXXX XXXX XXXX wire has still not arrived at settlement attorney. Called and spoke to the bank again. Nothing can be done. I ask to speak to a supervisor and none were available so I was told I would get a call back. No one ever called me back. 
XX/XX/22 XXXX XXXX- I call again about the wire. No progress. 
XX/XX/22 XXXX XXXX- I get an email saying they were not able to reach me and the wire is cancelled. ( Not one phone call was received from Citibank ) I call in and am told nothing can be done. To submit the transaction again. I try to ask how this new transaction will be different. Again impress how now Ive lost the opportunity to close on my new house and move in on XXXX long weekend and now cant close until Tuesday. Agent hangs up on me. 
XX/XX/22 XXXX XXXX- spend an hour on the phone with agent explained just how much hassle and money this has cost me to not close on time. They said the transaction was cancelled via an automated system that linked it to potential fraud. I explain I called multiple times to authorize it. I begged for it to be processed. Told them about movers, moving, and currently living in a temporary rental that Im scheduled to move out of, and the seller of my new property was ready to take their check and move across country today which is now also delayed. All things I shared in prior conversations that were ignored, blocked, and not cared for. My only recourse is to submit the request again and HOPE that Citi processes it this time. 

The delay in closing on this property is costing me thousands of dollars and another move to a temporary location instead of moving into the home I bought on time. 

The communications I received from the company were fraudulent. They said they called when they didnt. They cancelled my transaction without trying to reach me, and despite my reaching out to them multiple times to try and resolve the hold. 

They said they are trying to prevent fraud but if real customers, with real transactions that are time sensitive can not get their transactions processed and can not talk to the right departments to resolve the situation, the bank fraud prevention is broken. 

I have been taken advantage of, my money has been held hostage, and the lack of processing this basic bank transaction has cost me time, money, and great heartache. My only recourse is to try again which is ridiculous. 

This is a truly unacceptable customer experience. 

Please ask to review the call logs and see how much I begged them to process this transaction- did everything I could to authorize the transaction- only to be told they tried to reach me and couldnt so they cancelled the transaction. 

I will be speaking to my attorney about filing a small claims case to cover the wasted time and money that this experience has cost me, including time away from work to move since I now cant close until Tuesday. 

Consumers deserve better than this unreasonable treatment when processing basic bank transactions. Most consumers cant spend this amount of time in one day talking to the bank and asking them to do their job. It is unreasonable and injurious to consumers to be treated in this manor and I hope the CFPB opens an inquiry to this practice and issues a matter requiring immediate attention to Citibank to prevent future consumers from being harmed by their failure to execute appropriate fraud prevention practices that do not unreasonably harm consumers.