Consumer complaint received 2017-01-26
Product: Bank account or service — Checking account
Issue: Making/receiving payments, sending money — 
Company: REGIONS FINANCIAL CORPORATION (GA)

On XXXX/XXXX/XXXX we issued a check for {$2600.00} to XXXX of our vendors, XXXX XXXX XXXX, for a transaction. The equipment ended up faulty so we contacted our bank, XXXX, and proceeded to stop payment on the check on XXXX/XXXX/XXXX. This stop payment went through on XXXX/XXXX/XXXX and was successful. The payment was stopped and the vendor 's bank, Regions Bank, marked the check with the stop payment notification clearly across the check returned a copy to the customer. 

On XXXX/XXXX/XXXX, the vendor went back to his bank, Regions Bank, with the copy of the check, which clearly showed it as a stopped payment. Somehow, his bank still accepted and processed the copied check, even with " Stop Payment '' written clearly on it. Our bank, XXXX XXXX XXXX, despite having issued the original stop payment in the first place, and the check that they received clearly stating stop payment on it, withdrew the funds for this check from our account. 

We noticed the check had somehow cleared on XXXX/XXXX/XXXX while doing our bookkeeping. XXXX, the President of our company then contacted our bank, XXXX XXXX XXXX, and at first spoke to our reps in our local branch, XXXX XXXX & XXXX XXXX, who were helpful, but there was only so much they could do. They put him in contact with the Compliance Office to get help with this issue and have it resolved and the funds from the stopped transaction put back in our account. XXXX was put in touch with Compliance Officer, XXXX XXXX. As XXXX went over the details of the situation with him, XXXX was unconcerned with helping us, and XXXX did not appreciate the attitude and lack of courtesy and customer service XXXX gave him rather than addressing our problem. XXXX told XXXX he would call him back the following day and he did not, leaving XXXX to try and get in touch with him after he did not hear back from XXXX. XXXX did not get the feeling that XXXX ever even worked on our problem. After XXXX finally got hold of XXXX, he informed XXXX that we were " XXXX. '' and there was nothing to be done, we were simply out the {$2600.00} in funds we had stopped the payment on, and XXXX XXXX XXXX would not help us get them back. XXXX sarcastically asked XXXX, " If your customer wanted their money back, you would n't give it to them, would you? '' And XXXX told him that was incorrect, if we had a customer that was important enough to us, we would do what it took to make it right, including refunding them. XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX XXXX have different values on customer service then we do apparently. 

XXXX then sent a certified letter to XXXX XXXX, the CEO of XXXX regarding this problem on XXXX/XXXX/XXXX, which was received the next day. We finally received a response back from XXXX XXXX on XXXX/XXXX/XXXX. In the letter, XXXX XXXX stated, " XXXX XXXX XXXX, however, assumes no responsibility for the actions initiated by Regions Bank that resulted in the check clearing your account. '' Despite XXXX motto on their brochures being " Bank with Confidence '', and the statements in the brochure claiming " We value your relationship and appreciate the trust you have in us. '' they are doing everything in their power to shake any trust and confidence we have in the banking system. This payment should have been stopped by XXXX or Regions Bank, as the stop payment was originally issued successfully and clearly visible to all parties on this check that was processed, and should have been caught by one or both banks before it hit our account. Once it did go through, we should have gotten help or even some decent customer service from the Compliance Officer we dealt with, instead of attitude and the run-around.