Consumer complaint received 2019-08-13
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Problem caused by your funds being low — Overdrafts and overdraft fees
Company: UMPQUA HOLDINGS CORPORATION (WA)

Complaint:
I opened an Umpqua business account in XX/XX/XXXX. I use the account very infrequently as my business was just getting established. In spring of XX/XX/XXXX, after two projects closed, I let my balance decline to an amount sufficient to cover a recurring XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX   payment while looking for new business.

In early XX/XX/XXXX, I made a deposit. Later that month, our family moved my daughter into her first apartment, we moved our home, and our business office suite . While our home office materials were being unpacked in new locations, I used the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX branch tellers to check my balance at least 2-3 times - I did not have access to a computer. Knowing my balance was low, I used my business card very infrequently during this period. I also made deposits for my husband into his Umpqua business account at the XXXX  branch, and while I was in the branch, I checked my business balance with one of the tellers. During the month of mid-XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX the same teller verified I had over {$100.00} at least twice. I specifically remember having a conversation with the teller about my business. I handed him my business debit card and asked if he would do a balance inquiry. At least twice, maybe three times during the month of XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX, the same teller confirmed my balance - I remember a conversation we had about my business and chuckled to myself when he asked me the same question about my business on two separate occasions. Unfortunately, sometime during this period, we think my daughter or my husband might have mistakenly used my business account when signing us up for a family XXXX  account. Our Umpqua cards are all orange and look alike when you are inside the app. I know I used the card very infrequently maybe one business purchase to change my WA State Business License address and maybe some equipment to fix my computer at the XXXX XXXX XXXX store, but because my account has been closed, I have no idea what the charges are that took us into the negative, or if they are even ours. They could be fraud for all I know!

On Tuesday, XX/XX/XXXX, I made a {$4100.00} deposit into my husbands business account XXXX XXXX. The same teller again confirmed I had {$100.00} in my business account. On Wednesday, XX/XX/XXXX, my husband stopped by the XXXX XXXX branch to make a deposit into my business account because I had an insurance renewal payment of {$360.00} coming up. Again, the XXXX XXXX teller told my husband, your balance is {$100.00}. But, after taking a second look, she asked another teller to help her and said, this account is closed and we cant tell you anything else. My husband called me at home, handed the phone to the teller and she explained that my account was {$900.00} or so in the negative and was closed and that I had to come into the branch to discuss a repayment plan.

The next day, Thursday, XX/XX/XXXX, I went to the XXXX XXXX branch and talked to XXXX XXXX, Store Manager. I explained that I had no idea my account was in the negative and that I had texts between my husband and I throughout the month where he and I talk about the amounts of deposits I made for his business account and the conversations I had with the XXXX XXXX XXXX teller about my balance. XXXX  agreed to do some research, said he would talk to the XXXX XXXX XXXX teller, and said he would get back to me with the results.

I left XXXX 1-2 voice mails before finally getting him on the phone on XX/XX/XXXX. XXXX said he would refund {$40.00} ( out of {$600.00}! ) of overdraft charges and that I should call the overdraft department to discuss the remainder of the fees. That same day I called the overdraft department to find out that instead of us having the opportunity to come to an agreement about the overdraft charges, or even give me an opportunity to review the charges, while I was waiting for XXXX to return my call, my account was sent to a collection agency.

I was very frustrated by this time, and I asked Abner to forward my information to a Supervisor. I spoke to XXXX XXXX, the Community Manager a few days later who also agreed to do some research and get back to me. I called her 3 times and waited for over a week for her to return my call. When she returned my call, I learned she had not followed up on any of the information I had provided her. She simply repeated herself and XXXX  and said, " you have a responsibility to know the balance in your account '' and said she would refund {$80.00} in overdraft fees. And, she said they had stayed in constant contact with me which felt like a very disingenuous thing to say to a customer after receiving very delayed call backs. After a heated exchange, she agreed to again follow up on the details I provided, the date of the deposit and what happened, and said she would call me on Monday. I asked her to investigate 3 simple questions : Why had I been told at least twice my account had {$100.00} in it? Why was my account closed and sent to collections while I waited for them to investigate? Why didnt I receive any overdraft notices via email or mail during this period?

Instead of receiving a return call from XXXX, on Monday, XX/XX/XXXX, I received a call from XXXX XXXX, the XXXX Store Manager, who began our conversation by asking me, Where did you leave it with XXXX? So, again, I started the story over from the beginning. I repeated the exact same story I had explained to 2 other people since XX/XX/XXXX. I provided dates, times, amount of deposit, and even a description of the teller. This time, XXXX  said he looked into the situation and shared that he didnt think it was possible for the teller to provide me a wrong balance because his tellers know what they are doing. He didnt have a response for why I didnt receive overdraft notices by email or mail. But he said that I should have received a statement in early XX/XX/XXXX notifying me my account had gone into the negative. I did not.

Basically, no one I spoke to accepted any accountability for the teller providing inaccurate information, had no explanation for the lack of overdraft notices, offered little concession for nearly {$600.00} in overdraft fees, and while I waited for them to " investigate '', my account was closed and sent to collections. And now because of their repeated delays, my credit has been affected.

In summary : My account went into the negative by mistake I have no problem paying for the charges we incurred, and if given an opportunity to review them and can confirm they are ours, we will pay them At the time, we had no idea the account had been overdrawn, if we had received any notice in the mail or by email, we would have acted immediately During the period of time the account went into the negative, I checked my balance with the same teller at the XXXX  branch 2 or 3 times and was given inaccurate information I utilized the resources Umpqua provides believing them to be accurate The Store Manager, XXXX, waited two weeks to investigate and respond to me during this time, my account was sent to a collection agency The collection agency is calling me 6x per day, every single day sinceXX/XX/XXXX The Community Manager, XXXX, repeated herself, its your responsibility waited a week to respond, said No one at XXXX remembers you after not following up on the detail I had given her ( date and time and amount of the deposit, teller description, location ) The XXXX  Store Manager, XXXX, denied the possibility the teller could have made a mistake In spite of XXXX  and XXXX  telling me that its impossible, and that tellers would never give my husband information on my account, 2 QA tellers made the EXACT same mistake as the XXXX teller with my husband days later, and said, you have {$100.00} in this account All in all, this was the worst customer service experience I have ever had. All three of these employees treated me like I was unworthy of respect throughout. This experience gave me some insight into what poor people likely have to deal with all the time. I am not one whose account is commonly overdrawn, so the experience was new. But, if this is the way their employees treat people who are having money problems, they should be retrained in communicating empathy while on the phone. Their tone was largely condescending, their comments were repetitive, its your responsibility and not one acknowledged the possibility that the bank might have made a mistake or the teller could have contributed to the confusion. And while I waited, they sent my account to collections without so much as a phone call.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation