Consumer complaint received 2025-11-18 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Deposits and withdrawals
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
On Friday, XX/XX/year>, I deposited a check at a Wells Fargo branch. I have been a Wells Fargo customer in good standing for more than a decade, and this was a routine deposit. The teller made part of the funds available immediately and said the remainder would be available the next day. The check was drawn on Wells Fargo, from a known business customer with a long-standing account. 

The next morning ( Saturday ), I received a Deposit Hold Alert. Wells Fargo reversed the portion of funds previously released and placed 100 % of the deposit on hold until XX/XX/XXXX. The only reason given was Signature On Check Was Irregular. 

Because the issuer of the check saw the funds leave his account, he called Wells Fargo on his own ( twice ) on recorded lines. In both calls, Wells Fargo told him that ( 1 ) the check had already been paid from his account, and ( 2 ) the delay was because a hold had been placed on my account due to collectibility concerns. The issuer then relayed this to me.

I called Wells Fargo three times on Saturday and received three contradictory explanations : that holds never come off early ; that the issuer must call ( he already hadtwice, with different answers ) ; and that I needed to file a complaint.

On Monday, I received an email acknowledging my internal complaint and stating Wells Fargo had 10 days to respond. When I eventually reached the assigned Executive Office case manager, I asked why the hold was still in effect even though the paying bank had confirmed the check was paid, and why I was receiving conflicting explanations. Instead of addressing these issues, he repeatedly cited a 10-day SLA, as though an internal timeline superseded accuracy or required review.

Later Monday, the issuer added me to a call with a Wells Fargo representative named XXXX. During that call, he told us that I should contact Wells Fargos Loss Prevention department because they could verify the check with the issuer and release the hold early. When I called Loss Prevention, that department told me the exact opposite : they can not release holds, can not contact issuers, do not handle situations like this, and holds never come off early.

By this point, I had received conflicting and incompatible explanations from at least four different Wells Fargo departments. No one could explain why the bank told the issuer my account had collectibility concerns, told me something different ( signature irregularity ), and sent me back and forth between departments that contradicted one another. No one took ownership of the issue, and no one provided a meaningful review.

The result was that I spent the entire weekend and part of Monday trying to understand why Wells Fargo was treating a fully paid, intra-bank check as if it were unverified. I could not get consistent information, could not get a clear explanation, and could not access funds that Wells Fargo had already debited from the issuers account.

I am filing this complaint because Wells Fargo provided conflicting explanations, misrouted me repeatedly, disclosed internal information about my account to the issuer, and relied on internal SLAs instead of addressing the facts. I request that the CFPB review how Wells Fargo handled this matter, why different departments are giving contradictory information, and whether its procedures for deposit holds and escalations are functioning properly. 

Thank you for your attention.

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