Consumer complaint received 2026-04-13 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Other banking product or service
Issue: Managing an account — Problem accessing account
Company: FIFTH THIRD FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: FL

Complaint narrative:
I've filed two previous complaints about legitimate malfeasance from Fifth Third, and nothing useful was achieved. In this case, they have again proven themselves to be liars who cost customers time and money. Starting early on XX/XX/XXXX, I tried to log in to my online banking the way I always do. It failed repeatedly. The only information provided by the bank was to call customer service. But Fifth Third 's merger with other banks has made their phone authentication system unreliable, so it took XXXX attempts to reach a live person. The live person had no idea what to do about the online banking problems. I called my personal banker who also attempted to find out why so many customers were unable to log in to online banking. She told me it was a banking IT problem and NOBODY HAD ANY IDEA WHEN OR IF IT WOULD BE FIXED. Imagine that -- -customers rely on online banking to make timely payments, transfer funds, monitor deposits -- but they are blocked from doing so and nobody at the bank can fix it. Since XX/XX/XXXX I've repeatedly tried to log in, been blocked, and called the bank. On Saturday, when several local branches were open, I tried to call for help, but ALL THE NUMBERS FOR LOCAL BRANCHES WERE XXXX AND ALL YOU GOT WAS A BUSY SIGNAL. I went to a local branch and they said their phones had been ringing incessantly with pleas for help, so banking headquarters XXXX all their phones!!!! I also reached other Fifth Third call center people. One of them blatantly lied to me, saying the problems were not caused by bank IT errors and server failures but because of my computer and internet, which was totally false. I was attempting to buy a new car, and needed to transfer funds from savings to checking to cover part of the purchase, but could not, and because I could not, I lost the car purchase, and the price of the car will now be higher if I can find another XXXX to purchase. So again, as when Fifth Third XXXX my credit card for no good reason and made it almost impossible to unblock, I lost money because Fifth Third interfered with a time-sensitive transaction and the price for the product went up while I was attempting in vain to buy it. Fifth Third is a criminal corporation. It's also incompetent. The wealthy elite owners of Fifth Third who XXXX down millions in compensation in XXXX headquarters don't care about customers or employees. That's why turnover at the local branches is so rapid -- Fifth Third can't retain good employees because they pay too low and treat their employees as badly as they treat their customers. I am a " preferred customer, '' so am supposed to get concierge service, but all I get is incompetence, pushback, stupidity, loss of money and time, and lies. I'd hate to see what the non-preferred customers endure. I am always looking for another bank or credit union so I no longer have to put up with Fifth Third 's criminality, rudeness, and negligence, but it costs money and time to change banks, so it's a lose-lose. I wish the CPFB would penalize this bank and force it to stop harming customers. Their crimes go way beyond those the CPFB noted in its 2024 action against the bank. They are a corrupt organization making lives a lot worse for people and should be held accountable.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief