Consumer complaint received 2025-12-23 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Closing an account — Can't close your account
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: PA

Complaint narrative:
On XX/XX/XXXX I opened a personal checking account ( Acct # XXXX ) with Wells Fargo ( XXXX ) in-person at the branch located at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, PA XXXX XXXX On XX/XX/XXXX I opened a business account ( Acct # XXXX ) for my sole proprietorship, which I currently operate under my own full name, at the same branch location. My personal banker was XXXX XXXX. 
On XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX XXXX EST I received a phone call from ( XXXX ) XXXX - a number which the internet identified as possibly belonging to XXXX. The caller kept saying hello and then hung up. At XXXX XXXX EST I called XXXX directly at ( XXXX ) XXXX. I simply inquired as to whether the call was from XXXX. The representative replied that he was opening a case. I have no idea why and pleaded with him not to do so, as I know the types of banking problems that often causes. 
On XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX XXXX I received XXXX identical emails from XXXX in regards to both checking accounts. Each email indicated that I was blocked from all online access and, furthermore, that each account had a hard hold on it. The emails read : Wells Fargo performs ongoing reviews of its account relationships in connection with the Banks responsibilities to manage risks in its banking operations. We recently reviewed your account relationship and, as a result of this review, we will be closing your above referenced accounts because information provided when the account was opened is inconsistent with internal and public records. The accounts are expected to close by XX/XX/XXXX. Please note that the Bank reserves the right to close the accounts sooner if circumstances arise that warrant an earlier closing. While the bank is free to do or not do business with whoever they please, that statement is patently false. All information provided at the time of account opening is consistent with public records and with my pre-existing XXXX credit card accounts accounts which have been open for years with no negative actions. 

On XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX XXXX I called XXXX at ( XXXX ) XXXX and was forwarded to XXXX XXXX ( LP ). The representative I spoke to stated that my accounts were locked and marked for closure due to an ability to verify my business information with the PA Department of State. My state has no legal requirement for a sole proprietor operating under their own name to register with the state. Nonetheless, I asked what I could do to remedy the situation and was told to visit a branch and provide whatever documents they requested. I assured the representative that I would promptly do so. After several attempts to reach the XXXX branch, I spoke to XXXX XXXX at XXXX XXXX regarding the emails I had received and scheduled an appointment with him for XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX XXXX to resolve the issue. 
On XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX XXXX I met with XXXX XXXX at the same XXXX branch. I provided all of the requested documents, including multiple forms of ID. XXXX XXXX spent much of the appointment on the phone with the XXXX back office team in an attempt to determine what exactly was needed to resolve the issue. Ultimately, despite spending over an hour in the branch, XXXX XXXX was unable to get the restrictions lifted and he was directed to have me return to the branch with a phone or utility bill. We made arrangements to reconvene in-branch on XX/XX/XXXX. Later, I realized we had not set a time so I called the branch on XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX XXXX and officially scheduled the appointment for XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX XXXX. 

On XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX XXXX I met with XXXX XXXX yet again. I provided the requested phone bill and he reached out to XXXX yet again. Despite having provided exactly what they requested ( again ), they informed him that they would require proof of the business registration in order to lift the restrictions. While XXXX XXXX openly acknowledged that Pennsylvania does not require it, he stated that he has no control over what XXXX requires and thus, I would need to provide said proof. I provided him with my PA Department XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX for XXXX XXXX which I explained is a XXXX I no longer operate under but would be amenable to using on the account if it would remedy the issues. XXXX XXXX ran this by the back office team and they confirmed this would resolve the problem. XXXX XXXX went to PA Department of States business entity search, which is located at XXXX XXXX XXXX, and verified my business information. Once again, XXXX moved the goalpost and informed XXXX XXXX that I would need to present the registration documents. After another hour plus in-branch, the issue remained unresolved. XXXX XXXX provided his email address and said I could email him the documents, which I said I would promptly do. On XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX XXXX I sent the required documents to XXXX XXXX via email. 
As of XXXX I was still unable to login to my XXXX online profile and had not heard back from XXXX XXXX. At XXXX XXXX I called the same branch and spoke to XXXX XXXX. He stated that there had been no response from XXXX and my profile remained restricted. I stated that since I had provided every document requested and yet my accounts remained restricted, I felt that the restrictions would never be lifted no matter what I provided. He agreed. He stated that I could and should simply visit any branch to close out the accounts. 
Later that afternoon ( XXXX ), I visited the XXXX branch located at XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, PA XXXX, as it is closer to my home than the other XXXX XXXX. I informed the teller that I wanted to close both of my checking accounts ( XXXX and XXXX ). I met with XXXX XXXX and after another hour plus and another call to LP ( from my phone at XXXX XXXX EST ), I was able to obtain my funds and told that the closures were in process. Finally, on XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email stating my account XXXX had been closed. However, as of XX/XX/XXXX, I have still not received a notice that account XXXX had been closed. Furthermore, based on my conversation with a Wells Fargo personal banker, I have good reason to believe that Wells Fargo intends to negatively notate and flag my Early Warning consumer file a company of which Wells Fargo is partial owner. 
Additionally, at present, I am still unable to access my credit card accounts with XXXX, despite LP telling me they are unaffected. I can not monitor transactions for fraudulent activity, set/edit security alerts or schedule payments. A branch representative informed me that federal laws make it much more difficult for XXXX to close credit card accounts without sufficient cause and thus, locking me out is their way of forcing me to voluntarily close them either explicitly or by attrition. 
I want to reiterate, again, that I have done nothing wrong here. I cooperated with Wells Fargo fully throughout their process and produced every document requested of me in order to resolve the issue. In return, Wells Fargo acted in bad faith, having me return to the local branch repeatedly each time providing yet another document- under the false claim that doing so would resolve the issue that resolved in all of my accounts being restricted. In reality, Wells Fargo never intended to lift the restrictions and simply had me waste copious amounts of time and gas for reasons that remain entirely unclear to me and have caused me a considerable amount of pecuniary and psychological distress. Moreover, they are now engaging in targeted harassment by failing to close account XXXX, prohibiting me from accessing my credit cards and the XXXX XXXX and, according to their own banker, intend to enter a completely baseless and fraudulent entry in my Early Warning file simply because they can. Attempts to reach the Wells Fargo XXXX office have been unsuccessful and thus I am reaching out to the CFPB for resolution. 

Regards, XXXX XXXX

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