Consumer complaint received 2026-04-21 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Other banking product or service
Issue: Managing an account — Funds not handled or disbursed as instructed
Company: INDEPENDENT BANK CORP.
State: FL

Complaint narrative:
I am filing this complaint because XXXX XXXX disclosed account information to an unauthorized person, acted on a Power of Attorney ( POA ) before receiving it, and continued treating a former POA as an authorized party years after his authority terminated. These actions involve unauthorized disclosure of nonpublic personal information and failure to safeguard a vulnerable consumers accounts, and they have caused ongoing harm to me personally. XXXX XXXX acted on a POA before it was on file. In documents XXXX XXXX produced on XX/XX/XXXX, the banks internal records show : A Change of Ownership was processed on XX/XX/XXXX, signed by my brother as POA. The banks own internal note states : POA docs recd XXXX. This means XXXX XXXX processed a major ownership change based on a POA it did not yet have on file. The POA did not authorize the transactions XXXX XXXX approved. The POA did not authorize creating a trust, transferring assets into a trust, changing IRA beneficiaries, or any selfdealing. Despite this, XXXX XXXX accepted : an irrevocable trust created and controlled by the former POA for his own benefit ; an IRA beneficiary change form signed by the former POA, even though the POA did not grant authority to change beneficiaries ; and other selfbenefiting transactions. XXXX XXXX never contacted my father to verify these changes or confirm that the POA authorized them. XXXX XXXX allowed rapid, selfbenefiting withdrawals and transfers as soon as it received the POA. Internal records show that on XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX same day XXXX XXXX first received the POAit allowed the former POA to begin transferring funds and exercising control. Between XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX, he liquidated approximately {$93000.00} from my fathers IRA, transferring XXXX of XXXX of dollars into his own accounts and withdrawing large amounts of cash. These were classic red flags for elder financial exploitation, but XXXX XXXX did not intervene or apply heightened scrutiny. I am attaching statements that show how quickly and how much money was removed once the POA was accepted. XXXX XXXX continued sending account statements to the former POA into XXXX. The XX/XX/XXXX production included a XXXX bank statement addressed to my brother, listing him as POA, even though : my father died in XX/XX/XXXX ; the POA terminated at death ; and I asked XXXX XXXX in XX/XX/XXXX how to remove him. Continuing to send statements and list him as POA years after his authority ended is an unauthorized disclosure of my fathers nonpublic personal information to an unauthorized person. XXXX XXXX disclosed my private inquiries to the former POA. A XX/XX/XXXX email from my brother shows that XXXX XXXX : contacted him directly ; told him that I had contacted the bank ; and gave him information about the trust that the bank refused to give me. He had no authority after XX/XX/XXXX, yet XXXX XXXX shared my private inquiries and account information with him. XXXX XXXX withheld accurate information from me while continuing to communicate with an unauthorized person. From XXXX through XXXX, XXXX XXXX : refused to provide me accurate account information; misled me about the status of accounts; concealed the existence of accounts opened and administered after my fathers death ; and continued treating the former POA as the decisionmaker instead of communicating with me as the person seeking information and, later, as XXXX Representative. I notified XXXX XXXX, and they did not correct these issues. On XX/XX/XXXX, I notified XXXX XXXX in writing that : they acted on a POA before receiving it ; they allowed unauthorized selfdealing transactions, including an IRA beneficiary change and large withdrawals ; and they continued sending statements to the former POA in XXXX. XXXX XXXX has not properly investigated or corrected these issues and continues to minimize or mischaracterize them. Request : I am asking the CFPB to review XXXX XXXX handling of my fathers accounts and my inquiries, including : its unauthorized disclosures of nonpublic personal information to a former POA after his authority terminated ; its failure to update account authority and safeguard information after notice of death ; its decision to accept an IRA beneficiary change and selfbenefiting transactions that were not authorized by the POA ; and its refusal to provide me accurate information while continuing to treat an unauthorized person as the account authority. I also request that XXXX XXXX be required to provide a complete explanation and documentation regarding : the XX/XX/XXXX ownership change ; the IRA beneficiary change ; the withdrawals and transfers that occurred immediately after the POA was accepted ; and the continued listing of my brother as POA and mailing of statements to him into XXXX.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation