Consumer complaint received 2025-08-06 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Banking errors
Company: CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: TX

Complaint narrative:
Complaint Update Capital One Missing Funds from Partial Authorization Hold This is an update to my prior CFPB complaint regarding missing funds from a Walmart Auto Care Center transaction on my Capital One debit card ending in XXXX. 

After my original CFPB complaint was closed because Capital One provided a response, Capital One closed my dispute days later internally with the same denial reason they gave before : that they could not reach the merchant. 

What Happened : On XX/XX/year>, Walmart placed a {$220.00} authorization hold for a tire installation. 
The appointment was canceled, and Walmart never finalized the transaction. 
Walmart issued a refund for {$160.00}, leaving a difference of {$64.00} missing from my account. 
The Issue : Capital One claims I am not owed {$64.00} because they say : The original {$220.00} fell off their system. 
The {$64.00} was never in their system as a separate transaction. 
However, this ignores the basic math : {$220.00} was held from my account. 
{$160.00} was returned by Walmart. 
{$64.00} is missing and has not been returned to my available balance. 
Timeline & Proof : My first dispute was denied because Capital One claimed they could not reach the merchant. 
I called Walmart and spoke with XXXX, who provided transaction # XXXX confirming the canceled appointment and that Walmart never received the funds. 
I filed an appeal of the denial, but Capital One denied it again for the same reason could not reach merchant. 
I then set up a three-way call between Capital One representative XXXX ( EID : XXXX ) and Walmart customer service representative XXXX ( who investigates Walmart claims XXXX. 
During the call, XXXX stated that the reason my claim had been denied was because Capital One could not reach Walmart and that I would need to resolve the matter directly with them. 
XXXX immediately responded that Walmart could not resolve a charge they never received, which is why there was nothing for them to refund. She also gave XXXX the Walmart case number XXXX related to the investigation. 
After this, Capital One still did not issue the refund but stated they would escalate and look into it. 
Explanation of Account Activity and Missing {$64.00} : Capital One states that the missing {$64.00} is not in their system and never showed as a separate transaction on my account. I want to clarify how this impacts my available funds and why it is still an error they must fix : When Walmart placed the {$220.00} authorization hold, my available balance was reduced by that amount temporarily. 
Walmart refunded {$160.00} of that amount, which was credited back to my account and increased my available balance accordingly. 
However, the remaining {$64.00} portion of the hold was never properly released or credited back by Capital One. This means my available balance remains short by {$64.00}, even though there is no separate transaction reflecting this missing amount. 
This situation means the missing {$64.00} is effectively a phantom amountthere is no transaction on my statement for it, but my accessible funds are still short by that amount due to Capital Ones system error. Capital Ones failure to properly post the release of this partial hold has caused me to lose access to my money. 
According to Regulation E, banks must correct errors that cause missing funds, even if the issue arises from internal processing failures or system posting errors. Capital One must credit the missing {$64.00} back to my account to make me whole. 

Potential Violation of Regulation E : Under Regulation E ( 12 CFR 1005.11 ), Capital One is required to conduct a reasonable investigation of reported errors. Denying my dispute on the grounds of could not reach merchant despite clear evidence that I did contact the merchant and even connected them directly on a call indicates a failure to perform this investigation. Ignoring consumer-supplied evidence is a violation of the banks obligations under federal law. 

Additional Action : Due to the lack of resolution after multiple denials and direct merchant confirmation, I have also forwarded this matter to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency ( OCC ) for review. 

Requested Resolution : Immediate return of the {$64.00} to my account.

Written confirmation of the correction.

Internal review of Capital Ones handling of partial authorization releases to prevent future consumer harm. 
Sincerely, XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation