Consumer complaint received 2019-07-25 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Closing an account — Company closed your account
Company: BANCORPSOUTH BANK
State: TX

Complaint narrative:
I received a termination letter on XX/XX/2019, regarding my joint checking account at BancorpSouth. I contacted XXXX XXXX, the BancorpSouth official at the local office that issued the letter and was immediately met with resistance. Her tone was abrasive and she was uncooperative. She would not answer any questions related to my account except that it was terminated at the request of the corporate legal department for legal issues and stated I must contact the corporate legal department for more information. After spending two days speaking with multiple people from the corporate team, I still have yet to receive a consistent and precise explanation for termination. Due to lack of documentation and notations on the account providing justification for the termination, the corporate contacts could only provide various speculations as to why the branch office terminated my account but they all confirmed it was not for legal reasons nor was it initiated at the corporate level. They all stated it was initiated at the branch level by the XXXX XXXX branch and that the XXXX XXXX branch could and should have discussed the reason ( s ) with me instead of referring me to corporate. Each suggested I contact the branch office for more information but the branch office refused to speak with me. XXXX XXXX of the XXXX XXXX branch is the only bank contact that informed me that the corporate legal department initiated the termination for legal wrongdoing and refused to discuss anything related to my account with me. I visited my local branch in XXXX, TX, to close the account in person. XXXX and XXXX ( contact information attached ) were also unsure of the termination circumstances and were unable to get any answers from the XXXX XXXX branch but they were able to reach an attorney within the company who confirmed corporate did not have any legal matters against the account and gave approval to close the account and withdraw all funds. 

It is my belief that the actions taken by the XXXX XXXX office are directly related to recent conflicts with an ex-family member. It is my understanding that they contacted XXXX at the XXXX XXXX branch and made accusations against me and the account. And that because of said accusations, XXXX chose to involve the bank in a civil dispute that is outside the bounds of the contractual relationship I have with the bank. XXXX not only involved the bank but took action against me based on accusations by the third party which is also a customer of the XXXX XXXX branch. It seems as though XXXX used her authority to benefit a third party or at least make it difficult for me to proceed utilizing my account and the funds. It is my understanding that the bank must remain neutral in civil disputes and uphold the privacy of the customer first and foremost. 

To date, the bank has yet to provide any documentation or reasonable explanation for termination. 

The actions by the XXXX XXXX office and BancorpSouth raise the questions : What initiated the termination? Why was information withheld from me when I contacted the branch office? Why did XXXX XXXX refuse to discuss my account with me when she stated she knew exactly why she terminated the account? Why is it that corporate can only provide theories and yet no one can give me a definite answer? If the corporate legal team initiated the termination and/or had any involvement, why did numerous corporate contacts inform me otherwise? And why would someone from legal not return my call after I requested to speak with someone on multiple occasions and XXXX was to have someone reach out to me? Why was my privacy violated and my account discussed with a third party? Why did XXXX feel it was necessary to get involved and take action due to such accusations? Why was I not contacted for clarification regarding the allegations since it was my account? 

Because of the actions taken by the bank and the way in which I was treated, I feel that the branch office and XXXX XXXX violated my right to privacy, that they discriminated against me and treated me unfairly and that XXXX XXXX did not conduct herself in a professional or ethical manner. 

One owner of the account has been a customer of XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Texas/BancorpSouth for over 14 years and has multiple active accounts. Up until now, she has never encountered any issues with any of her accounts and has had positive experiences with those that she does business with on a normal basis. At this point she is not confident that her information or money is secure based upon the transgressions displayed by XXXX XXXX at the XXXX XXXX branch. 

We appreciate the CFPBs attention to this matter and look forward to hearing back on the findings. 

Attachments include : details of the interaction with the bank, termination letter, bank representative 's contact information and multiple letters from the bank regarding the conversion process.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation