Consumer complaint received 2025-07-09 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Closing an account — Can't close your account
Company: CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: VA

Complaint narrative:
Formal Complaint : Capital One Joint Account Misuse Complaint Summary I am filing this complaint because Capital One has repeatedly refused to assist me in closing a joint account I shared with my now ex-husband, despite the fact that we have been divorced for over a year and legally separated for a year prior to that. I am the only person authorized to close the account the can not. Yet I have been told, again and again, that I can not close it either. 
I called multiple times, spoke with representatives, and even had calls escalated to supervisors and fraud departments. At every level, I was told the same thing : because of pending transactions or because the secondary user ( my ex-husband ) still had a debit card tied to the account, it could not be closed. 
At one point, after explaining the details of my financial abuse history, a Capital One representative asked me to update my address on file. I was about to do so when I paused and asked, If I update this address, does he gain access to it? The rep stopped and admitted I was right not to update it. So they were fully aware of the risk I was in, yet still refused to offer any lasting protection.

At the core of the problem was Capital Ones refusal to block overdraft protection, even temporarily. I asked for this specifically, hoping to stop a pattern where small deposits were immediately followed by overdrafts, deliberately keeping the account unsettled and preventing closure. They told me I could disable it myself through the app which is true. But so could he. And the moment I did it, he would just re-enable it. When I asked if anything could be done to stop this cycle, I was told flatly, No. 
Because of this, money was withdrawn from my personal Capital One account on multiple occasions to cover overdrafts that I did not cause. When I explained this again to another representative, they acknowledged what I was describing was correct saying, I can see where he deposited funds and immediately over-drafted it again. She also told me that the other user had another Capital One account, but he had tied his debit card to this joint one, which was why I couldn't close it. I was informed that Capital One requires users to manually transfer their card between accounts, and you can not do this if there are any pending transactions restriction that traps people like me in an endless loop of dependency. 
This entire setup was manipulated by my ex-husband to create a system where he could siphon money from Formal Complaint : Capital One Joint Account Misuse his trust via this joint account using apps like XXXX XXXX or XXXX ( which don't accept wires ), all while avoiding the consequences of overdrawing. Since Capital One offers no overdraft fee, he had no reason not to do it. But when the account eventually went negative, Capital One pulled funds from my personal account to cover it. 
This isn't just a broken policy its a system that enabled my abuser to keep financially entangled with me long after our marriage ended. I had nothing to gain from keeping the account open and repeatedly asked to close it. But Capital One chose to uphold policies that kept it active, all because the secondary user hadn't moved a card despite the balance being at XXXX. It would take no effort for Capital One to unlink his card, allow the account to be closed, or transfer it to his solo account. 
Instead, they told me there was absolutely nothing I could do. No override. No protection. Not even when I provided context about financial abuse, divorce, and documented transaction history. 
Now, my credit is at risk because of someone I legally separated from two years ago, and divorced a year ago. I did everything I was supposed to do. Capital One did not.

I urge the CFPB to investigate Capital Ones handling of : - Joint accounts where one party is at risk, - Overdraft behavior when one user manipulates balance timing, - The inability of primary account holders to close accounts due to technicalities like linked cards,- And the companies unwillingness to provide personalized safety measures for XXXX XXXX XXXX  when abuse has already been disclosed.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation