Consumer complaint received 2025-02-02 00:00:00
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service — Domestic (US) money transfer
Issue: Other transaction problem — 
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: DC

Complaint narrative:
On Monday, XX/XX/XXXX I requested that Citibank make a domestic wire transfer in the amount of {$1600.00} to XXXX XXXX XXXX, a personal frriend at her bank, XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX Texas, a United States financial institution. My Citibank checking account records show that I have made several wire transfers to XXXX XXXX in the past. The XX/XX/XXXX wire transfer noted in the " memo '' section that the purpose of the wire transfer was to " XXXX trip reimbursement. '' I checked my account on XX/XX/XXXX, and saw that the {$1600.00} was debited ( deducted ) from my interest bearing checking account. As of XX/XX/XXXX the funds were debited. The funds were not held in a " pending '' status. 

On Thursday, XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX called me to say that her bank, XXXX XXXX XXXX  ( a XXXXXXXX financial institution ) had not received the funds. I checked my Citibank accounts, confirmed that the {$620.00} had been debited from my checking account. I checked the wire transfer section on my account which stated that the wire transfer was " Processing ... .we are working on it ... '' I immediately called ( Thursday, XX/XX/XXXX ). Citibank to initiate an inquiry. I gave the Citibank representative a full desccription of the problem. The Citibank repesentative told me that Citibank would respond. 

Thursday, XXXX That evening, I received an email from Citibank informing me that I had received an encrypted message from Citibank. The email did not disclose the subject of the encrypted message. However, after following all the instructions and prompts on opening the encrypted message, I could not open the message. The prompts including the warning that the contents of the message might not be " secure '' if opened. I was concerned that the message might be " phising. '' On Friday, XX/XX/XXXX, I reached a Citibank representative using the number on the back of my ATM card. I made the call at XXXX XXXX  and finally reached the representative at XXXX XXXX  after waiting " on hold '' for 4+ hours. I explained the problem that the {$1600.00} domestic wire transfer had been debited from my account but had not reached the transferee 's account at XXXX XXXX XXXX, a XXXX financial isntitution After a long wait, I was told that Citibank needed additional information. I asked what addtional information might be needed. The Citibank representative could not tell me what additional information was needed. 

At that point, I asked the representative to cancel the wire transfer and that I would just write XXXX a personal check from the checking account. I did that. 

Beginning Monday, XX/XX/XXXX, I began checking my account on line. The {$1600.00} was not returned to my account. The wire transfer continued to be identified as " pending. '' I initiated aanother call to Citibank, and again after long waits, reached a representative who agreed to keep me on the line while she reached the wire transfer compliance department. I waited for a lengthy ( 1+ hours ) period. She returned to my call and informed me that compliance told her that my request for the wire transfer had incomplete information and that, because of the word " XXXX '' in the memo section, the funds were being held. I explained to her that the wire transfer was a domestic wire transfer to a XXXX financial institution, that the funds were not going to XXXX, that I had been on a scuba diving trip to XXXX fro XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX, that the trip to XXXX was legal in every respect, that I had flown to XXXX on XXXX XXXX, that I had complied with all visa and passport and entry requirements and that, in any event, none of the funds for reimbursement were going to be transmitted to XXXX in any form,. 

I again told the Citibank representative that I had asked that the wire transfer be cancelled and the funds returned to my account. I asked to speak to a supervisor. 

When I reached the supervisor that individual told me ( i ) that the U.S. Treasury Department had blocked the transferl and ( 11 ) I would have to apply to the U.S. Department of the Treasury to receive a " license '' in order for the funds to be returned. I am an attorney ( and a former Assistant United States Attorney/federal prosecutor ) and I asked for the controlling Code of Federal Regulations citation. He gave me a U.S. Treasury Department website link. I went on the U.S. Treasury Department website, found the applicable controlling regulations, called the appropriate section at the U.S.Treasury Department, and found a very helpful individual who told me, contrary to what the Citibank representatives told me, that the U.S. Treasury Department did not place a hold on my wire transfer request, that the U.S. Treasury Department regulations and sanctions involving XXXX did not require Citibank to refuse the transfer, did not authorize Citibank to debit my account, and to refuse to return the funds and that I was not eligible to receive any kind of license before Citibank could return the {$1600.00} to my account for the simple obvious reason that the wire transfer was a domestic wire transfer to a XXXX financial institution and that I was not attempting to transfer, directly or indirectly funds to XXXX in violation the laws and regulations of the United States. 

I again called Citibank, using a number that I obtained for the " wire compliance '' department. I again explained the situation in detail. The Citibank representative told me that she would forward all the information to the appropriate people. I asked her to return my call or have the appropriate person return my call for a status report. I have never received a response. 

On Monday, XX/XX/XXXX, I again called Citibank to determine the status of this matter. Again, after a long period of time, I was told that Citibank had all the information necessary to cancel the wire transfer return the {$1600.00}. I had the telephone call on speaker, and thus I have a witness that the representative said that Citibank had all the information and did not need any information from me. 

On Wednesday, XX/XX/XXXX, I wrote an email to my " Relationship Manager '' at Citibank providing all the information above and asking for a response. I have not received a reply. 

I all my contacts with Citibank representatives, except for the first communication on XX/XX/XXXX, I have asked the representative to record the conversation. I have a record of the times and lengths of the phone calls. I have contemporaneous notes of the conversations. I have the names and employee numbers of the XXXX representatives with whom I spoke, except in on case in which the Citibank representative refused to give me his employee identification number. 

In summary : Citibank has illegally debited {$1600.00} from my checking account and refused to return it after repeated requests. 

Citibank, through its representatives, have given me false and misleading information about the reasons and legal justification for the debiting of {$1600.00} from my account and the failure to cancel the wire transfer and return it to my account.. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) XXXX 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