Consumer complaint received 2025-07-24 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Closing an account — Funds not received from closed account
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
[ 1 ] A few days following depositing a {$9000.00} check from a direct family member, Chase Bank locked my checking account. After forcing me to go through a labyrinthine and contradictory process to attempt to get the funds released and my account un-restricted, Chase closed my account and is refusing to release said funds to either myself or my family member. 

[ 2 ] Around XXXX  XX/XX/XXXX, I received notice that my checking account was restricted. I called the provided number in the notice and learned the problem was the {$9000.00} check I recently deposited from a family member. This check was drawn from their account at Chase Bank, the same bank this complaint is directed to, and therefore, I believe Chase should have had all the necessary information to verify the funds or reject the check. On the call, the agent demanded I provide a phone number of this family member, to which I did. However, the agent claimed that the phone number could not be verified ( this phone number was also the phone number on my family member 's Chase account ). I provided another valid phone number for the same family member, but it also could not be verified. Despite multiple attempts with different agents, the phone numbers were consistently deemed unverifiable. I attempted this process a few more times with other agents in the following days, to no success. I also visited a Chase branch, with no success. I was repeatedly told that verifying the phone number was the only way to restrict my account. Later that I learned that Chase was using a third-party data broker to " verify '' phone numbers. It appears that this data broker did not list my family member as the owner of these phone numbers. 

[ 3 ] Throughout the process, Chase agents gave me many excuses regarding why my family member 's number was unable to be verified, such as them purchasing SIM cards from strangers. These agents assured me that their system pulled data from " official '' sources and was near-infallible ; sources such as the DMV and other government agencies. However, one phone number which I gave multiple times to verify is this family member 's phone number as registered to the Social Security Administration and the California Department of Social Services, among others. 

[ XXXX ] On XX/XX/XXXX, I once again called Chase using the same phone number. This time, the agent said they could not proceed without identity verification. The agent said the only method of doing this was going in-branch with two forms of identification and having a banker call them. I complied and did exactly this, arriving at a branch around ten minutes later. The banker called the number, but told me that in-branch bankers could not help, and I still needed to provide Chase with the phone number for my family member. The banker let me talk to the individual she called at the " back office '', who reiterated the necessity of providing Chase with the family member 's phone number. This back-office person claimed to have no knowledge of the requirement to verify my identity in-branch which I was instructed a few minutes prior. Furthermore, the agent said that my account would be closed 10 business days after the restriction was placed, which would be XX/XX/XXXX. 

[ 5 ] Later that day, I again called Chase. I said I wanted to try phone number verification again, saying that my family member contacted their wireless provider. The agent said the system which they used to verify phone numbers needed time to propagate this information from the wireless provider, and suggested that I call back in one week. Six days later, on XX/XX/XXXX, my account was closed. Notably, XX/XX/XXXX is significantly before the date I was told my account would be closed. 

[ 6 ] Before the closure of my account, the available balance in my account was around {$9100.00}. I called Chase Bank, who said only around {$130.00} would be sent to my address, claiming that Chase would hold onto the {$9000.00} for up to 2 years pending verification of my family member 's phone number. 

[ XXXX ] Chase 's handling of my account has been entirely contradictory. Their systems and procedures seem severely inadequate, leading to a situation where my funds are being held hostage due to inaccurate information from a third-party data broker and Chase 's blind reliance on them. While I am not an expert in banking regulations, this seems like something that said regulations would certainly prohibit. At the very least, it is in violation of the deposit agreement between Chase and myself. Chase 's inability to resolve this issue, despite this being a check transferred between Chase accounts, is a clear failure on their part. Despite my full compliance with Chase 's instructions, they continue to withhold my money based on an impossible demand.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation