Consumer complaint received 2026-05-07 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Banking errors
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
State: TX

Complaint narrative:
This complaint concerns J.P. Morgan/Chases refusal or failure to provide a consistent online method for customers to add or update beneficiaries for certain account types ( checking, savings ), while providing digital beneficiary-management functionality for other account categories ( XXXX XXXX XXXX ). Chases own beneficiary FAQ states that a beneficiary can be added to a Chase account by visiting a branch, while its investment materials separately state that customers with J.P. Morgan XXXX XXXX investment accounts can designate or update beneficiaries through the Chase Mobile app or on chase.com. The result is a fragmented and burdensome process in which customers may be required to appear in person for some accounts, even though the institution already maintains secure digital channels for beneficiary updates for other products. This discrepancy creates unnecessary friction in basic account administration and undermines efficient estate planning for deposit-account holders and similarly situated consumers. These interactions imposed avoidable time, travel, scheduling, and administrative burdens for a task that should be manageable through authenticated digital banking channels. Chases own public materials show that online beneficiary management is available for certain investment accounts, which demonstrates that the bank already has the operational capability to support remote beneficiary maintenance in at least part of its product ecosystem. The inability to update beneficiaries online is not a minor convenience issue. Beneficiary designations help assets pass directly to designated individuals and can reduce the probability of a drawn-out probate process. When a customer can not promptly complete or revise those designations, estate planning may be delayed, family expectations may remain unclear, and account administration at death may become more complicated than necessary. This issue is especially serious when customers are XXXX, XXXX, traveling, working irregular hours, managing family emergencies, or otherwise unable to appear at a branch easily. Requiring an in-person visit for a routine beneficiary update creates a disproportionate burden when comparable financial servicing functions are commonly handled through secure online and mobile channels, and when Chase itself already permits digital beneficiary updates for J.P. Morgan XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. J.P. Morgan/Chase appears to maintain different servicing standards depending on account type : branch-based beneficiary changes for at least some Chase accounts, but digital self-service for certain investment accounts. If the institution can authenticate customers and process beneficiary changes online for one class of accounts, it should be able to explain clearly why similarly sensitive changes for ordinary consumer deposit accounts require branch attendance rather than secure digital workflows, identity verification, and electronic acknowledgment. In addition, J.P. Morgan asset-management materials indicate that beneficiary designations for some non-qualified and IRA accounts are handled through paper forms submitted by mail, further illustrating that the customer experience varies significantly across account types and may depend on legacy processing channels rather than modern digital convenience. From a consumer-protection perspective, such inconsistency can cause confusion, delay, and needless effort in an area closely tied to end-of-life planning and family financial security. I attempted to resolve this by asking this via their secured channel and I was told that I need to visit a branch. My son on in separate account visited the branch for updating beneficiary, he was made to sign a docusign application for beneficiary update but never got its copy in his email. He was not even given a print out of his update. So visiting the branch and updating beneficiary is not helping. Investigation is required if JPMC is intentionally doing this to have no record with account holder so they can keep account holders money for a longer period of time during and make the family go through complex litigation. If so, how many such cases are impacted? A XXXX XXXX on this subject ( attached ) got over XXXX views and I will be writing to SEC separately on this to have formal investigation on the intent behind this given that other banks such as XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX allow the beneficiaries to be updated online

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation