Consumer complaint received 2025-07-24 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Problem caused by your funds being low — Overdrafts and overdraft fees
Company: FIRST CITIZENS BANCSHARES, INC.
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
I closed my checking account with First Citizens in XXXX XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX, a XXXX transaction mistakenly drew from that closed account, triggering a small overdraft. I was unaware this had happened.

The bank sent mailed notices to my old address, which I hadnt updated with them since I no longer had an active relationship with the bank. They said it was three, but I only got two. I only received the final notice around XX/XX/XXXX, which stated the fees had been outstanding for 40 days, and that I had been ( or would be ) referred to collections and reported to the credit bureaus. It included a phone number to call to make a payment. 

When I called the number, I spoke to someone named XXXX, and was told there was no outstanding balance and the representative could not find any record of the issue. I was transferred to customer service, where a rep named XXXX also found no record of a charge or any action needed, and informed that I had to call the first number back. After expressing frustration at the lack of clarity and being sent in circles, I asked to speak to a supervisor. 

The supervisor was named XXXX, and she was rude and unhelpful. She said she could not confirm or deny whether my account had been sent to collections or reported to a credit bureau. I told her I no longer lived near a branch and asked to resolve this over the phone. She refused, stating that the only option was to visit a branch in person, even though I was holding a letter from the bank that said otherwise. And then, instead of giving me any actual concrete information, proceeded to tell me a story about her own personal experience with a bank, having no bearing whatsoever on any of the questions I was asking that she was refusing to answer. 

I visited a branch, where I had to speak with four different people before anyone could explain what had happened. A staff member finally confirmed that the XXXX transaction caused the overdraft, and that the banks policy is to report any overdrafts over {$75.00} if they are excessively late. I asked how long excessive means, and they were unable to provide a specific timeframe. 

To pay the balance, I was told I had to : Withdraw cash using the branch ATM ( with a surcharge ), convert that into a cashiers check, and have the bank mail that check to their collections agencya process that would take up to six weeks. 

Even after paying, no one provided written confirmation that the account was resolved, that the collections issue was cleared, or that no credit report had been filed. I was left with no documentation and no assurance that my credit would remain unaffected. I eventually had to call the bank and ask someone there to send me some kind of confirmation, and because they have to no formal system in place, the best I could get was a personal email from someone at the branch, confirming that I had paid the fees. 

Due to this uncertainty, I was forced to purchase a $ XXXX credit monitoring service so I can watch for any potential damage to my credit file. 

All of this could have been avoided if they would have just called or emailed me about the issue at any point. When I asked them why they wouldn't try and me via phone or email, they said they don't do that, which sounds very much like they don't want to.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation