Consumer complaint received 2025-07-11 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Cashing a check
Company: U.S. BANCORP
State: OR

Complaint narrative:
XX/XX/XXXX I mailed my quarterly estimated payment to the IRS through the US Postal Service from the public mailbox outside the XXXX XXXX XXXX. The check posted with no problems. I check my accounts every week and monitor activity. However, in XX/XX/XXXXXXXX  my accountant informed me that the IRS had not received my payment and when I pulled up a copy of the check that had posted online ( this requires an additional step on the US bank XXXX banking XXXX ) I saw that the check had been altered and written to another party although written for the exact same amount. Because the check posted for the exact amount I had written it for, it did not flag me that there was a problem until almost a year later. Immediately filed a fraud claim with the bank and a police report. The fraud claim took over a month and when I called them to check on the claim I was informed that the claim was " denied because it was outside the 30 day reporting window ''. I was also told that I was not able to file another claim about this issue but that I could speak with my branch manager who had the authority to refund my money as they saw fit. I spoke with my branch manager and explained to him the situation and that I have been a US Bank customer for over 30 years in good standing. The manager called me a few days later and told me that he was in process of refunding my money but his manager, the regional manager ( XXXX XXXX XXXX told him that he would be in violation of his contract if he did so. He expressed concern for his good standing with the bank and his job if he refunded my money. I have spoken many people about this and researched online and from everything I can tell, the branch does take a loss if they refund money for fraud but has the ability to do so and work outside the 30 day period when it is appropriate. In addition the bank is FDIC insured for this reason. So I called XXXX and left three messages over a two week period before she called me back. When we spoke she told me that the fraud department has misinformed me and that I had spoken to the wrong person which was confusing. She also suggested I had been negligent in not taking the extra step to pull up a picture of my check after it posted for the amount I wrote it for. She also told me that the type of fraud I am experiencing is so common that US banks couldn't afford to refund everyone for check fraud. She also asked me if I was a business owner ( which I am ) and told me businesses can't afford to take losses even if customers are good customers. I responded with examples from my own business where I take losses and make exceptions for good customers because that is what a responsible business does. This seemed to fall on deaf ears. I asked to speak with her manager as I found her responses confusing. XXXX said she would not give me her managers contact information but told me she would speak with them and call me back in one week. As of today XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX weeks later. I have had heard nothing back from her. I am filing a grievance with US bank today but I am needing some help and to talk to someone at a higher level. In my opinion, if the bank is going to require a 30 day period for fraud, and this fraud is very common their online system should show a picture of the check with out requiring an additional step and maybe they shouldn't be allowing use of checks any more. This loss really hurt me and my business as I feel no loyalty from a bank whom I have been in good standing with all these years. I am hoping someone at a higher level might be able to help me before I am forced to with daw all my accounts from this bank which would be an additional great inconvenience.

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