Date Received: 2015-03-23
Issue: Account opening, closing, or management
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: Beware of Corporate Citizen 's Bank related to Retaliation for Posting Information and Reviews about a Security Breach in Online/Telephone Banking and for filing with the Attorney General : Five days ago I received a letter in the mail stating that all my bank accounts ( mine, my husband, XXXX our businesses, savings, and all XXXX children 's accounts ) would be summarily closed in 10 days, no reason given. I have been a customer at Citizen 's Bank for 15 plus years with impeccable credit and have never even bounced a check or had a late payment. Apparently it is Citizen 's prerogative and they can close your accounts with NO notice and for No reason! Apparently when I signed up 15 plus years ago, there was a box to check that allows them to do this, go figure? Nonetheless I do KNOW the reason why Corporate Citizen 's closed all my accounts!!! I have repeatedly written on social media, written to the AG about a MAJOR Security Issue at Citizen 's Bank and I believe shutting all my accounts is in RETALIATION for alerting other customers to the security flaw. The back story is : in XXXX XX/XX/2014 XXXX of my linked bank accounts were compromised. Someone called Citizen 's on an inside line ( pretext calling ) and said they were sitting with my husband in the local branch and that he needed help setting up online banking. Neither of us bank online. All the caller needed was the last XXXX of my social, then they set up a phoney email address and password, and voila they were into ALL my family and business linked accounts. Funniest thing that call was NEVER recorded, very odd since generally every time I call the bank I hear " you are on a recorded line ''. Once they got in, {$30000.00} was transferred/borrowed from a Home Equity Credit Line ( who has {$30000.00} sitting around anyway ) into linked accounts and then they went to ATM 's in XXXX and XXXX and in 6 hours withdrew {$30000.00} in increments of {$600.00} and NO ALGORITHM at Citizen 's picked this up??? I, the lowly customer, happened to notice the activity when I checked my balances that day! I do n't know about you but I have NEVER been able to withdraw more than {$400.00} in a given day without getting shut down. Needless to say, this is a major security breach. Citizen 's was clearly at fault and after two weeks returned the {$30000.00} to my credit line and only after I filed numerous police reports. However, the bank has consistently passed the buck by both not returning repeated phone calls and by not repairing the online/telephone banking issue. Also since the breach, my social security number along with my entire family, DOB, address have all been compromised. I have had to file Fraud Alerts and have had to put a Freeze on all of our Credit Reports for 7 years. At no time did Corporate Citizen 's Bank, XXXX XXXX in particular in the Office of the Chairman, ever take my calls, offer to help, give advice or even TAKE RESPONSIBILITY for the Security Breach and/or consider paying for Life Lock or some such plan ( {$10.00} per month ). In fact, I only spoke with XXXX XXXX XXXX or XXXX ( my supposed point person at Citizen 's ) and he never returned any of my urgent calls even when I received the letter about the closing of all my accounts. Terrible customer service at Citizen 's Bank on the highest Corporate level. I have no problem with the line staff/tellers in the branches. They are doing the best they can given the circumstances.
Company Response:
State: MA
Zip: 01890
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2015-03-27
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: No
Date Received: 2015-03-21
Issue: Disclosure verification of debt
Subissue: Not disclosed as an attempt to collect
Consumer Complaint: Charter One Bank & Credit report issue : I received letter in XXXX related to this account. Based on my concerns, I met XX/XX/XXXX with an Account Specialist at Charter One Back in XXXX XXXX ( XXXX XXXX XXXX ), I believe her name was XXXX. She informed me that this equity loan could not be drawn against any longer. She told me it was not due in full and I could continue to make payment on it to pay it off. I had been paying $ 160/month, but increased the payment with Automatic withdrawal from my Charter Checking to $ 500/month starting in XXXX. I also had issue checking if payment were made and how much I owed due to not being able to see a statement on my Charter workflow. I asked ( sent requests ) about this statement issue several times and could not get good answer why. They would tell me due to status. After I set automatic transfer for the $ 500/month payment and did n't concern myself with this account and thought all was ok. This is what Automatic Payment is about, not having to check it monthly. In XXXX, I was collecting Tax information and asked about Interest paid on this account and was told it was in bankrupt status and no credit was being charged. I did ask why and they told me it was related to my Ex-Wife 's Chapter XXXX filing in late XX/XX/XXXX - XX/XX/XXXX. I did not know anything about this filing. I assumed since it was her bankruptcy it would not affect me and I agree to continue to pay off this loan. I requested to put it back on automatic payment & was told I could not and had to manually send Check in to Charter One. I received several Credit inquires letter for Auto loan were the bank said I was denied due to my credit report, so I requested a Credit Report and found this account in Charge Off Status! I attached the page were this is noted and you can see I was paying this through XXXX with auto withdrawal. The report states I was 90 days late while I was still paying, this is an issue. I did not know this at the time, but in XXXX, the auto transfer must have been stopped by Charter without my knowledge or notification. I do know see Fail to Transfer notes, but I see these types of notes out of Charters system and then the funds transfer, so I did n't think much about it. After 60 days of non-payment ( due to Charter stopping the transfers ), the account was put in Charge Off. Again, I was not informed of this issue back in XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, XXXX. I attached copy of transfer failure that I looked up after a realized that the payment were not really going through. My issue is with this account being put in this status without ever being called or a letter written to me. I attempted to pay Charter $ 500/month and the only reason you did not get paid, was because Charter 's own bank stopped these payment, not me!!! I requested this credit information be removed from my Credits Reports and this account re-established so I can set-up auto payments. I requested Charter One to understands my frustration with this and that I was always willing & attempting to pay on-time what I owed. About a week or so after I sent this request to help fix this Charter One issue, I received a call from a Collection Agency ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ) that stated that they were hired to collect on this Debt! They told me I had to end of the month to come up with ~ {$39000.00} payoff. I told them I did not have {$39000.00} laying around and what my options were, They said I could request a reduced payoff, so I offer 50 % which they did not accept, but did come back with an offer of {$22000.00}, so I accepted and borrowed money from my XXXX to pay this amount. Now I have both late payment on my Credit Report & loan payoff at reduced amount. I have never had a Credit issue on my report and now due to Charter One 's actions, my credit report & ability to get loans is effected, XXXX loan denied. Need help, XXXX
Company Response:
State: MI
Zip: 48371
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2015-03-30
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: No
Date Received: 2015-03-20
Issue: Settlement process and costs
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: XXXX / Citizens Bank, N.A. adds fees for additional insurance to my mortgage year after year. Year after year I 've requested the additional insurance removed, completed all required forms and submitted all requested information. I had been advised the insurance would be removed when calling after confirming I met all their requirements in prior years, but the insurance was not removed. This year a law firm has become involved, I 've made XXXX attempts to submit the forms, only to be told today that the address that Citizens Bank provided was incorrect. I am now being asked to complete and resubmit forms a XXXX time. The additional cost of the insurance is significant each year, and with the FEMA flood insurance increases in addition to our own personal home owners insurance that is required seems excessive. Each year I have gone through this process of sending forms after forms, then call after call I usually get told it will be removed, but never has been. I do n't feel that their practices are appropriate, their process is nearly impossible especially for someone working full-time and I feel their information is deceptive. This additional insurance requirement was added later after loan origination, disclosures sent, but again obviously they do n't want to enable a consumer to remove or reduce this added insurance no matter how much additional coverage the homeowner has on the personal policy.
Company Response:
State: NY
Zip: 144XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2015-03-26
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: No
Date Received: 2015-03-19
Issue: Credit determination
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: i recently closed and paid off my citizens bank credit card account ove one month ago. Today i received a call from them saying that my account was past due.now, they never sent me a letter in the mail saying that i owed them money after i have requested a payoff and paid the balance in full. they are attempting to report my account past due for 33 days with the credit reporting agencies. i have worked tirelessly to build my credit, and now Citizens bank wants to destroy over {$27.00} when they never had any type of notification in place to make me aware of the balance.
Company Response:
State: MA
Zip: 02301
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2015-03-20
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: No
Date Received: 2015-03-19
Issue: Application, originator, mortgage broker
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: I had a mortgage with from XXXX of XXXX to XXXX of XXXX and never missed a payment. I refinanced my Citizens Mortgage through XXXX in XXXX of XXXX to obtain a XXXX loan to completely renovate my home. My home is built. My current mortgage is with XXXX for {$410000.00}. My house is a single family ( XXXX ) in XXXX XXXX with an ocean view, XXXX car garage, and an additional parking spot. In late XXXX of XXXX, after I moved in, I started a refinancing process with Citizens to lower my monthly payment by close to or at {$600.00} because I would no longer need PMI insurance. I provided Citizens with every document it asked for ASAP ( XXXX for XXXX, XXXX, XXXX ) I signed to allow my income taxes to be released. I paid {$450.00} for an appraisial of my home which occurred on XXXX XXXX of XXXX. The apprasal came in ( {$590000.00} ) signifigantly under market value. I raised complaints about the my appraisal to the loan originator, XXXX XXXX of Citizens Bank XXXX XXXX XXXX, and she agreed it was way under value, would file an complaint, but the loan should be fine even though the appraisal was so artificially low. I was told we would close at the end of XXXX XXXX. We did not close then and was told we would close at the end of XXXX. All along, as is available via email, I was told the loan was going forward and we were all set. On XXXX XXXX, XXXX, I was told via email from XXXX XXXX we would close Monday XXXX XXXX, XXXX at XXXX at the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. Then it was moved to XXXX XXXX. I was told over the phone by XXXX on XXXX XXXX around XXXX we were closing tomorrow XXXX XXXX. At XXXX XXXX XXXX I received an email from XXXX saying the loan was denied. XXXX also said in the email she had a sore throat and cold not talk. Reason stated was the amount of my summer job was {$1900.00} less on my XXXX than XXXX had told me it was safe to cancel my XXXX payment with XXXX which I did via telephone. I planned so financially. I have a XXXX child. My wife is not working. I now need to come up with additional money which I was told I would not need because my Citizens payment would be lower. I did everything asked, was told only positive things about my loan ( in other words all I ever heard via email, telephone was that it was moving forward ) and get an email the night I was supposed to close that it is not happening. After another week of vetting my financial sources, which I submitted back in early XXXX of XXXX, I was told by my loan officer i was denied on Friday XXXX XXXX, XXXX. No bank should be allowed to treat people in such a manner, especially when people 's financial future is held in the wings.
Company Response:
State: MA
Zip: 02127
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2015-03-19
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: Yes
Date Received: 2015-03-19
Issue: Account opening, closing, or management
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: Separate from my claim yesterday, I now alleged criminal behavior on the part of XXXX XXXX presented an XXXX Divorce Document to the Branch Manger of Citizens Bank in XXXX, XXXX-XXXX. XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX and requested past Bank Statements for the period between XX/XX/XXXX-XX/XX/XXXX. She promptly pulled up the account on her computer screen and even pointed out the initial deposit on XX/XX/XXXX. Reported to me that it was open in credit status only because there were notes for pending research on fees that were supposed to be reversed over 5 years ago. She then, despite my verbal opposition and the court order in front of her, insisted that she had to close the account because I was getting divorced and should not have a joint account with my spouse and that we were no longer eligible for any applicable credits. She then assured me I would have the requested statements within 2 weeks ( records over 7 years old require the processing of a research fee-despite my physically viewing the XX/XX/XXXX Statement on XXXX XXXX 's Screen ). She then informed me that it would cost about {$180.00} in fees and that I would have to come into the branch and pay that when I pick of the Statements, implied to be just after XX/XX/XXXX. I believe this arrangement constitutes a formal contract for the reproduction of the XX/XX/XXXX-XX/XX/XXXX Statements that she showed me on her screen. Today XX/XX/XXXX, after filing reports with various stake holder groups last evening ( including you ) as well as citizens bank corporate offices, I met with XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX manager XXXX XXXX ( actually located at the XXXX XXXX branch ) and was informed that the account records had been purged in " XX/XX/XXXX '' after the account had been closed by XXXX XXXX, which is would have been in strict opposition to the court docs presented to XXXX XXXX and a follow-up email on the evening of XX/XX/XXXX/XX/XX/XXXX to XXXX XXXX ( attached ) reiterating this as well as pointing out the issue of why the account was open for credits only ( refund of fees ) as XX/XX/XXXX. After, in casually speaking with a Law Firm not XXXX blocks from the XXXX XXXX XXXX, I can confidently say that I believe XXXX XXXX committed a criminal act, fraud actually, as a refund of $ 2,800+ in fee 's described in the attached email to her on XX/XX/XXXX would effect XXXX XXXX XXXX Profits for that branch and therefore impact her performance bonus as branch manager. I would also like to reiterate that XXXX XXXX 's XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX was extraordinarily helpful and I believe sincerely tried to reverse the deletion and obtain the records for me going back 7 years. She also stated that if I get a direct Subpoena from Indiana to her she could forward it to legal, who has access to all of my account records since inception at a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX as well as many others, but they would only comply with the Federal mandate of 7 years old ( which I have ), it is the XXXX year which is essential as it shows my direct contribution to my wife 's education over that year ( XX/XX/XXXX-XX/XX/XXXX ) which is relevant under XXXX Divorce Law. Transparency and customer access to records physically shown to me in person XXXX month ago ( XXXX literally pointed out the opening deposit on XX/XX/XXXX ) is not asking anything out of line when complying with a court order. I also believe I should have access to the exact information that she purged after my email, as I should have access to whatever personal financial information so material in XXXX XXXX 's interests that she knowingly and deliberately permanently deleted the record of it.
Company Response:
State: NH
Zip: 032XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2015-03-31
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: No