Date Received: 2024-01-04
Issue: Managing an account
Subissue: Deposits and withdrawals
Consumer Complaint: Citizens Bank allowed someone in a different state to close my debit card and steal {$15000.00} from my accounts ( {$7000.00} XXXX XXXX & {$8600.00} Checking ). I did absolutely nothing wrong, I notified Citizens as soon as I found out which was the next day after suspicious emails which I provided to Citizens Bank, I filed a fraud alert on XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX, and filed a police report. I've contacted Citizens fraud department and they told me my requests to get my money back has been denied. This happened over a month ago and now it is at the point of the " office of the chairman '' of Citizens Bank and they are still giving me the runaround. This money was stolen right at XXXX time and not only did Citizens never apologize to me for allowing someone to steal {$15000.00} from my accounts but are telling me I may not get my money back at all. This is a huge institution, i've been banking with them for 20 years, shouldnt they immediately give me my money back and then deal with the fraud on their side? Is my money not insured at a major bank? I have hardly been able to sleep or concentrate on work since this happened and its been over a month.
Company Response:
State: PA
Zip: 189XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2024-01-04
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2024-01-04
Issue: Fraud or scam
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: On XX/XX/XXXX someone got into my XXXX account with Citizens Bank and hacked my cell phone. They opened a XXXX XXXX. I had that card cancelled right away with XXXX XXXX. I called Citizens and filed a fraud complaint. I was getting calls from Citizens and they had me on hold for sometime. This was a scam to transfer the money. {$2300.00}. My phone is still hacked and XXXX is working on that. I filed a police report and with Identity Theft.gov. Citizens has informed me that they will NOT refund my money. The banks money is insured, why isnt my money insured.
Company Response:
State: PA
Zip: 19382
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2024-01-04
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2024-01-04
Issue: Problem with a lender or other company charging your account
Subissue: Transaction was not authorized
Consumer Complaint: On XX/XX/XXXX I paid my school property taxes online via a digital copy of a citizens bank check for the amount of {$2600.00} ( check number XXXX ). On XX/XX/XXXX check # XXXX for {$1900.00} and check # XXXX for {$1300.00} was cashed and withdrawn from the account. On XX/XX/XXXX I reported both check numbers XXXX and XXXX as fraudulent and also a transfer amount of {$19000.00} from an additional account. The accounts affected were immediately frozen ( so I was told by a citizens bank, banker. ) Later in the same day and following days, multiple other fake checks were cashed, putting the " frozen account '' into a negative balance. I was then charged overdraft fee 's, which was automatically withdrawn from unaffected accounts without permission and after being told in branch at the XXXX NY location that I would not be charged. Also, I received multiple letters from citizens bank stating my unpaid overdrafts would be going to collections and that my credit would be effected. In the following weeks I made multiple in person visits to the branch and was assured by staff I would receive my refund of the total amount lost in fraudulent charges within XXXX days. Within XXXX weeks I was refunded the fraudulent {$19000.00} and since that time I have not received any refund for the additional amounts owed. Citizens Bank had sent letters stating they a preformed an investigation and determined the checks written to be fraudulent and I would receive reimbursement. The total amount still owed to me is {$7000.00}. Of that amount {$3200.00} was withdrawn prior to reporting fraud and the additional {$3800.00} was withdrawn from a frozen account after reporting fraud. It has now been over XXXX months and I am still owed {$7000.00}. Citizens Bank claims they are not responsible to refund the money, that the banks where the checks were cashed are responsible. They claim to have sent multiple Emails to the other banks ( unknown which banks ) with no response back. Citizens bank banker has assured me multiple times that by law, the banks that cashed the fraudulent checks have to pay me back, but they are unable to tell me when. I have requested multiple times in person and over the phone to be updated and sent copies of such requests and have received nothing of such, nor the money owed to me.
Company Response:
State: NY
Zip: 14580
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2024-01-04
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2024-01-05
Issue: Problem with a lender or other company charging your account
Subissue: Transaction was not authorized
Consumer Complaint: On XX/XX/23 XXXX took out a XXXX XXXX charge for {$330.00} I had thought I cancelled my sons tutoring in full so I called Citizens to file a claim. On XX/XX/23, the claim was approved On XX/XX/23, XXXX took out another reoccurring charge for {$330.00}. This time I called XXXX directly to make sure it was cancelled. XXXX credited my account back directly. On XX/XX/XXXX, Citizens debited my account {$330.00} citing an overcharge. They said that since I was credited by XXXX, I didnt need their credit. I walked them through my transactions. The rep said that she agreed and apologized for the mishap. She submitted a second review. The second review was also denied citing their original excuse! They have given me fake emails, blatantly lied to me, and have still yet to refund me for their mistake.
Company Response:
State: OH
Zip: 44120
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2024-01-05
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2024-01-03
Issue: Trouble during payment process
Subissue: Payment process
Consumer Complaint: I had autopay set up with my Citizens Bank mortgage. The payment was supposed to go through on XX/XX/XXXX, but because that was a bank holiday, it went through on the XXXX. However as of XX/XX/XXXX, the account was only updated as of XX/XX/XXXX. The website told me that I was one day late on a payment, and so I immediately made a manual payment, thinking that autopay had not worked. However, it had and I had made an additional payment, which I now will not be able to get back quickly. The website gave me false information. It should not have informed me that I was one day late on a payment if autopay was set up. This was a failure in website design which gave inaccurate information that was relevant to my financial wellbeing. As a result, I will be out over {$3400.00} this month and will struggle to make my other expenses.
Company Response:
State: NY
Zip: 10026
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2024-01-03
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2024-01-03
Issue: Closing an account
Subissue: Can't close your account
Consumer Complaint: On XXXX, I contacted Citizens Bank to attempt to close my Savings Account and my Checking Account. Citizens Bank sought to impose identity verification requirements that are vastly different from the identity verification requirements they imposed during account creation and that required the support of special technology I do not have access to. Consequently I am not able to close my accounts or transfer my funds. -- - I opened both accounts on XXXX. This was done online through webforms only. I provided identifying information and Citizens Bank created the accounts. Citizens Bank was offering a special sign up bonus to create this account and I was happy to keep my accounts long enough to qualify. I intended to close the accounts afterwards as their maintenance fees are excessive compared to my credit union, XXXX. The sign up bonus was deposited in my account in XXXX. Today XXXX I called Citizens Bank to inquire about the proper procedure for closing my accounts. I was told I could use their website 's Transfer Funds feature to XXXX out my accounts, then call and request the closure. The accounts must be emptied prior to closure. When I used the website 's Transfer Funds feature, a hold was placed on my account. Citizens Bank would need to verify my identity before transferring, which is a sensible security measure. I called the number provided. Citizens informed me there are onl y two options to verify my identity. ( 1 ) I can drive to a Citizens Bank location and verify my identity there. ( 2 ) I must remain on the phone line wit h Citizens Bank while they send a phone call to my phone number which I must answer to hear a one-time passcode ( OTP ), which I will recite back to the bank 's agent on the original phone call. I don't have a car. Citizens Bank is headquartered in a different state. I signed up and have so far done all of my banking without any in-person requirements. My phone is not capable of receiving two phone calls at once. The agent I spoke with tried just in case, but I was able to verify from documentation from my phone provider ( XXXX XXXX ) that there is no ability to receive two calls simultaneously. Additionally, I have a second phone line I could theoretically use to receive the OTP then recite back to the agent, but the agent told me that since this second phone is not associated with my bank account, they're not allowed to use it for verification. I went online to add the second phone number to my Citizens Bank account, but was told that this phone provider ( XXXX XXXX ) doesn't disclose enough info to the public about who owns the account, so Citizens is not able to send identity verification to this number. Finally, I asked if the agent could give me a call back number, hang up the original call, send the verification call so that I could record the OTP and call back with it, but I was informed this is not permitted. These requirements are asymmetrical : identity verification to close my account is vastly different from the identity verification required to open my account. Citizens Bank also has sent OTP to me by text message ( at my XXXX XXXX number ) and by email to verify identity for transactions until now, but claims they are unable to use those methods during the account closure process. The requirements are onerous : there was no disclosure that I would be required to travel to the bank in person. It's not typical to ask a person to receive two phone calls on one phone line simultaneously to verify their identity. Despite having access to two different phone numbers from two providers, I am not able to meet the technical requirements for their verification process. Meanwhile, because I made plans to stop using this account, I will start to accrue maintenance fees for non-use. These are the very fees that I found prohibitive and which motivated me to cancel. Citizens Bank has a perverse incentive to create asymmetrical and onerous account closure procedures as this generates revenue through excessive fees. Since Citizens Bank will not accommodate my closure request, I am working with my credit union, XXXX, to try to initiate ACH transfer requests. These are subject to daily, weekly, and monthly limits which may result in delays and thus fees from Citizens Bank. To fully resolve this matter, I would request the following. 1 - Citizens Bank should comply with any ACH or transfer requests from my credit union. 2 - Citizens Bank should waive any fees that result from the delays caused by their exorbitant closure procedure. 3 - Citizens Bank should review and update their closure procedure. In particular, there should be identity verification parity so that closing an account is as easy as opening one. Identification procedures should follow industry standards ; they should not require two simultaneous phone calls and should not require special buy in from phone service providers to disclose their customers ' private information. Absent regulatory pressure from consumer agencies, Citizens Bank has every incentive to keep an easy process to lure in new accounts and difficult process to prevent closure. I hope CFPB will assist by mediating my dispute with Citizens Bank.
Company Response:
State: MA
Zip: 01610
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2024-01-03
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2024-01-02
Issue: Trouble during payment process
Subissue: Private mortgage insurance (PMI)
Consumer Complaint: XX/XX/2023 XXXX XXXX Placed call to customer service line for Citizens One Bank. Received automated message offering a callback due to heavy call volume. XXXX. XX/XX/2023 XXXX XXXX Received callback. Placed on hold. XX/XX/2023 XXXX XXXX Transferred to Payments, operator informs me he can not help me, transfers me back to Customer Service XXXX XX/XX/2023 XXXX XXXX Connected to XXXX XXXX XXXX. XXXX is happy to help, says they will send the XXXX removal form ... by mail in XXXX days. I asked the agent why I could not get an electronic copy, since literally every other thing I get from them is electronic, including statements, tax forms, escrow notices, etc. They do not know, it is the policy. This is my complaint : I made a mortgage agreement ( with a different company, this is my third loan servicer ), and I understood that making XXXX payments was part of that agreement until certain conditions had been met. I have met those conditions, now I want to stop paying. Citizen 's One Bank is deliberately trying to make the process as slow as possible in the hopes that I will give up, forget, or at least be delayed. It is a small thing, we are talking about ~ $ XXXX, but it is unfair and unethical. There is no reason they need to mail me a blank form when every other interaction is electronic. To clarify, I do not think the excessive phone wait time is deliberate, per XXXX, just that they are either incompetent and/or too cheap to staff their customer service.
Company Response:
State: WA
Zip: 99208
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2024-01-02
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2024-01-02
Issue: Closing an account
Subissue: Funds not received from closed account
Consumer Complaint: This is a continuation of a prior issue. I will provide the explanation here. I received a letter from Citizens bank that they owe me XXXX and to contact a number provided I called the number and I can not get a hold of anyone as it will only help people with an account number. As this is a disbursement of a loan from 2019 I no longer have an account number. I have tried to contact them and it's impossible to recive my money from Citizens bank. In the follow up with Citizens bank the said the money was surrendered to the State of Massachusetts treasury. I checked with the treasury and there is no money to claim. I believe Citizens bank made a false claim about the surrendered money. There is nothing in the records from the state about the money.
Company Response:
State: MA
Zip: 023XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2024-01-02
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2024-01-01
Issue: Fees or interest
Subissue: Charged too much interest
Consumer Complaint: After my previous complaint Citizens Bank removed previous charges and interest but for no reason in a new statement charged {$3.00} interest on " purchases, '' which does not make any sense. No interest on " purchases '' should be charged!
Company Response:
State: DE
Zip: XXXXX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2024-01-01
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-12-31
Issue: Managing an account
Subissue: Deposits and withdrawals
Consumer Complaint: I am writing to seek resolution regarding the outstanding refund of two payments that have not been returned to me, totaling {$2600.00}. The amounts in question are {$1000.00} and {$1600.00}, respectively. the two remaining transactions under claim numbers XXXX and XXXX. I kindly request your immediate attention to this matter and the prompt return of the funds. I would like to bring to your attention that one of your bank representatives emailed me on XX/XX/XXXX and provided me with a case number : XXXX. However, despite waiting for over a month, I have not received any further communication or updates regarding the status of my refund. This has left me concerned and frustrated. I understand that unforeseen circumstances and delays can occur, but I kindly urge you to prioritize the resolution of this issue. The funds in question are of significant importance to me, and their prompt return is crucial to my financial well-being. I kindly request that you promptly investigate the matter, address any delays or errors, and initiate the process to refund the full amount of {$2600.00} to my account. I would greatly appreciate regular updates on the progress of my refund request, as clear and timely communication is essential to resolve this matter satisfactorily. I have been a loyal and responsible customer of Citizens Bank, and I have always valued the bank 's commitment to customer satisfaction. I am confident that you will handle this matter with the utmost professionalism and resolve it in a timely manner. Thank you for your attention to this issue. I trust in your commitment to customer service and eagerly await the return of the funds to my account. Yours sincerely, XXXX XXXX XXXX
Company Response:
State: WA
Zip: XXXXX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-12-31
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A