Date Received: 2015-08-18
Issue: Account opening, closing, or management
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: I received a letter ( dated XXXX/XXXX/2015 ) from HSBC Bank USA , NA that asked me to verify my current address and acknowledgement of my HSBC deposit account. I filled out the form, had it notarized, and mailed out the form on XXXX/XXXX/2015 to the address provided. However, two weeks later, HSBC claimed that they still have not received the form and that they have no knowledge about the status of the matter because they engaged a XXXX-party company to conduct the process. As a consumer, the only contact information that was provided to me was the XXXX customer service number of HSBC. I have no contact info about XXXX, the XXXX-party company that HSBC engaged, and HSBC refused to provide any further contact info. I have tried XXXX times and spent hours of my time talking to a number of HSBC associates, none of which, however, was able to provide any meaningful direction or assistance regarding this matter. I feel completed lost during the process, as the answers/responses provided by the HSBC associates are inconsistent and even contradictory. This is a time sensitive matter. According to HSBC, I have less than 30 days to respond ; otherwise the fund would be considered " abandoned ''. However, HSBC is not taking the appropriate steps to handle the case in a timely manner, and is not providing a cooperative way to work with the consumer.
Company Response:
State: CO
Zip: 80130
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2015-08-18
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: Yes
Date Received: 2015-08-18
Issue: Other
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: Please reference the initial complaint - Case number : XXXX filed on XXXX/XXXX/2015. This complaint is for HSBC account # 's XXXX XXXX and XXXX and excludes the XXXX XXXX account. HSBC has never responded to the XXXX complaint. HSBC has never responded to my XXXX XXXX, 2015 letter. " Allegedly '' the credit bureaus were able to verify this information with HSBC. Bottom line, to date I have not received any verification documents on these accounts. HSBC has exceeded the legally accepted 30 day allotment to verify these accounts. According to the FCRA rules, if a creditor does not verify the debt within 30 days to the debtor, they are not allowed to continue attempting to collect the debt, nor can the creditor list the debt on the consumer 's credit report. This is a clear case of unverified debts that need to be removed from my credit files immediately. My only option left is to file suit.
Company Response:
State: FL
Zip: 33463
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2015-08-19
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: No
Date Received: 2015-08-18
Issue: Credit decision / Underwriting
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: We were ignorant enough in 2007 to take a XXXX mortgage with HFC bank. We had had some medical and other financial issues, and they sold us on refinancing through them. In retrospect, it was a very bad move. They came in and appraised our house at XXXX. We signed a mortgage at 10.5 %, as they told us our house would increase in value and we could refinance at a lower rate. Well, the bottom dropped out of the market, and we are still stuck with an underwater mortgage at this usurious rate. We can not refinance because the market has not come back. We owe {$250000.00}, but that is more than our house is worth. HFC will not allow us to refinance at a lower rate, even though the prime rate has been very, very low. I am wondering if there is a way to refinance this loan at a lower interest rate.
Company Response:
State: MN
Zip: 55128
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2015-08-24
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: No
Date Received: 2015-08-18
Issue: Loan servicing, payments, escrow account
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: I had a XXXX mortgage with HFC Beneficial, I was involved in a dispute with them regarding the handling of the loan and the terms, but I had worked out a temporary solution to this and was making scheduled, agreed upon payments with them on time. I was told by them XX/XX/XXXX that they had " written off '' my loan XX/XX/XXXX ( even though I was making on time payments ), they would not give me any further information. I was contacted approximately 6 months later by XXXX XXXX XXXX saying that they were now handling the loan and demanding payment in full. When I spoke with a supervisor ( XXXX ) XX/XX/XXXX, he said my only option was to refinance my house and pay the debt off quickly so that it would n't appear on my credit. He says that even if I pay it out, it will show on my credit as a bad debt until it is completely paid off ( even if I make on time payments ). My understanding is that at the very least, they should allow me to continue to make my payments as per my original agreement with HFC. No one at HFC will talk to me about any of this because they " wrote off '' the loan. Some notes about the original loan : I was " Bait and Switched '' into a high interest rate and points when I took out the loan ( XX/XX/XXXX ). I was XXXX and XXXX at Beneficial in XXXX NY told us we could borrow the money for 8 %, no points, over the next weeks he put us off and crept the interest up a little, then after my daughter was born and I had been out of work for a few weeks and he knew he had us hooked and too busy to change servicers, he jacked the rate to 12 % and added the points. We should n't have accepted it, but we were stressed and I thought I could refinance it easily soon after. this did n't work out. When my XXXX child was born she had to be in a XXXX 2.5 hours away from our home for over a month and we financially fell apart for a few years. I worked with HFC to lower the interest rate, and got a lot of run around, but caught up with the new payment terms/plan. This agreement with them had to be renewed every 6 months, they always made this very difficult making me send in paperwork multiple times etc. The year the loan was " written off '' I was in contact with them regarding lowering the interest rate for the rest of the term of the loan and questioning the way they were calculating the interest, ( I have basically made no progress on principal in all this time ), they made communication extremely difficult and never addressed my concerns, I believe they passed the debt on because they knew they were in the wrong. I would appreciate any help you can give us with this.
Company Response:
State: NY
Zip: 124XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2015-08-18
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: No
Date Received: 2015-08-17
Issue: False statements or representation
Subissue: Attempted to collect wrong amount
Consumer Complaint: They are attempting to collect a debt that is over seven years old, since I 've last used the credit card. They are also still adding interest to this out of statute & aged debt as well as falsely reporting it as a new or current debt to the XXXX major credit reporting agencies every month. XXXX XXXX XXXX. should no longer be reporting anything to my credit bureau after seven years. They still are. They are also reporting the last activity date in 2015, unfair collection activity. Scare tactics by purposely trying to impact my current credit rating. More of the same acts they have been sued over on multiple occasions. They are a 3rd party collection agency who has also failed to send me my original contract & signature of the debt they purchased.
Company Response:
State: CA
Zip: 91344
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2015-08-24
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: No
Date Received: 2015-08-17
Issue: Deposits and withdrawals
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: I request that the CFPB investigate HSBC 's unlawful restraint of exempt funds in my account and charging of an illegal {$100.00} fee in violation of XXXX Exempt Income Protection Act ( EIPA ). HSBC 's illegal acts have caused me significant hardship. I am currently unemployed and do not have a permanent residence. Because of my difficult financial situation, I rely almost entirely on unemployment income deposited to my account to make ends meet. Over a XXXX month period, HSBC repeatedly refused to release the exempt funds in my account despite my concerted efforts. I had no money at all during this time and had to rely on friends and family to support me. On or around XXXX XXXX, 2015, HSBC received a restraining notice against my account and levied a {$100.00} fee. ( Exhibit 1 ) The restraining notice was issued pursuant to XXXX law, in enforcement of a XXXX judgment. ( Exhibit 2 XXXX XXXX law provides that a restraining notice shall not apply to a bank account that contains less than a statutorily protected minimum amount ( currently {$2100.00} XXXX. If the account contains less than {$2100.00}, the restraining notice is deemed void. XXXX XXXX XXXX ( i ). At the time of the restraint, I had only {$270.00} in my account, far below the statutory minimum of {$2100.00}. Therefore, the restraining notice was void and my account never should have been restrained. Upon unlawfully restraining the account, HSBC failed to send me notice and an exemption claim form. XXXX XXXX XXXX ( b ) ( XXXX ). The next day, XXXX XXXX, {$490.00} in unemployment benefits were directly deposited to my account and restrained, even though unemployment benefits are exempt from restraint by law. ( Exhibit 1 ). Shortly thereafter, I attempted to make cash withdrawal from an HSBC branch XXXX, and was only then informed for the first time that the account was frozen. When I complained that my account contained exempt funds, the bank representative told me that there was nothing she could do. On XXXX XXXX, 2015, with the help of an advocate from New Economy Project, I reached out to the HSBC XXXX Department and was wrongly told by a representative that the restraint was not governed by XXXX law because the account was opened XXXX. The representative proceeded to place me on hold for over one hour and told me that an attorney from HSBC would contact me during the week, but no attorney ever contacted me. On XXXX XXXX, 2015, I reached out to HSBC a second time and was told by a representative to call the following Monday as no one in their Legal Department was available. The following Monday, XXXX XXXX, 2015, I called HSBC for a third time and was not allowed to speak to a bank attorney but was told once more that XXXX law did not apply. On XXXX XXXX, 2015, an attorney from New Economy Project spoke directly with the HSBC XXXX Department and explained that EIPA applies to my account and that the restraint was void, but once again HSBC refused to release the account. On XXXX XXXX, 2015, New Economy Project reached out to the creditor 's attorney who agreed that the account should not have been restrained and offered to request that HSBC release the account. The creditor 's attorney informed us that she had received a legal opinion letter from HSBC reiterating an incorrect legal position. HSBC did not share the opinion letter with me or New Economy Project, but apparently the letter stated that EIPA did not apply because the account was opened XXXX. There is no basis in XXXX law for this opinion. To the contrary, the law is quite clear that a XXXX restraining notice does not apply to bank accounts containing less than {$2100.00}, and there is no geographic limitation on this protection. XXXX XXXX XXXX ( i ). On XXXX XXXX, 2015, more than XXXX months after the unlawful restraint, HSBC finally released my account, but HSBC still has not refunded the {$100.00} fee.
Company Response:
State: NY
Zip: 11435
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2015-08-17
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: No
Date Received: 2015-08-14
Issue: Disclosure verification of debt
Subissue: Not disclosed as an attempt to collect
Consumer Complaint: This complain is about XXXX XXXX XXXX Collection Agency Reporting to all XXXX major Credit Reports Inaccurate information as of Date of First Delinquency. As reported to XXXX on XXXX XXXX this account is schedule to continue on record until XXXX XXXX as of XXXX XXXX it was not on XXXX no more making the Date of XXXX Delinquency XXXX XXXX ( since accounts remain for 7 yrs on record as of XXXX Date of Delinquency ) On XXXX XXXX XXXX reports to XXXX XXXX Date of Delinquency as XXXX XXXX. As of XXXX XXXX its reports to XXXX XXXX Date of Delinquency XXXX XXXX. As of XXXX XXXX XXXX Deleted it after finding inaccuracies on Dates of XXXX Delinquency reported. XXXX still reporting to XXXX I am currently disputing it with XXXX.
Company Response:
State: FL
Zip: 32778
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2015-08-25
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: Yes
Date Received: 2015-08-14
Issue: Making/receiving payments, sending money
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: We live in NY State. We were flooded by Hurricane XXXX and XXXX. Flood Insurance Money that came to us was withheld by HSBC Bank until we did repairs. It was about {$12000.00}. We believe some interest was paid on that amount to our account. Shortly thereafter, another {$40000.00} was given to us from Hurricane XXXX, and the Bank also withheld that money pending repairs to our home. On XXXX XXXX, 2013, HSBC transferred their Mortgage Services to XXXX XXXX XXXX. They are holding appx {$52000.00} Flood Insurance Money in their Bank pending our signing a reconstruction contract with a builder, which has not yet occurred. When our {$52000.00} was transferred to XXXX, there were no written receipt sent to us attesting to the fact that they had that money in our account. I made numerous phone calls to XXXX XXXX, asking for something in writing to prove that our money, in that amount, was being held by them. After all, if their computers went down, how could we prove that they had our {$52000.00}. If I put XXXX cents into a savings account, I get a receipt. XXXX XXXX absolutely refused to provide us with a receipt on paper attesting to the fact that they were holding {$52000.00} of our money. Also, they refused to say if they were paying us interest on that money. Apparently, there IS NO law in NY State requiring Banks to pay interest on Flood Insurance Money being held by Banks. WHY, I DO NOT KNOW. I AM SURE THE BANK IS MAKING MONEY ON OUR {$52000.00}. Any money they make on Our money is ours. I am sure they are investing that money, and keeping it. I wrote recently to the New York State Department of Financial Services about these XXXX issues. They forwarded a complaint to XXXX XXXX. I received a letter from XXXX XXXX supposedly in answer to my complaint. They did put in writing, in that letter, that they were holding {$52000.00} of our Flood Insurance Money. So finally, the State Agency got that in writing for us after two years. However, XXXX XXXX stonewalled on the issue of interest due us on that money. They filled half of the letter with an answer to an issue that I did not raise, and that was the issue of them releasing our Flood Insurance Money to us. I did not ask them to release any funds yet. They made it appear that they were answering my complaint, but they answered a question that they made up, not my real question. Finally, they did not address the issue of whether we were due interest, and if not, why. They stated this : " Additionally, we recognize XXXX XXXX 's and XXXX XXXX 's concerns over the interest earned on the escrow funds. With the final disbursement of the insurance funds, any interest earned will be released with the draw. " We realize that no interest has been paid on these escrow funds, because the bank would have issued us a XXXX form. We believe this is not fair. There may be as many as XXXX homeowners in New York State with banks holding Flood Insurance funds. They are, we feel strongly, profiting from all of these funds which are not theirs. Why are the Banks allowed to cheat us in this way?
Company Response:
State: NY
Zip: 11520
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2015-08-20
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: No
Date Received: 2015-08-12
Issue: Improper contact or sharing of info
Subissue: Talked to a third party about my debt
Consumer Complaint: This company called my ex husband, his wife and my son, concerning this debt. The debt was actually discharged in a bankruptcy XXXX months ago. They also told my ex-husband that I used him as a reference. Which is totally false.
Company Response:
State: MI
Zip: 483XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2015-08-12
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: No
Date Received: 2015-08-12
Issue: Cont'd attempts collect debt not owed
Subissue: Debt was paid
Consumer Complaint: This credit card HSBC BANK NEVADAWith the original account # XXXX in the amount of or close to {$15000.00} has more than exceeded the statue of limitations being that their has been no correspondences, payments and or dialogue in more than ( 6 ) years. I would like the credit agencies below to contact XXXX Credit Burea and or other credit agencies to remove this negative mark from my credit report and or issue out a letter to me on my behalf that THE EXPIRATION OF THE CALIFORNIA STATUE OF LIMITATIONS BECAUSE OF MORE THAN ( 6 ) YEARS, LIMITS THEIR ABILITY TO PURSUE LEGAL REMEDIES. THE CURRENT COLLECTION AGENCY PERTAINING TO THIS HSBC BANK NEVADA CREDIT CARD ACCOUNT # XXXX IN THE AMOUNT OR CLOSE TO $ XXXX XXXX ( their account # XXXXAddress : XXXX XXXX XXXX , XXXX XXXX XXXX. XXXX XXXX, Ca. XXXXPhone : ( XXXX ) XXXX
Company Response:
State: CA
Zip: 92373
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2015-08-20
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: No