Date Received: 2018-04-20
Issue: Problem with a lender or other company charging your account
Subissue: Transaction was not authorized
Consumer Complaint: My complaint concerns Regions Bank and their inability to provide consumer protection of my account. Below is an adapted version of my affidavit I sent to them concerning fraudulent charges on my bank account. The charges span a period of 31 months. They were only willing to assist me in recovering the last 60 days worth of charges. I understand there is a time limit to these things but I do not understand why the time limit protects the perpetrators and not the victims. If I had known who was charging me and for what purpose I would have stopped the transactions earlier but hence there is the rub ... it is fraud and made to look as though the transactions are legitimate when in fact they are not. I expected a large institution like Regions, or any other federally insured bank for that matter, would have better consumer protection laws. I can only imagine what could have happened if I was an XXXX year old grandmother unable monitor my account with such a demanded accuracy. I'm sure many lives have been ruined by the lack of banking 's ability to protect consumers from such fraud as I have recently experienced. My adapted affidavit : I am writing to provide supporting information to assist you in your investigation concerning disputed transactions on my Regions Bank Account XXXX. At the end of this letter you find a complete list of all the transaction I would like to be addressed. In XX/XX/XXXX I signed my children up for karate lessons at a local karate gym. At the time of registration I wrote a check from this account to cover what I was told was the cost of uniforms and the cost of lessons for the first month. This bank account is not one that I use for daily transactions but rather keep money in it to cover my and my husbands student loan costs and a few other expenses. I do not use this account on a daily basis or for household expenses but rather had extra money in the account that month and wanted to use it to cover the cost of uniforms and the first month of lessons. The karate establishment I signed up with is called XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX in XXXX, LA. These ACH transactions are not from the establishment I signed up with but rather a secondary institution, XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) aka XXXX XXXX aka XXXX XXXX. I was not fully made aware that XXXX would be debiting my account for the karate lesson costs but rather was under the impression I would be paying XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX directly. When signing up with the establishments representative I was not told that my check information would be converted to an ACH draft immediately that day and on a monthly automatic renewing basis. I would have expected to be required to give them a voided check and fully informed of who was debiting my account, how often, on what day each month, and in what amount. These things were not fully discussed with my by the institutions representative. These ACH transactions look so similar to a student loan payment that my husband or I often mistook them as a student loan payment and as this account is not intended for everyday use there are many months I never even review this account. Secondly, I had also recently started a college fund for my children and at times thought these transactions could have been authorized by my financial investor as they state " XXXX XXXX '' in the memo line. The check I gave them I was told was for the cost of the first months tuition for XXXX children and the cost of their uniforms. I fully expected to be required to pay their lessons via a paper check on a monthly basis for the agreed upon lesson period of 6 months only. Again I did not give them a voided check to be used for ACH debit, not told what day during the month the debits would come out, mislead to think I was paying for uniforms and the first month of lessons when actually my check was used to set up automatic withdrawals to pay for tuition without my fully informed consent, and not informed I was apparently signing up for a billing contract with a secondary institution, XXXX. Upon scrutinizing these charges on my account this month I finally discovered who was actually billing my account. As I stated before these transactions say nothing about karate nor do they appear to be linked to the original institution I signed up for services with. Once I was able to contact XXXX I was informed I was paying tuition for karate lessons for XXXX children which is another billing discrepancy because I signed XXXX children up for lessons not XXXX. I was also informed they were not able to give me my money back rather Id have to contact XXXX XXXX XXXX and XXXX. Therefore I did contact the owner of this establishment. He said these billing errors were not his problem and he would not return any money even though my children only visited his establishment a handful of times in XXXX of XX/XX/XXXX. Rather that it was up to XXXX to do any refunds and that I had fully agreed to let XXXX bill me and automatically renew billing for an excess of 30 months on my account. He also stated I was actually signed up for a gym health membership and not karate instruction another discrepancy. I was told I was paying for karate lessons not a gym health membership. He did not even offer to remove my check information from XXXX which he gave to them to stop the billing. It was not until I made a public complaint against his institution that he stopped the billing. I have also filed complaints with the XXXX XXXX XXXX and the Federal Trade Commission against his establishment. He did send me a copy of the billing contract I had signed. It was actually two separate documents. Here again I was failed to be informed my one signature applied to 2 separate billing documents one of which was not disclosed to me. The billing agreement I signed simply states : I understand and agree to the terms of this agreement. I have received my student handbook and I understand that this agreement can only be cancelled with a 30 day written notice after the initial agreement has been filled. I also understand that my membership will self-renew on a month-to-month basis after 6 months and tuition is not refunded if I fail to follow proper protocol for withdrawal. Apparently the terms of the agreement were not what I discussed with the institutions representative but actually written in the back of the student handbook given to my children. In the document found in the student handbook it simply states the XXXX will be billing my account for a period of 6-12 months not the agreed upon 6 months only. An ACH billing date or a billing amount is not discussed or agreed upon in any of these apparent billing agreements. Also, I find it very questionable and unethical business practices to place the terms of a billing agreement in the back of a student handbook for my children ( ages XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX at the time ) to read and not fully disclosed to me, the responsible party, upon me signing up for karate lessons. I hope you are now able to see why I am disputing these ACH transactions. Here is a short list as to why these ACH transactions are fraudulent : 1. ) I was lead to believe my original check was used to pay for uniforms and the first month of lessons and not informed it would be used to set up ACH billing, 2. ) I was not directly informed of who was billing my account, 3. ) billing dates were not discussed, 4. ) billing amounts were not agreed upon, 5. ) I was lead to believe the billing period was for 6 months not 30 months, 6. ) once I did contact XXXX I was told I was being billed for XXXX students when I signed XXXX students up for lessons ( I signed all XXXX of my children up for lessons not XXXX children. This is erroneous information and not something I agreed to ), 7. ) the owner of the establishment informed me I was paying for a gym health membership when I clearly was informed I was paying for karate lessons not a gym membership, 8. ) The billing agreement I signed was actually a deceptive 2 piece document not disclosed to me upon signing the original billing agreement. The second half of the document was located in the student handbook given to my minor children who have no legal authority to agree to a billing agreement. Please visit the website below to see further complaints concerning XXXX practices. Also, please update all my ACH transaction disputes with the list I have provided below. I truly appreciate all of your help. I am a hardworking mother who has one full-time and two part-time jobs. I would have never agreed to such a ridiculous billing agreement had I been informed properly as I can not afford such an expense. I feel that these billing practices are fraudulent, misleading, and border on identity theft. COMPLETE LIST OF ALL DISPUTED TRANSACTIONS FOR ACCOUNT NUMBER XXXX Against XXXX XXXX XXXX AKA XXXX XXXX XXXX XX/XX/XXXXXX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XXXX NA XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XXXX NA XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XXXX NA XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XXXX NA XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XXXX NA XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX NA XXXX NA XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX NA XXXX NA XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX NA XXXX NA XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX NA XXXX NA XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX NA XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX NA XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX NA XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX NA
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: LA
Zip: 704XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2018-04-20
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2018-04-20
Issue: Incorrect information on your report
Subissue: Account status incorrect
Consumer Complaint: In XX/XX/XXXX, I submitted a written hardship letter request for a loan modification to XXXX XXXX in order to reduce my payment to account for rising insurance premiums and taxes and a reduction in my take home pay. Initially, I received a denial stating that my debt to income was too high and that since my payments were always made on time, the requirements were not met even though the financial affidavit submitted reflected otherwise. The following month I received a call from the Loan Modification Department stating that I was eligible for up to a three month forbearance period to reduce my expenses and bring my deficit into a more workable range for the modification. Additionally, I was told that I would not be required to make any payments during this time which would continue into the modification and trial payment period and that once the modification was finalized, the payments for those months would just be added to my new loan balance. Because I had a good payment history, never a late or missed payment, and I requested the modification, showing that I was trying to find a workable solution to prevent any of that from happening, I was told that I qualify for credit protect, meaning that the payments not made during that time would not be reported as past due. Approximately two weeks into the process, my loan counselor resigned from the company and I was reassigned to XXXX XXXX. I submitted all the required documentation and continued through the process. I was told to call every week for an update and to make sure no additional information was needed. When I asked XXXX about the credit protection because I received a credit alert that my payment was reported late, he stated that my initial rep did not set it up and that she did not notate the account fully. Over the next several weeks/months, I spoke to XXXX, XXXX ( XX/XX/XXXX ), XXXX ( XXXX ), XXXX ( XX/XX/XXXX ), XXXX ( XX/XX/XXXX ), XXXX, XXXX, XXXX and XXXX. I received several promises for callbacks, follow-ups, directions on who to talk to and that someone should be able to resolve the issue. On at least one other occasion I was told that a second person ( XXXX ) in the process of resolving the issue had also terminated employment with the company in XXXX. Each time a call in is made or a call out, the line says that the calls are recorded. Each time I made a follow-up regarding the dispute, I inquired as to if the calls are recorded and the notes are not being entered accurately or completely why is it that no one will conduct a complete review instead of giving me the run around? I feel that the process was made complicated and caused unnecessary confusion by Regions assigning a loan counselor to me, who quit a couple weeks into the process and I was only informed of that when I called Regions to follow-up on my request weekly as I was instructed to do. Additionally, most of the time when I called to follow-up thereafter, I had to speak to a different person. The letters that are sent dont even have a specific loan counselors name on them which further supports the lack of accountability. During my trial period, I would make ACH payments by phone to ensure timely receipt, only to later receive a notice that they didnt receive the payment which required me to make additional phone calls. I have since submitted multiple requests, including as recent as XXXX, requesting that my credit reports be updated to delete the late payments that are reflected. Each time, I receive a generic response from someone who simply prints out the history from those months which dont reflect payments made, because of the modification, but doesnt do ANY research, and then sends me a letter stating that I dont qualify to have it corrected. After my modification, I continued to make timely payments until I sold the home in XX/XX/XXXX for the full balance owed. I am trying to get this inaccurate reporting updated because it has arisen as an issue in employment screening, which I had to provide documentation for and I dont want it to be a problem in any future home purchases. I was proactive in ensuring I did not default on my loan, met every requirement, submitted every piece of documentation timely and called weekly to make sure everything was done correctly. Please update my credit reports to delete these late payments.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: FL
Zip: 33426
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2018-04-20
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2018-04-18
Issue: Problem caused by your funds being low
Subissue: Overdrafts and overdraft fees
Consumer Complaint: An action was filed by United States CFPB against Regions Bank regarding overdraft protection - some accounts were charged overdraft charges when they had not signed up for overdraft protection services - the accounts had to be linked to a savings or other account that could be used to cover overdrafts. I did not have such an account, and did not sign up for that service, but was charged overdraft fees anyway- this occurred from XX/XX/XXXXto XX/XX/XXXX. in fact it only stopped when I learned of the action while online- I was never contacted regarding the action and did not choose whether or not to participate in the action. I have contacted customer service at the bank 4 separate times ; each time I was shuffled to other departments or referred back to my branch, who was unaware of the action, or was otherwise not taken care of. I was told to email the legal department, which I did twice, and I have not received any response from them. At one point I was told I could receive some of the charges, but then the customer service person refused to refund any of the charges. I have just spoken to them again, and this time I was asked to fax the documents to the legal department. the customer service rep I spoke to said she would also file a complaint for me.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: AL
Zip: XXXXX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2018-04-18
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2018-04-18
Issue: Managing an account
Subissue: Problem using a debit or ATM card
Consumer Complaint: The amount taken from my accout was XXXX dollars. I filed dispute on XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX and another day cant remember exact datebbut k tried three times explain my situation to bank and they would give me my money
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: GA
Zip: 319XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2018-04-23
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2018-04-14
Issue: Managing an account
Subissue: Fee problem
Consumer Complaint: I signed up for a checking account with Regions Bank in XX/XX/XXXX as a spending account. There was a promotion on XXXX that advertised free checking with direct deposit. The terms of the promotion I signed up for were as follows : {$200.00} bonus offer set to expire on XX/XX/XXXX Any LifeGreen Checking account is eligible for the bonus. Offer is available in AL, AR, FL, GA, IL, IN, IA, KY, LA, MS , MO, NC, SC, TN & TX. Direct Deposit is required for this offer. See options here. Application will trigger a Soft Pull, which does not affect your credit. You can fund up to {$1000.00} towards the opening deposit with a credit card. The {$8.00} to $ 18 Monthly fees can be waived ( see below ). There will be an early account termination fee of {$25.00} if you close this account within 180 days. Minimum opening deposit is {$50.00} How To Earn The {$200.00} Bonus Open any LifeGreen Checking account online with the promo code XXXX. You can also have a personalized voucher emailed to you from the offer page for an in-branch visit. Use this online application link, which appears to be working fine ( be sure to use the promo code ). If the link is down you can try finding an updated offer by doing a XXXX search for Regions Checking Bonus. Make 10 purchases with your Regions Visa CheckCard within 60 days of account opening. Make a ACH Direct Deposits such as payroll or Government benefits deposit within 60 days of account opening. Once requirements are met, youll receive the {$200.00} credit to your account within 120 days of completing the requirements. Avoid The Monthly Fee You can avoid the monthly fee associated with most of the LifeGreen Checking accounts. LifeGreen Checking $ XXXX Monthly FeeLifeGreen eAccess Account $ XXXX Monthly FeeLifeGreen Simple Checking $ XXXX Monthly FeeLifeGreen Preferred Checking $ XXXX Monthly Fee No Monthly Fee with : {$1500.00} average monthly balance OR ACH direct deposit, such as a recurring payroll or government benefit deposit, to your LifeGreen Checking account. '' As this was being used as a spending account with a {$50.00} per month direct deposit, I signed up. I do not open accounts that require a monthly payment or have a minimum deposit amount as I knew that I would only be adding {$50.00} per month. There was also a bonus of {$200.00} for opening the account and and having three months of direct deposit ( again with no minimum amount ). In addition, there was another promotion for a {$50.00} gift card for referring someone else and once they opened an account, the gift card would be provided. I carefully read the policy information contained in the XXXX ad and there was no mention of the minimum requirements for the monthly deposit. In XX/XX/XXXX, two months after the account was opened, there was an account charge for {$8.00}. This happened again in XX/XX/XXXX and I called customer service. They told me that the terms of the promotion I signed up for changed and that there would need to be a minimum of {$500.00} per month to qualify for the free checking and get the promotion. This change was never communicated to me and go against the promotion I signed up for. The statements for XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX are attached to show that I was not charged a fee for the first two months.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: TX
Zip: 76244
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2018-04-14
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2018-04-11
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement
Subissue: Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement
Consumer Complaint: We received the bill for our 16 company fleet fuel cards ( XXXX XXXX XXXX ). We have had this account for more than 10 years. One of the cards showed 4 purchases for gas in XXXX. The 4 purchases were all made within a 70 minute period at 3 locations on XX/XX/XXXX. Total of the fraudulent charges was {$1100.00}. A 5th purchase was attempted, but the credit card company declined the charge. The card was in our possession in Kansas at the time of the charges ( it was not lost or stolen ). Furthermore, the cards all require a passcode to authorize charges. The passcode was not used for these fraudulent transactions. We notified the credit card company via phone and in writing on XX/XX/XXXX. Their fraud department stated that we are liable for all charges on lost and stolen cards because our company has more than 10 credit cards for the fleet. The card agreement states that we are liable for " unauthorized use '' if the card is lost or stolen. The card was not lost or stolen, and the credit card company didn't do their required authorization check of asking for a passcode.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: KS
Zip: 666XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2018-04-27
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2018-04-07
Issue: Closing an account
Subissue: Company closed your account
Consumer Complaint: We had a joint checking account ( husband and I ) for over 14 years with Regions bank in XXXX, Indiana. I received a letter in the mail from Regions dated XX/XX/XXXX stating they are closing my account. We tried to call and talk to a representative at Regions. We were told they do not have to disclose the reason why. We then went to the local branch we had been banking at and got the same response. There was plenty of money in the account and we had never had an overdraft on the account. We were told to run a credit check on myself. We did and the credit report was fine. It all started when we went to the bank on XX/XX/XXXX to open a student checking account for our XXXX year old daughter. The bank employee opening the account had trouble adding me as a parent on to the account. She was able to add my husband but continued to have trouble with me. She finally gave up and just put my husband on it and said she would straighten it out later to get me added and would contact me. I never was contacted but then received the letter dated XX/XX/XXXX in the mail sometime later ( I opened it on XX/XX/XXXX ). Consequently, all of our money had been frozen in the account as of XX/XX/XXXX, electronic bill payments were returned and not paid as we were not aware of the account closing effective XX/XX/XXXX and our direct deposits of our pay checks from our employers would not go through either. This has been a hardship for us. It is unfair to hold our money hostage while Regions profits from holding our money in the meantime. We were told we would receive a check for the balance of the account 10 days after the date of the letter. We were able to get the cashiers check on XX/XX/XXXX for the full amount. We since have closed another joint trust account that was held in my husband 's and his brother 's names from their father 's estate ( this account was not affected as my name was not on the account-they only had a problem with me, not my husband ). Their father recently passed away. We will no longer do business with them at all. If an institution doesn't want to do business with me, I can live with that but I should have the right to know what it is they are basing that decision on. What if my identity has been stolen or there has been fraud committed in my name yet I didn't commit the fraud? I deserve the right to defend myself and clear up the matter. What if it is based on false information? What if it was just a data entry error by the bank employee that was having trouble adding my name to my daughter 's student checking account we were opening? Which this is very likely as everything was fine until after the day we opened that account and had trouble with my name. Regions would not even discuss the issue with us though. They just closed the account as if I am some kind of criminal. Guilty before proven innocent yet no recourse to even plead my case or investigate it. I am not involved in any shady business dealings, drug dealings or anything that would give cause to associate with me. I am an XXXX, gainfully employed. On XX/XX/XXXX we opened a joint checking account at XXXX XXXX after explaining to that bank employee what had happened to me at Regions. She ran a credit check and XXXX report on me and said everything was ok. We were able to open our joint account. She also said that if XXXX were to decide to close someone's account, they would disclose the reason why. I have attached the image of the letter we received and also the image of the cashiers check for the full amount of the content of the account that was closed-in my husband 's name-to prove there was plenty of money in the account.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: IN
Zip: 462XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2018-04-07
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2018-04-05
Issue: Fraud or scam
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: ok I met this person on XXXX after going through a divorce, after speaking with him a while online he said he wanted to help me because I was going through financial troubles convinced me to give him my Regions account number to deposit XXXX in my account to help me. Well little did I know I was being scammed, Regions sent me a copy of the check which was from XXXX and it wasn't even the person I was speaking to online. Fake online name and all, this has messed me up bad with direct deposit my pay and cashing an insurance check I received from damage in my storage building. Please I have learned my lesson and trust no one with my personal information. I am the victim of a scam.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: LA
Zip: 713XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2018-04-05
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2018-03-30
Issue: Managing an account
Subissue: Fee problem
Consumer Complaint: I made a checking account balance inquiry at a non-Regions ATM on XX/XX/XXXX. There was a notice on the ATM from the other institution that a fee would not be charged by them, but that Regions Bank may charge a fee. However, I was unaware that a {$2.00} fee would be charged by Regions Bank simply for getting my balance. It is a deceptive practice not to tell customers what the fee is for checking their account balance. While I was provided this information at account opening, that was over 15 years ago when I opened my account in XX/XX/XXXX. There should either be no fee to check your balance, or the fee should be disclosed to you before you proceed with the transaction. I would like my fee refunded for the Bank failing to disclose the fee to me at the time the transaction took place.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: SC
Zip: 29607
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2018-03-30
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2018-03-23
Issue: Incorrect information on your report
Subissue: Account information incorrect
Consumer Complaint: The following information Regions Bank is reporting on my credit report is false and inaccurate. 1. XXXX is reporting that the account is a Delinquent Account on Date reported XX/XX/XXXX. This is not correct. My Chapter XXXX Bankruptcy was Discharged on XX/XX/XXXX. 2. XXXX is reporting the account Condition as Derogatory. This is not correct. and the account condition is PAID. 3. XXXX is reporting the account Status as in a Wage Earner Plan. This is not correct. This account is closed so how can the account be in a Payment Plan? 4. This account is not in Chapter XXXX Bankruptcy. XXXX must only report the current condition of the account.
Company Response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
State: TN
Zip: 37066
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2018-03-23
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A