I Think Something Isn't Right at Our Bank
@bagarad (14283)
Paso Robles, California
March 25, 2018 1:47am CST
I'm not going to mention the name in text, but I may have a photo. It is a large national bank and I believe the government bailed it out a few years ago. It's the bank where we had so much trouble with my husband's estate account getting transferred to an account I could sign on. Two different employees told us two different things.
We finally had to open a new account with the warning to close one of the other three (the estate account and my two accounts) within sixty days to avoid incurring expensive monthly service fees. They said we wouldn't have any fees if we just had the three accounts linked. So we left thinking we'd close the old estate account as soon as everything cleared in about 20 more days. As we were leaving we got a folder with some checks for the new account and several printed pages of disclosures and terms.
After I got home and looked at those terms, it appeared the bank manager was wrong. He had opened an account that required a much hirer daily balance between the three accounts than we had ever had. So I went in yesterday to try to find out why he told us there would not be any fees. I had to make an appointment for today.
The employee we talked to today said we were OK, sort of. The old accounts were grandfathered in, but not the new one we opened to replace the estate account. She agreed that according to the written terms we were handed, they could charge the fees. But she said there wouldn't be any fees.
She would not put that in writing, but said to wait for the statements to come and if we got any fees she would waive them or pay them. It seems there are a few unwritten policies and can't be put into writing since the management of the bank changed a few months back.
I feel uneasy with this. When they hand you a paper with written terms and then tell you to ignore it because it doesn't apply to you, something seems fishy. What do you think?
Unfortunately, this is one of only two banks we can use to collect our rents from all three counties where we have properties. Our tenants make their deposits for rent into our account from their local branches. The other bank no longer has any branches in our area and seems to be gradually closing all its branches. So we are pretty well stuck with this bank.
I have one account that will meet the requirements for no service charges, and we just may close all the other accounts we were using to separate the rental properties and our home here and my business. I can move the online business account to the bank where the old book business account is.
How would you feel about banking where the written rules seem different from the unwritten rules? It seems maybe the employees are privy to information that they don't want customers to know.
16 people like this
17 responses
@topffer (42155)
• France
25 Mar 18
@vandana7 Not their interest. Here the responsible of a bank agency is allowed to remove or not apply a fee. What would happen if the fee was maintained or was coming back ? There would be some chances that you would close and transfer all your accounts in another bank (closing and transferring is free by law here). The said responsible earns a bonus for any account opened in the agency, it would be a lack of income for him/her, so I trust what they tell
.
.2 people like this




@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
25 Mar 18
It's also almost impossible to get through to make an appointment by phone to see a banker or even leave a message. The phone rings forever before being picked up by a recording that tells you all bankers are helping other customers and to call back later. Later never changes those results. Fortunately the bank is within walking distance, though we normally drive.
2 people like this

@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
25 Mar 18
What's in writing is all that would stand up in court if it even came to that. I think many people think they can take advantage of those over seventy and imply that we just didn't remember correctly what they said.
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
25 Mar 18
This employee obviously knew something she wasn't allow to tell us in words, but she made facial expressions to communicate. We don't really have a good alternative to this bank at the moment. I'm not sure the other national banks are any better. Service seems to have deteriorated at most of the big banks. The small ones that have good rates and good service don't have any branches where our tenants live.
2 people like this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
25 Mar 18
That does sound fishy. I do not trust banks.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
26 Mar 18
@Srbageldog That's terrible!
1 person likes this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
26 Mar 18
@bagarad That is too bad. I used to trust the bank my boyfriend and I used, but then they got in trouble for opening accounts under people's names without their permission.
1 person likes this

@Rollo1 (16676)
• Boston, Massachusetts
25 Mar 18
I think you are right to be concerned. What is in writing is going to supercede anything you were told by an employee in a dispute with the bank. Perhaps you should look into other ways of having monies sent to you electronically, such as Pop Money or Zelle? People don't have to be with the same bank to send you money directly.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
25 Mar 18
I"ve never heard of Pop Money or Zelle. I'm also not sure whether are tenants would want to use an electronic means to pay bills.
@snowy22315 (208746)
• United States
26 Mar 18
I don't know about this, it seems pretty complicated. I think I would check with an accountant on this. You don't want to make a mistake by trusting a bank that doesn't seem to be aware of it's own policies.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
26 Mar 18
I think they are aware of them -- they just don't want us to be aware of them.
@luisadannointed (11842)
• Philippines
25 Mar 18
I hope everything is fine with you guys, that is not a cool situation. I hope you can resolve everything in a few more days. God bless. I really pray in Jesus name that your hard earned money will be protected and safe. Amen.
I really don't like working with banks that has hidden agenda and no clear plocies.
1 person likes this
@epiffanie (11325)
• Australia
28 Mar 18
We had a similar situation a few years ago when we finalised the mortgage on one of our properties .. It is a big headache.. But it’s all good now...
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
31 Mar 18
I'm glad it turned out well for you. I spent two hours today trying to get access to online banking for an account with CitiBank I've had for 28 years. I have resisted getting a debit card, but after being passed from person to person for two hours, at the end I was told there is no alternative if I want to manage my account online. They closed all local branches within a hundred miles from us.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
2 Apr 18
@epiffanie Definitely! Online banking is fine for routine stuff, but there are times when I want to go into a branch office and talk to a real person.
1 person likes this
@epiffanie (11325)
• Australia
1 Apr 18
@bagarad Oh my..that's a bit of an inconvenient for you ..
1 person likes this

@LeaPea2417 (40020)
• Toccoa, Georgia
26 Mar 18
That is very confusing. I would be upset.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
26 Mar 18
@LeaPea2417 I agree. I hate the way banks keep buying each other out. The bank I started my business banking account has been sold three times. What is now my Chase account was opened at Great Western Bank which became California Federal, which became Washington Mutual, and is now Chase. A lot of these sales are due to Obama era banking regulations which made it harder for local banks to stay in business.
1 person likes this
@LeaPea2417 (40020)
• Toccoa, Georgia
26 Mar 18
@bagarad When things like that are confusing, there is always a problem going on. Things pertaining to money, should be simple to understand.
1 person likes this

@wolfgirl569 (135583)
• Marion, Ohio
25 Mar 18
I would explore other options for collecting my money so I could change banks. Maybe your rent could be made to a paypal account that you could then transfer to an account that you want it in.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
25 Mar 18
PayPal's fees for that size payments would be worse than the bank service charges. Maybe those who are computer savvy could use their own bank's bill pay service.
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
25 Mar 18
It sounds like the new account might be the only one you need to eliminate. I had a super internet and long distance package at the store. Whenever a sales person would look at my package they would say...don't change it....there is nothing comparable out there. You are grandfathered in so they can't take it away unless you cancel it.
1 person likes this
@andriaperry (118793)
• Anniston, Alabama
25 Mar 18
I would close ALL of them except the rental house account, and since its a direct deposit account there should not be a fee. Drive to the next bigger town and open an account with another well known bank.
As for the estate account as far as I know they are not allowed to take fees because the amount is always going to be lower and lower due to pay out. I had Regions bank for the estate and they never took a cent for fees. Check into the law in your state about estate accounts.
We do not have Chase here.
1 person likes this

@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
25 Mar 18
@andriaperry We opened the new account to replace the estate account.
@andriaperry (118793)
• Anniston, Alabama
25 Mar 18
@bagarad I would do that with the online account. I most certainly would change that estate account, even if you put it in CD`s or something like that.
1 person likes this

@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
25 Mar 18
Good rule. We had finished our inquiries, but felt the answers were evasive -- especially since we could get no answers in writing.
@TheHorse (238273)
• Walnut Creek, California
31 Mar 18
It would make me uncomfortable too. I recently had to do some extra work to get things right when I transferred some money from a lower to higher interest money market account at my bank. It was a mild pain in the neck, but not as complex as what you were trying to do.
@Jessabuma (31696)
• Baguio, Philippines
25 Mar 18
Then why did they made a written rules if they are not applicable to you? It is useless. There's something wrong with that.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
25 Mar 18
We opened our original accounts with the bank the current bank bought out. I understand that policies for those accounts may be grandfathered in. They tell me the new account is a replacement for the grandfathered account we want to close, but it's definitely set up as a different type of account.


















