Chase and U.S. Bank Customers Say Their Accounts Are Being Closed Without Warning
Customers reported difficulties with customer service when trying to figure out what had happened.
While you may head to your local bank branch on occasion, banking on the go is easier than ever. Via your phone or laptop, you can oversee your accounts, transfer funds, and even deposit checks. But although having funds at our fingertips is a luxury we've become accustomed to, some Chase and U.S. Bank customers have tried to log in to their accounts only to find out that they were closed without their knowledge. Read on to find out what happened—and the word of caution they have for their fellow bank customers.
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U.S. Bank customers said their accounts were suddenly closed.
In May 2022, TikTok user @midwestcrisis93 posted a video with overlaid text that read, "When US Bank closes your account without warning because of a late payment and their only excuse is 'we sent letters but they got returned' because they refused to update your address."
In a video from this past May, another U.S. Bank customer, @kaosleader001, claimed that his bank account was also closed and disappeared when he went on the mobile app. When he called U.S. Bank to address the issue, he was given a shocking answer.
"When I called my branch, they said that someone called on the 29th of March and said I died," he explained, adding that someone else called to report the same thing on May 6, resulting in his account being closed and a check with his money being sent out—just not to him.
"I have no money, and it's fraud, shouldn't you guys just be opening up my bank account again and putting my money back in and investigating what's happening?" the TikToker said, noting that he was a 20-year customer of the bank.
After going back and forth with customer service reps for days—and getting an alternate story about someone posing as him to close the account—U.S. Bank eventually opened up a new account for him and reimbursed his money. However, @kaosleader001 cited continued inconveniences, as there was a hold placed on the account while the investigation was ongoing.
Best Life reached out to U.S. Bank for comment, and will update the story with its response.
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Chase customers have reported issues as well.
Bank accounts closing out of the blue isn't an entirely new phenomenon. Earlier this month, The New York Times revealed that it had examined over 500 cases of customer accounts being dropped by banks. The outlet reviewed cases from Citi customers, as well as Chase customers, who either received a letter saying that their accounts were closed or learned their accounts were defunct when they couldn't access them.
Illustrating this, in a Jan. 17 TikTok video, @fantasia.shakes said she received a letter telling her that her Chase account had been closed. When she called customer service and went to a branch to ask for an explanation, she was told the decision was made following a "back office review." And when she asked the Chase branch employee if this is because she's a sex worker who deposits cash, she was told "that's probably the reason."
The TikToker clarified that she was able to get her money from the account, but she was nervous to deposit it elsewhere and end up in a similar situation. She speculated that an investigation could've been tied back to a time where she brought cash to deposit and was told by the teller that it was "suspicious."
In response to a request for comment from Best Life, a spokesperson for JPMorgan Chase said the bank had looked into @fantasia.shakes' video, but was unable to verify her claims.
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JPMorgan Chase has addressed allegations about abrupt closures.
In a statement regarding the NYT investigation previously provided to Best Life, Jerry Dubrowski, a spokesman for JPMorgan Chase, said that "accounts are closed only after appropriate review and consideration of the facts," as the company aims to create long-term relationships with its clients.
"When we have concerns about a client's transactions—such as when someone may be using our bank or our customers to commit potentially unlawful activity, or when we receive information from law enforcement—we act in accordance with our compliance program, consistent with our regulatory obligations," he said. "We know that can be frustrating to clients, but we must follow those obligations."
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A Wells Fargo customer alleged that her savings "vanished."
Last month, a Wells Fargo customer took to TikTok to discuss her situation, asserting that the bank closed her savings account without warning.
"According to Wells Fargo, there is no history, no record, no indication that I ever even had a savings account with them," Denisse Devine (@denissedevine) said in an Oct. 5 video. "So then they asked for a [bank] statement, and the only statements I get are online—the only way I can access them is by going into the account that is vanished, so I don't have access to any statement. Let this be a reminder to monitor your bank account."
In a follow-up video posted on Oct. 26, Devine stated that she went to a Wells Fargo branch, where she was told that their records show the savings account was closed in 2018 and had no balance at the time. Devine also said that she received statements from financial services company E-Trade showing money going into that checking account.
"But even with those statements, I'm able to show the amount of money that should be in my savings account, they're not going to care," Devine said. "I feel so sad, so defeated. I really don't know what's going to happen, or if I'll be able to get my money back."
Wells Fargo denied Devine's claims about her account.
While Devine's video gained significant traction on TikTok, Wells Fargo refuted her claims to The U.S. Sun.
In a statement to Best Life, company spokesperson Jim Seitz reiterated, "The claims made in this post have no merit. We have been in contact with our customer to address her concerns."
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