Can a bank refuse to give me my money?
Yes. Your bank may hold the funds according to its funds availability policy.
File banking and credit complaints with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. If contacting your bank directly does not help, visit the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) complaint page to: See which specific banking and credit services and products you can complain about through the CFPB.
A bank account freeze means you can't take or transfer money out of the account. Bank accounts are typically frozen for suspected illegal activity, a creditor seeking payment, or by government request. A frozen account may also be a sign that you've been a victim of identity theft.
Yes. Your bank may hold the funds according to its funds availability policy. Or it may have placed an exception hold on the deposit. If the bank has placed a hold on the deposit, the bank generally should provide you with written notice of the hold.
A federal law, the Expedited Funds Availability Act (EFA), or Regulation CC, provides exceptions that allow banks to delay or "hold" funds deposited by check for an extended period of time. When this happens, you must be given a notice stating the reason for the hold and when your funds are available for withdrawal.
In addition to protecting your bank, a hold can protect you from spending funds from a check that is later returned unpaid. That's important because it could help you avoid accidental overdrafts and related fees.
You may also file a complaint via the FDIC's FDIC Information and Support Center. State your inquiry or complaint, making certain to include the name and street address of the bank. Provide a brief description of your complaint. Enclose copies of related documentation.
The Federal Reserve has set baseline rules for check deposits: The first $225 must be available the next business day, while amounts from $226 to $5,525 must be available within two business days after the deposit, and amounts of $5,525 or more generally should be accessible on the seventh business day.
The amount of cash you can withdraw from a bank in a single day will depend on the bank's cash withdrawal policy. Your bank may allow you to withdraw $5,000, $10,000 or even $20,000 in cash per day. Or your daily cash withdrawal limits may be well below these amounts.
The regulatory agencies primarily responsible for supervising the internal operations of commercial banks and administering the state and federal banking laws applicable to commercial banks in the United States include the Federal Reserve System, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the FDIC and the ...
Where do I file a complaint against a bank in the US?
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
- Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
- Federal Reserve Board (FRB)
- National Credit Union Administration (NCUA)
Once the formal complaint has been filed:
An acknowledgement of receipt of the formal complaint will be issued; A letter delineating the issue(s) and identifying which claims will be accepted for investigation, or dismissed will be issued.
At the moment of deposit, the funds become the property of the depository bank. Thus, as a depositor, you are in essence a creditor of the bank. Once the bank accepts your deposit, it agrees to refund the same amount, or any part thereof, on demand.
Caution with high-value personal checks
While you can deposit checks over $10,000 at any bank or ATM, cashing this requires the bank to report it to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), a rule for all cash transactions over $10,000.
The IRS probably already knows about many of your financial accounts, and the IRS can get information on how much is there. But, in reality, the IRS rarely digs deeper into your bank and financial accounts unless you're being audited or the IRS is collecting back taxes from you.
Have you ever wondered why bank tellers often ask questions about your transaction? They are doing it for very good reasons! An important part of the teller's job is to protect customers by watching for potential fraud. Some transactions may require verification of identification, which is a government regulation.
While it is legal to keep as much as money as you want at home, the standard limit for cash that is covered under a standard home insurance policy is $200, according to the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.
Unless your bank has set a withdrawal limit of its own, you are free to take as much out of your bank account as you would like. It is, after all, your money. Here's the catch: If you withdraw $10,000 or more, it will trigger federal reporting requirements.
Take supervisory actions against national banks and federal thrifts that do not comply with laws and regulations or that otherwise engage in unsound practices. Remove officers and directors, negotiate agreements to change banking practices, and issue cease and desist orders as well as civil money penalties.
If your bank fails, up to $250,000 of deposited money (per person, per account ownership type) is protected by the FDIC. When banks fail, the most common outcome is that another bank takes over the assets and your accounts are simply transferred over. If not, the FDIC will pay you out.
Who oversees the FDIC?
The FDIC is managed by a five-person Board of Directors that includes the Comptroller of the Currency and the Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, all of whom are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, with no more than three being from the same political party.
Broadly speaking, the FDIC pursues enforcement actions against the above entities for violations of laws, rules, or regulations, unsafe or unsound banking practices, breaches of fiduciary duty, and violations of final orders, conditions imposed in writing or written agreements.
