In Sep. of 2023 I wrote a paper check on one of my banks for $5,000.00, and deposited it at a Chase Bank retail location to my Chase checking account. This check cleared the originating bank (USAA) a couple of days later and was debited from my account there. The funds were never posted to the Chase account. To my mind, this is equivalent to JPM Chase stealing $5K from me.

I have made inquires to Chase three times now, their response is always the same: 1) that I must first check with USAA (done, done, and done), 2) "there is no record of this transaction in our records" (well, dammit, I have the canceled check images that clearly show your endorsement). After these exchanges, they ghost me, no longer responding to my questions or any contact attempt. I have not seen any evidence that they are actually looking into the situation or performing any kind of investigation.

I know very little about banking practices, but their responses are so canned and formulaic that I suspect they deal with issues like this regularly. This implies that stealing money from their depositors is likely a routine part of their business.

My question to the forum is: Where do I go from here? I figure I have four options, 1) file a complaint with the VA SCC, 2) bring a civil suit, 3) try to interest LE in a criminal investigation for grand theft, 4) let it go. Notes about each option:

1) is this even likely to get Chase off their fat asses?
2) what are the chances of finding a lawyer who would do this for about $2K?
3) fat chance (I suspect)
4) not a chance while I'm still kicking.

Any advice from those knowledgeable in the banking arena would be appreciated.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: architect,

Have you asked USAA to communicate with Chase to try to iron this out? Maybe official bank-to-bank communications would help. And yes, option #4 shouldn't even be on the table.

How are you making inquiries - in person with manager at local branch, on phone with manager at local branch, or call center in bumfuckistan?

I initially inquired through Chase's on-line "secure messaging" facility, second time was face-to-face at a branch. Both of these attempts were within a few months of the deposit. I (naively, I admit) assumed that their internal audit process would eventually expose reality. Most recently, a few weeks ago, I re-initiated an on-line conversation only to be met with an almost word-for-word response to my initial attempt. The initial exchange has disappeared from their message portal.

Yes, I have assurances from USAA that they contacted Chase about the matter, but as far as they are concerned, I wrote a check, they paid it, and there is little more they can do about it. This is understandable, and I am not contending otherwise.

Do your local news stations have a consumer help line? If they took an interest in your situation, I bet they could get someone with authority at Chase to look into the matter.

Maybe contact the attorney general in your state.

Attorney!

The more blood thrust the better.

Morgan & Morgen?

quote:

Originally posted by architect:
I initially inquired through Chase's on-line "secure messaging" facility, second time was face-to-face at a branch. Both of these attempts were within a few months of the deposit. I (naively, I admit) assumed that their internal audit process would eventually expose reality. Most recently, a few weeks ago, I re-initiated an on-line conversation only to be met with an almost word-for-word response to my initial attempt. The initial exchange has disappeared from their message portal.

I have a Chase checking account and IME on-line is so bad I wouldn't even count it as communication. I'm lucky as the local branch manager lives 3 doors down and we get along well.

If I were you, I'd do one more in-person visit with a manager (i.e. not an underling) before I started on the 4 options you listed.

You could likely get an attorney to send a threatening letter for a few hundred $$.

My experience with a different bank related to a significant actual criminal fraud (about $20k) was the bank simply stalled, and the police weren't interested in doing more than taking a statement.

IOW, the bank has no motivation to look into this. It costs them time and money, and they probably have a lot of fraudsters making claims like yours, so they just don't care. $5k is minuscule money to them, and they know your options are limited.

There must be some kind of trail of how your check was processed and where the money went electronically. I think you need to get USAA to help you out with that part of it. Then you can get a lawyer involved and/or your state Attorney General.

Does the Deposit Slip indicate your Chase Account # or some other Account #? Do you have an image of the back of the cancelled check? What is indicated there?

That $5K went somewhere...

quote:

Originally posted by nhracecraft:
Does the Deposit Slip indicate your Chase Account # or some other Account #? Do you have an image of the back of the cancelled check? What is indicated there?

That $5K went somewhere...

Yeah, every check I write shows up as two images, front and back, in my checking account. In the case of writing a check to a bank account, it shows up as an image with a plethora of information for the back side.

I’d walk into the location you made the deposit with copies of the front and back of the cleared check and ask them where the money went. I wouldn’t leave until they showed you.

Get your USAA statement from sept 2023 and hopefully an image ( front and back) of the check. I assume you wrote this from yourself at USAA to yourself at Chase? If your friend wrote you a check off USAA you will need them to help you out. Then the same month statement from chase 9/23 and take it to the local branch manager. Leave copies with him as well as any correspondence to date and say I need an answer asap. Waiting a year is problematic. They MAY have a 1 year limit, but not sure. It’s in their new account disclosures how long you have to dispute (all federal regulations) You should have chased this down a year ago.

The copy of the canceled check will have the info they should need to see where they put it and the date. I’m gonna bet that some data entry person miskeyed and account number and that other account holder never said anything. And since they balanced at the end of the day it didn’t raise any alarms. They should be able to go to the exact date of when it cleared their system and find that $5,000 amount. Again a year later could be a problem.

Best of luck and let us know.

quote:

Originally posted by still_bill:
Attorney!

The more blood thrust the better.

Morgan & Morgen?

Perhaps treble damages would apply if Chase refuses to "correct" the issue?
The purpose of such being to incentivize Chase from committing this act against other persons in the same manner.

Did he wait a year or did Chase drag its feet for a year? I read it as Chase dragged its feet.

State Office Of The Inspector General .

Here's the government's answer to your problem.
Since this was a check and not cash, having the deposited checks image from USAA should make this a slam dunk.

https://www.helpwithmybank.gov...k-error-receipt.html

I would be slightly upset....




(Hopefully obviously a joke)

I had a similar issue with my Regional Bank. I started with the regional manager and filled out lots of forms. It is hard to get money out of banks. Eventually I prevailed. I would not start out with calling it theft, bank employees are smarter than that. Good luck

Start a conversation on their Facebook page. A chat with Allegiant airlines resolved a problem for me quite quickly. I think they partly understand it’s going to be negatively publicized if they don’t resolve it quickly. And yours seems like a slam dunk to me.