Hickory Handyman
Hickory,#2Consumer Comment
Wed, April 12, 2017
I read your article after I did some researching and many, many complaints are found against First Citizens Bank the last several years; especially after the merger then wonderful computer system overhaul debacle... I wish I knew this before opening personal & business accounts with them.
First to answer yours and other posters questions of "What to do?". I suggest you file complaint with the FDIC, as we had to do this before with another local Hickory, NC area bank after tiring of their runaround and deceitful practices we encountered a long time costing our account monies in fees, etc which we knew were not true; ie- playing with deposits/debits to make balances seem less than actual so they can assess NSF fees at random, holding up known deposits from regular customers, etc.. In the end, FDIC investigated the other bank and we received a check for like over $800.00 one day in the mail, and a beautiful apology letter from its CEO asking us to please stay with them as they really wanted our business and valued us as customers- NO! I left, but I left for First Citizens Bank...
Now today, after being with FCB about 8 years, and having multiple accounts with them, we are suspecting problems we encountered years ago with another local Hickory, NC area bank then, are now what FCB is doing sadly. The local branch people and managers are useless- pawns for corporate at best and function as they are told. We have also grown very tired of the daily false "hello, how are you" from Tellers until you question them about some concern and they all go numb and quiet...
I am responding here to your post because I am contemplating filing charges/complaint against FCB with the FDIC- NO Bank wants FDIC investigation (hurts their ratings/standing), but what is a consumer to do these days? I am a well respected local small business, very bleased with work and repeat business we can never keep up with, constant revenues, yet these bank people they employ today act like robots and really do not care about small business at all as they say they do. But a letter I receved from FCB recently stated one of my Lines was about to mature in May, and stop in to talk to someone to keep that going. OK, That Line is our Business Line of Credit, which we have had several years in good standing, and it always automatically renewed before. In fact, the last 2 year cycle, it was increased and we went about our business.
Now after I met VP of Finance at Viewmont branch, she told me I'd hear the next day as she only asked me how much I expected to earn, what my mtge payment was and what was balance of mortage. That's all. The next day, I receive call from another person at that branch saying "bank decided not to renew your Line"!!. What I said? That is my Business LOC ! He then said, what the bank is willing to do, is your existing LOC balance they will convert into a 36 month fixed % rate loan at 2.5% higher rate than my Line was at. AND I am supposed to be happy hearing this? And I found they pulled my credit WITHOUT any authorization by me whatsoever which is supposed to be against the Law. I DO NOT want any loan. I DID NOT apply for any loan. Simply wanted my Line to continue onward as it always had before. They know me well locally too and some of their personnel are even our customers. I had Lines setup to suppposedly support my business operations, not want to see them cutoff and turned into loans now... What good is that except crippling to my business. The banks are making various interest money off us monthly as it is.
I feel like I was played in some sort of "Bait & Switch" tactic now for the bank to justify more costs off my back doing this and makes no sense. I have read elsewhere on consumer complaint sites similar is/has been going on to other small business owners as well as others since the merger in 2015 and the October 2016 computer online system overhaul...