Astoria Bank

Review: I have a checking account which is supposed to be free a number of months ago they began charging an inactivity fee when I spoke on the phone with them they were downright rude and said they don't have to inform me I can see it on the bill. And although they deducted a fee I realize now that they do not consider it an account activity and continued deducting monthly a fee.Desired Settlement: I would like a refund for the amount they deducted without consent.

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted],

Your correspondence sent to the Revdex.com has been forwarded to me for attention and reply. I apologize for any inconvenience this matter has caused you and appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns regarding the lack of service you received on the phone, and the inactivity fees you incurred on Easy checking account [redacted].

At Astoria Federal, we pride ourselves on offering superior service and solutions to all of our customers, and we regret when their expectations are not met. We make every effort to serve all of our customers in a prompt and professional manner. I was disappointed to hear of your displeasure with the customer service provided to you during your conversation with one of our Telephone Banking Specialists. A copy of your complaint has been forwarded to [redacted], Manager of our Call Center Operations, for review with employees to ensure they maintain the Astoria Federal approach of "Puttingpeople first".

Effective August *, 2012, consumer checking account customers who did not have any account activity for three (3) consecutive months have been charged a $10.00 inactivity fee. Our customers were notified of this fee in their June 2012 checking account statement. An insert was included with the checking account statement and in addition, a statement message referring to the inactivity fee notice also appeared on the statement. I have enclosed a copy of both for your review. The fee will be charged on your statement date until transactional activity occurs on the account. To avoid the fee, a customer would have to conduct a transaction, such as a deposit, a debit card transaction, withdrawal, transfer of funds or pay by check.

Your last checking account transaction was conducted on May **, 201O; a preauthorized debit in the amount of $1,148.43 paid to American Express®. From May **, 2010 through December **, 2012, no other transactions were conducted and inactivity fees totaling $40.00 were charged to the account. On December **, 2012, our Telephone Banking Department credited $10.00 to your account to refund you for one (1) of the inactivity fees incurred. The $10.00 refund deposited December **, 2012 was the last transaction conducted on your account. Therefore, after a period of no activity for three (3) months, inactivity fees were charged to your account again on April **, May ** and June **, 2013, totaling $30.00.

It is my understanding that [redacted] ([redacted]) [redacted], Manager of our Borough Park Branch, attempted to contact you on July **, 2013, but was unable to reach you and left a voice message. As an additional customer courtesy, and standing by our belief in "Putting people first, [redacted] credited $60.00 to your account to refund you for all inactivity fees incurred, leaving your balance at the requested $55.00. Going forward, if additional inactivity fees are incurred we will be unable to accommodate a request for reimbursement. We encourage you to use your account once every three months to keep it active, or contact [redacted] to discuss other financial options that are available to you.

Once again, I regret any inconvenience this situation has caused you and appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns. We look forward to serving your future financial needs. If you should have any questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact [redacted] at ###-###-####.

Sincerely,

First Vice President

Director of Retail Banking Administration

Review: The bank allowed the secondary person on the account to withdraw all the money in the account without my consent or notification. Despite the factor I was the head of the account, and the secondary person on the account withdrew a large amount of money which usually raises red flags.Desired Settlement: I would like for this matter to be resolved quickly and to hold the people responsible for this situation accountable.

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted],

Your correspondence to the Revdex.com has been forwarded to me for attention and reply. I regret any inconvenience this situation has caused you and appreciate the opportunity to address your concern regarding your Insured Money Maker Account (IMMA) [redacted], and the subsequent account closing.

According to our records, IMMA account [redacted] was opened at our [redacted] Branch on June **, 2013. At account opening, the account title was established as joint tenants with right of survivorship, in the names of [redacted] and [redacted], indicating that both accountholders have equal privileges over the funds in the account. The account was established jointly where either joint accountholder, regardless of designation as primary or secondary, has 100% access to the funds maintained in the account. Therefore, there is no requirement to notify or acquire consent from the other joint accountholder. In your case, as per the account agreement, only one (I) accountholder's signature was required to conduct transactions. During the account opening process, a Truth in Savings disclosure, clearly demonstrating the account title, is printed for accountholders to review and acknowledge receipt of the disclosure on the signature card.

On June **, 2013, the aforementioned account was closed. The withdrawal was conducted with authorization from the joint owner on the account, [redacted]. As per our normal procedure, [redacted]'s identification and signature were verified to ensure the transaction was conducted by an accountholder. I have enclosed a copy of the withdrawal ticket for your review.

Again, I regret any inconvenience this matter has caused you. We truly value your account relationship and look forward to servicing your future financial needs. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please contact [redacted], Manager of our [redacted] Branch at ###-###-####.