US Bank

I am a South African citizen and still lives in South Africa. On a trip to the US Bank around 1998, my husband invested funds in a US Bank Certificate of Deposit. Since then, my husband passed away and I changed the name on the account to my name and to two of my family members.

This CD matured on the 16th of April 2020 and I decided to close the account as I need the funds.

I contacted the US Bank's Customer Service Helpline on the 20th of April 2020 and talked to Denay. I asked for the account to be closed and for the funds to be electronically transferred (EFT) to my South African bank account (as I had another account with another bank in the USA and they did a SWIFT payment without any problems). Denay informed me that the US Bank does not do any EFTs/SWIFT payments. The only option the US Bank offer is to issue a Cashier's Cheque. I agreed to the Cashier's Cheque and asked for the Cheque to be send with Registered Mail (in order for me to track the mail, as I mentioned to Denay that the postal service in South Africa can be unreliable). I also informed her that the cheque needs to reach me before the 31st of December 2020 as South Africa will then cease to accept and process any cheques. She assured me that the cheque will be issued within 3 days and will reach me in 10-15 working days.

I phoned the Customer Service Helpline again on the 24th of April 2020; this time I talked to Nicole and asked for the Tracking Number. I was informed the US Bank did not send my cheque with a tracking number; in fact they do not send any cheques via registered mail.

By August 2020 I have not received the cheque and I phoned the Customer Service Helpline again (17 August 2020) and talked to Megan. I explained the situation to Megan and she informed me the only option is to contact the branch for the cheque to be re-issued. I contacted the branch in Fargo Downtown, talked to Nicholas, just to be informed that I need to come in person to the branch. I explained that I live in South Africa and will not be able to do this. The reply was "we will not be able to assist you".

I phoned the Customer Service Helpline again (18 August 2020) and talked to Francesca. I explained again that the Postal Service in South Africa is unreliable, that by the end of December 2020 South Africa will not process cheques anymore. I asked if the cheque can be send to a friend of mine in the USA, and then I will arrange with them to send it to me via Registered Post. Francesca said that will be possible, but they need to contact a branch to re-issue the cheque. With the assistance of her supervisor she contacted the branch in Fargo Downtown. I received an e-mail from Maggie Livingston of the Fargo Downtown branch on 21 Aug 2020, witht the following message: "I was able to contact the appropriate area to replace the check that you did not receive. They stated that process does take 3 business days and then with mailing Internationally approximately 15 days for it." The cheque was send to my South African address, and not the address in the USA as requested, and it was send with normal post.

I have not received the cheque by October 2020. I phoned the Customer Service Helpline again (22 October 2020) and talked to Fenecia. I again explained the whole situation, explained I have not received the re-issued cheque, that there is a deadline for me to receive the cheque and I asked again can a SWIFT payment not be made. This was rejected again. I tried to discuss other different options with Fenecia, i.e. for the cheque to be re-issued - was told this is impossible. I asked if it was not possible to deposit the funds in a US bank account, the reply was I had to do it in person in the USA and I need to be the account holder. I asked if I can open a US Bank account and arrange for the funds to transfer, but this was also not an option as I am not a USA citizen and does not have any USA documentation. I asked if I can send someone to collect the cheque at a branch - only if it was one of the account holders and it will take 3 days.

Once again there was a total lack of understanding from Fenecia (and by extention, the US Bank) of the fact that this is my money, I do not live in the USA, that I am not a USA citizen, that mail does not reached South Africa in a predictable way, what without a tracking number there is no assurance that the cheque will ever arrive (I talk of personal experience), and that if I do not receive this cheque before the 31st of December 2020, the cheque will be useless!

This is now the January 2021, and I have not receive any cheques. And now, even if I do receive the cheque, I will not be able to do anything with it as South Africa has stopped processing cheques from anyone, including banks from the USA, on the 31st of December 2020.

I am disappointed in the US Bank and their policies because as I have explained multiple times to representatives of the US Bank the problems I am facing: i.e. posted mail does not reached South Africa in a predictable way, what without a tracking number there is no assurance that the cheque will ever arrive, and that despite the fact that we live in the 21st century, and that other banks in the US do electronic transfers, the US Bank is unable and/or unwilling to do SWIFT payments.

Also, I am not able to travel anymore, therefore there is no way for me to travel to the USA in order to solve this problem. The other two people who can also access the account, do not have the funds to travel to the USA and anyway, it is unclear when travel restrictions from and to South Africa will be lifted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

To resolve the problem, I would like the US Bank to electronically transfer MY MONEY to my South African bank account. This is MY MONEY, I WANT MY MONEY.

I've tried to contact the US Bank on the 4th of January 2021 via the following email addresses: [protected]@usbank.com, [protected]@usbank.com, customer. [protected]@usbank.com, customer. [protected]@usbank.com, but I am yet to receive a reply.