Associated Banc Corp.

This is a complaint about there policy. I have a forced closed account with them back in 2011.I owned then a large sum of money that I paid. There policy is to keep me in check systems (which means I can't open a checking account) even though it is paid in full. I can get a letter from then saying it is paid. Honestly (I know it is there policy) but I don't think this is fair. This might do nothing, but someone sound hear about this. It makes me feel like paying off my old account (which consists only of over Draft fee) did nothing to clear up my history.

Review: Associated Bank Services was processing my credit card charges but didn't fulfill its promises to lower my fees.As a matter of fact it was constantly raising them.I was forced to cancel its services but then Associated Bank charged me with $500.00 termination fee based allegedly on a contract signed by me.I asked the Bank for the copy of the contract showing my signature and then the bank representative admitted that there is no contract but I still owe termination fee.I think that the Bank reasoning is based on false legal philosophy and there is no ground to to charge me the termination fee based on the contract which does not exist.I demand a full refund of my $500.00 and an apology.

Account_Number: merchant No [redacted]Desired Settlement: DesiredSettlementID: Refund

$500.00 refund

Business

Response:

This letter is in response to the complaint you filed with the Revdex.com of Wisconsin receivedon March 13, 2015 regarding your merchant account ending in [redacted]. Thank you for taking the time toshare your concerns. I am sorry to hear of your disappointment with the selVicing of your account andapologize for any frustration you experienced.I am glad that I had the opportunity to speak with you and discuss your concerns regarding the earlytermination fee. As we discussed, after an investigation of your concerns, it was determined that the feeis valid and was disclosed in the terms and conditions of your merchant contract. Enclosed is a copy ofthe signed contract and confirmation page. The ETF (early termination fee) is referenced on theConfirmation Page under item #8 and refers to the Program Guide for further details.The $500 ETF was assessed to your checking account ending [redacted] on October 21,2014. Then onNovember 12, 2014 your new merchant processor IPS credited your checking account $500.00. Ourreview of your account did not uncover any errors therefore I regret that we must decline your request forreimbursement of the early termination fee.If I can be of further assistance, now or in the future, please feel free to contact me directly at the numberabove.

Business

Response:

This letter is in response to the rebuttal you filed with the Revdex.com of Wisconsin receivedon May 29,2015 regarding your merchant account ending in [redacted].Your Associated Bank merchant account is serviced and maintained by [redacted] Merchant Services,and your contractual relationship is with [redacted] as indicated by uProcessor" next to your signature lineon the contract. Therefore we previously referred you to contact [redacted] directly at phone number [redacted] to work out a resolution. While I understand that you felt you were not getting any assistancefrom Associated Bank or [redacted], our documented interactions with you indicate otherwise. [redacted]also confirmed that they discussed your specific concerns with you.The estimation of savings letter you referred to was an estimate by [redacted] in late 2009 early 2010.However you never accepted that offer and it was no longer an option when you opened your merchantaccount on August 7,2012. [redacted] offered you a rate review in August 2014 which you accepted.However, you contacted them two months later to cancel.On October 6, 2014 you requested cancellation of your merchant account. [redacted] offered you anotherrate review, however you declined. [redacted] ensured that you were fully aware of the ETF amount andagreement term before confirming that you still wanted the account to be closed.As previously informed, the $500 early termination fee is valid and was disclosed in the terms andconditions of your merchant contract. The ETF (early termination fee) is referenced on the ConfirmationPage under item #8 and refers to the Program Guide for further detailsI regret that we are unable to assist you and consider this case closed.

Consumer

Response:

Review: I had closed my accounts with this bank in July of this year (2013). Through them I had a bill pay service set up. When I'd closed my I double and triple checked with the personal banker who was helping me to be sure that I was done with them and the bill pay service and that I could move on with out worries. He gave me the green light and told me everything was fine.

Early in November I began receiving calls from a third party which Associated Bank is using to run their bill pay service asking me to pay them 111.41$ for a bill pay. I explained to this company that I had closed the account and had not been with Associated Bank for months. This company explained to me that they had tried to get a refund from the payee of this bill, but that it was a non refundable bill. For some reason or another Associated could not (or would not) pay this third party company that had payed the bill on behalf of Associated Banks bill pay service.

I think ok! I'll go talk to someone with Associated Bank. I'd received a letter from associated bank that was referring to this 111.41$ so I thought I'd take that with me and we could get everything cleared up. The personal banker I spoke with this time, said that if I'd closed my account then there was absolutely no reason that the bill pay service would have continued. What he had told me was that the letter was a notification that the bill had not been payed to the payee. So if I'd payed the bill by other means then this was not an issue and I had no worries. Cool! I pay my bills very promptly so no worries!

December 2, 2013 I receive a letter telling me that "Within the next 30 days my information will be sent to an outside collection agency that will handle the collection process for this debt".

I return to Associated Bank once more to talk with someone. I ended up talking with the personal banker who had helped me close my account. He essentially explained to me that this was my fault and that I needed to take care of it. I tried calling Associated Banks phone # for escalating a complaint to receive a "There's nothing we can do other than file complaints on the personal bankers you've dealt with. Here's the number for the third party company we do our bill pay service through, maybe they can help you". Ok, I've been jerked around for months over this issue, I can try one more phone call. After calling this third party company it was explained to me that the only option I had was to pay them the money that they had payed on my associated bank account's behalf. Even though I'd closed my account and completely walked away from that bank months ago.Desired Settlement: I've been through a lot with this whole issue. If someone would have just called me right away and said "Hey! we screwed up! would you be ok with paying an extra month in advance for your phone bill?" I'm a very agreeable and understanding person, this wouldn't have been an issue. It's been month now, and they've put me through hoops that shouldn't have even existed. Now, they want money from me just before the holidays or they'll ruin what credit I have? I want Associated Bank to own up to their mistake, swallow the cost, apologize, and then leave me alone.

Business

Response:

Dear Mr. [redacted],

###-###-#### PHONE

###-###-#### FAX

This letter is in response to the complaint that you filed with the Revdex.com of Wisconsin

regarding your Associated Bank checking account ending in [redacted]. Please accept my apology for any

misunderstanding that may have taken place regarding your request to close your checking account with

our [redacted] branch.

As we discussed, the branch closed your account on July 18, 2013 however the recurring bill payment to

U.S. Cellular was not cancelled. We issued an electronic bill payment on your behalf to U.S. Cellular for

$111.41 on October 28, 2013. As a result, our bill payment vendor contacted a collection agency who

sent you a letter asking for reimbursement of $111.41.

Associated Bank NA denies any wrongdoing however, because of the inconvenience this situation has

caused you, as a customer courtesy we will reimburse the collection agency on your behalf. I will provide

you the documentation of the paid check as soon as it is available. I am glad we had the opportunity to

discuss your concerns with you and that you consider this matter resolved.

If I may be of further assistance, now or in the future, please feel free to contact me directly at the number

above.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this is sufficient. However the fact that Associated Bank denies any wrong doing raises red flags for me. Since when does a company not take full responsibility when a customer has been wronged?

I would hope that in the future Associated Bank would do better to train it's employees and more effectively communicate between its departments. This issue should never have gotten this far. period.

I was initially adamant about pushing for more by this point.. but in the end I'm glad to be clean of them and hope that Associated Bank can correct their business practices/operations for their customers sake.

Review: I was working with [redacted] to obtain a home loan. I had requested a status update on the loan by Friday May 1st and she assured me she would call back. I never heard from her again. After several emails and voicemails I gave up and went to another lender. [redacted] then continued to run my credit even though I was working with another lender. I secured the loan through the alternate lender but now have a ding on my credit because she ran credit without my permission.Desired Settlement: I want the credit denial ding removed from my credit.

Business

Response:

This letter is in response to your concerns regarding your recent experience with Associated Bank.Please accept my sincere apology for any inconvenience or frustration this matter may have caused you.After completing an investigation of your concerns, I determined that you authorized three applications inan effort to purchase a property that you had been renting at [redacted] in [redacted]. The initial application ending in [redacted] was submitted on November 14, 2014 as a USDA/RuralHousing Service loan for $122,448.00. This application was denied, and a Notice of Action Taken letterwas mailed to you on January 13, 2015. The Residential Loan Officer provided you with suggestions onhow to help improve your credit score and invited you to come back in a few months if you wanted toapply again.The second application ending in [redacted] was submitted on April 6, 2015 also as a USDA/Rural HousingService loan for $127,551.00. This application was denied, and a Notice of Action Taken letter wasmailed to you on April 24, 2015. Atthat time, you explained that you had money in a 401 k account, andyou were willing to use some of the funds for a down payment if necessary to help secure the loan. Inresponse, the Residential Loan Officer discussed other types of loans you could consider applying for.On May 4, 2015 a third application ending in [redacted] was submitted as a Conventional loan for $115.400.00,taking into consideration a 3% down payment based on the appraised value that came in lower thanexpected at $119,000.00. A Notice of Action Taken letter was sent to you on May 26, 2015 which askedyou to provide additional information by June 25,2015 to be able to give further consideration to yourcredit request. After waiting the applicable timeframe for you to provide the requested information, andnot hearing back from you, a final Notice of Action Taken letter was mailed to you on July 1, 2015 listingthe principal reasons for the denial of the loan. Enclosed for your convenience are copies of the Notice ofAction taken letters referenced above.During the investigation process, I found no evidence that you had communicated your desire to cancelthe application, although you stated that you believed it was cancelled when you did not hear back fromthe bank by May 1, 2015 as you requested. Associated Bank followed established proceduresthroughout the loan process, and we deny any wrongdoing.We are required to accurately report data to the credit reporting agencies therefore we respectfully denyyour request to make any changes to the current credit reporting.

Business

Response:

This letter is in response to the rebuttal you filed with the Revdex.com of Wisconsin regardinga mortgage loan application ending in [redacted] from May 2015.Upon further review, we have determined that there was some miscommunication between the loanofficer and yourself, regarding what the steps needed to be taken by the bank to determine thequalifications for a Conventional mortgage loan.As you requested, because of the miscommunication, Associated Bank submitted a request to the creditreporting agencies on July 27, 2015 to remove the "hard" hit and replace it with a "soft" hit for May 2015.What this means is that you will still see the inquiry on your credit report if you pull it for monitoringpurposes however, it has absolutely no impact on your credit score. Please allow adequate time for thecredit reporting agencies to update their records.I have also enclosed the Notice of Action Taken letters that were mailed to you regarding the loanapplications ending in 2331, 2432 and [redacted]. These letters were inadvertently not included when wesubmitted our previous written response to the Revdex.com of Wisconsin on July 22, 2015.I am glad that we were able to assist you in resolving your concerns. At Associated Bank, we place ahigh value on providing quality service and recognize that customer satisfaction is a key to our continuedsuccess. If I may be offurther assistance, now or in the future, please feel free to contact me directly atthe number above.

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Review: Bank sending advertisement to me but will not work with me at all.

I all ready have a home equity loan with this bank. I am currently unemployed and have tried to work with them, but keep telling me there is nothing they can do for me. but yet they send be an advertisement with interest rate as low as 3.99% and mine is at 7.00%+Desired Settlement: I would like them to work with me and maybe lower my interest rate.

Business

Response:

This letter is in response to the complaint that you filed with the Revdex.com of Wisconsin

regarding your real estate secured loan ending in [redacted]. Thank you for taking the time to talk to me about

your concerns.

Please accept my apology on behalf of Associated Bank for any frustration you experienced because of

the March 2014 Home Equity Line of Credit promotion offer we mailed to you. I can certainly understand

your disappointment when you received the offer. Please let me know if you wish to opt-out from

receiving any future marketing mailings from Associated Bank or its affiliates, and I would be happy to

process your request.

You indicated in your complaint your desire is for a lower interest rate on your loan. In order to determine

if you qualify for a modification program, please complete and return the enclosed A.S.S.I.S.T.

application. If you need to make payment arrangements while we are evaluating your application, please

contact [redacted], who is your single point of contact, at ###-###-####, extension [redacted]. If

[redacted] is unavailable, you may also contact [redacted] at extension [redacted].

The servicer of your first mortgage can also answer any questions you have about Deed in Lieu or a

Short Sale options for the property.

If I may be of further assistance, now or in the future, please feel free to contact me directly at the number

above.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

On Tue, May 6, 2014 at 12:12 PM, [redacted] wrote:

I am not happy with the response I received from Associated Bank regarding my complaint. I received a phone call from [redacted] and basically she told me not much could be done because I was unemployed.

Review: Continued chaning practice and policy on with held funds for deposit varying from branch to branch. Refused to reviel written policy to customer.

For 6 years depodited checks with no funds held unless total of check is greater then $5000.00. Was not notified of any policy change. Now funds on a check for $4000 and $2300 being held for 5 days. Checks are drawn on local bank. Asked for proof of written policy and was told policies are not shared with customers. Refusing to release funds and refusing to close account and return checks to me to be deposited in a new account. Aked to speak with another representative/ a supervisor to fiel a complaint and was denied. Told I could not do so I had to speak with person on the phone not a supervisor. I have no access to my funds. Bank refusing to return checks to me or release funds. I consider this theft. Changing policy and refusal to provide written proof of policy indicates illegal actions. Refusal to speak with supervisor further provides suspision of illegal actions. I have had large amounts of money stolen from my account in the past. Concerned this will occur again. Unable to close account because associated will not release funds to do so. Complaint is for poor customer service, theft, and fraudulant actions.Desired Settlement: Settlement of Monies returned totaling $6300.00. Proof of written policy. Investigation into customer service, complaint file process, and potential illegal handling of funds by teller.

Business

Response:

October 9, 2013

RE: Revdex.com of Wisconsin, Case #[redacted]

Dear Ms. [redacted],

###-###-#### PHONE

###-###-#### FAX

This letter is in response to the complaint you filed with the Revdex.com of Wisconsin received

on September 17, 2013 regarding your checking account ending in [redacted]. I have been trying to contact

you by telephone however I have been unable to reach you.

Funds from a non-Associated Bank check deposit are generally available on the first business day after

the day we receive the deposit, however, the first $100.00 of the deposit.is made available immediately.

Cash, electronic direct deposits, wire transfers and checks drawn on Associated Bank are available on

the business day we receive the deposit.

However, in some cases we will not make all of the funds that you deposit by check available to you on

the first business day after the day of your deposit. Funds you deposit by check may be delayed for a

longer period if the deposit totals more than $5,000 on anyone day. The first $5,000 will be available on

the first business day after the deposit and the excess over $5,000 will be available on the fifth business

day after the day of your deposit. Please refer to the attached funds availability disclosure for more

details.

Your $6,403.00 deposit on September 16, 2013 consisted of a $2,337.51 and $4,065.49 check. Of that

deposit $1303.00 was placed on hold for five business days and was made available on September 21,

2013. That was the amount over $5,000 less the $100.00 that is made available immediately.

Holds are placed on some deposited checks to help protect the customer and the bank from potential

loss. The bank may place a hold on deposited checks for a variety of reasons including large deposit

scenarios. If the check deposit is made in-person at one of our branches, the customer is provided with a

hold notice outlining the reason for the hold and the time in which the funds will be available. Associated

Bank's Funds Availability Policy Disclosure is available in our Deposit Account Agreement which was

provided to you at account opening. The current version is available online at

[redacted]. I enclosed a copy of the Deposit Account Agreement for your

reference.

Unfortunately we are unable to return the checks you deposited. Once a check is deposited, the bank of

first deposit is inhibited from disrupting the check clearing system to provide the item back to the

depositing customer, unless the item is subsequently returned by the other bank.

At Associated Bank, we place a high value on providing quality service and recognize that customer

satisfaction is a key to our continued success. If I can be of any further assistance, now or in the future,

please feel free to contact me directly at the number above.

Sincerely,

cc: Revdex.com of Wisconsin, Electronic Transmittal Only

Enclosures