When I was hit by a drunk driver and endured some sudden medical and financial hardship for some months, I made a few small purchases apparently that were beyond the funds temporarily in my bank account. However I made a deposit within 6 days of over $2,000 to cover the debits. Nevertheless Sun Trust Bank greedily charged me $35.00 five times amounting to $175 in non-sufficient funds in February (only refunding $35.00 when I disputed the amount).
Upon filing a claim with the Florida Department of Financial Services Regulation and the Federal Reserve Bank, Sun Trust Bank (rather than refund the excessive charges) chose to cancel my account without any forewarning to my life or finances. Plus they kept my positive balance of several hundred dollars, not sending me a check to return my money.
To make matters worse and show the way Sun Trust Bank handles its customers ….when Sun Trust sent me their arrogantly innocuous letter cancelling my bank account, they didn’t bother to refund the few hundred dollars in a positive balance which I had left in the account. Keep in mind after Sun Trust Bank kept my $140 in overdraft fees, I promptly replenished the account thereafter with approximately $2,600.
The cruel and harsh reality is after I kept my account in good status for months thereafter and had a positive balance of several hundred dollars, Sun Trust not only cancelled my account but kept the additional several hundred dollars in a positive balance not bothering to refund that money to me. Mr. Louis Satmaria’s name was on the letter I received from Sun Trust, noting him as the Vice President and Manager of the Lake Margaret Office branch where I opened the account. Rather than refund my positive balance, I was told “feel free to call Mr. Satmaria” ….I guess so I can ask for my own money back from the corrupt and greedy Sun Trust Bank that didn’t have the decency to send me a check in the mail and forewarn me in advance so my local school board where I teach could be forewarned not to deposit my monthly paycheck at the end of the month in their bank. God forbid if Sun Trust tries to keep that too!
Make no mistake about it banks are in it for themselves and themselves alone, but Sun Trust Bank rolls like the mafia and rather than seek to cultivate their customers, drops them without notice or forewarning the minute you are no longer advantageous to them….and keeps your money!
www.PaulFDavis.com worldwide speaker and consumer advocate
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