TD Bank, FAIRVIEW ROAD BRANCH

Scheme to charge "maintenance fees" from the dead
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by fathersdaughter, Mar. 22, 2021

Recently, my father, who has been a customer of TD bank for the last several years passed away. When he opened his account after my mom had passed away, I had told him to make sure to put me as the POD on all of his accounts due to all that we learned after my mother’s passing. He went into the bank and did so. However, last Friday, I found out that whoever helped him do this only put me on his checking as POD and did not add me to his savings account which is a fail on whoever helped him because I know that without a doubt he believed that he had me on both accounts.
However, that is actually beside the point of what has transpired with TD Bank over the last 3 weeks since my fathers passing. On March 1, 2021 – I noticed that there was a $15 maintenance fee charged to his savings which he had moved into his checking to help with his living expenses since he had started having strokes in June of 2020 and was now in long term care. When I saw the service fee, I called the branch in Simpsonville, SC to inform them of his passing and to find out where I could email or send his death certificate to in order to close out his accounts. I was told that this was not possible over the phone that I had to come in person to close out his accounts. Not once was I asked about a POD on his account or any other information, I was hit with road block after road block when I inquired if I could certify mail it with a notarized letter instead of having to make the 6 hour drive each way to show up in person DURING A PANDEMIC. Melanie, the person I was talking to stated that I didn’t have any other choice but to drive and show up in person to close out the accounts. I then called your corporate number and spoke with someone else (who was much more helpful) – I believe her name was Jessica but not real sure. However, I could tell that she was trying to help me as much as she could but ultimately said it was up to the individual branch if they would accept an email or letter without me having to be present. She had even suggested that your policy should be changed to accept a video chat instead, but that was not an option at this time.
I then proceeded to make arrangements for traveling to Simpsonville to take care of my fathers account. Once I arrived, I walked into the facility and Candace (who I’m assuming is the branch manager) was standing at the door. I told her my father had passed away and I was there to close his accounts. She did not greet me with any condolences, only to ask if I was the POD on his account and when I said yes, she told me to go to Miss Melanie and she will be happy to assist me. I’m assuming this is the same Melanie that I had spoken to on the phone weeks earlier. I get to Melanie’s window – again – not greeted with any condolences – and she proceeds to try to figure out how to help me. She asked for my ID and I gave that to her and said “do you not need his ID or death certificate” and she said “no, only your ID”. She finally figures out what she needs to do after asking Candace several questions and then gives me a slip to sign. I asked her before I signed that slip – this will close out both checking and savings, correct. She told me that he didn’t have a savings and I corrected her and said yes he does, I pulled it up on my phone to show her. She said – oh well, he does, but you are not the POD on that account. I asked her what she meant because I knew I was that was what my father specifically asked for. But, obviously now that my father is dead – I have no proof and apparently TD bank does not ever believe that their customer is right. She said the $135.09 in savings would have to go to probate. There will not be a probate because this is all he owned, and he protected himself by having PODs put on his accounts so there would not be a question of probate. So, I then asked her – then that account just stays open and you continue to charge $15 each month until it’s completely depleted and she said yes, that is what will happen. Please explain to me how it’s legal for TD bank to continue to charge maintenance fees on an account that I’m being told needs to go to probate because the account holder died? I’m not stupid, and I know that by the time we get to probate, that $135 would be gone to TD bank for maintenance fees - - is this some type of scheme that TD bank uses to make money?
I then said – why don’t I just transfer that money back to checking and then we close them both – Melanie told me that I could not do that. So, after calling Candace back over – I was informed my only option was to let the account go to probate and to get a state representative to obtain those funds. At that point, I called my attorney to speak with her and told Candace I was calling my attorney. I don’t know if she thought I was bluffing or what but she got snotty and said “that is fine, I’d be happy to talk to your attorney too if you wish but we cannot let you have access to this account”.
My attorney advised me to go ahead and take the money that I did have access to and to call her once I left so we could decide what needed to be done. That is what I did. Of course – nobody at that bank could give me condolences over my father’s death but every person could tell me to “have a nice day” as I walked out the door.
I called my attorney and it was revealed that legally TD Bank should not have accepted the transfer of funds on March 1 since that was after my father’s passing on 2/23/21. But me doing my due diligence to make sure there wasn’t a negative balance, I did transfer funds from an account that I had legal right to in order to cover those fees. Therefore, that transfer of $150 should be reversed and put back into the original account and provided to me upon closing the account. My attorney called back to speak with Candace who finally realized their error, and Candace said she would contact her Regional VP to find out how to correct it. Candace called my attorney back to state that since the checking account was already closed, there was nothing she could do about it. However, had a lot of things to state about me not providing the death certificate in a timely manner (meaning I should have sent it to them before I even drove there, although NOBODY over the phone would tell me how to do that not to mention to this day, not one person at TD bank has even looked at the death certificate as it was never requested to be shown). She also blamed that my father, being elderly, “probably” didn’t understand that he had to have a POD on both accounts. The people of this branch definitely looks at blaming everyone else for errors instead of looking at themselves.
Two lessons here 1) Never bank at TD Bank 2) make certain and double check again that your money has a POD on it - ALL OF YOUR MONEY because if not, the bank will find a way to steal that money right from under your nose and out of your family's mouth.


* this reviewer has be with this bank for 3 - 10 years
* this reviewer had 1 - 2 banks before.
* this review was made on TD Bank, Fairview Road Branch at Simpsonville, SC
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