A banking mistake left Anthony Knowles in debt at the end of the month. KENS 5 called Chase Bank and the bank quickly repaired the account.
SAN ANTONIO — Anthony Knowles and his wife have been waiting weeks for his wife’s Social Security backpay to show up in their bank account.
Knowles called Chase Bank frequently to check on her account.
One day in mid-March, Knowles called and learned that more than $9,000 had been deposited into the account. The couple then drove to the bank to see if it was correct.
“We wanted to know where this money came from. My wife asked her (the teller), ‘Is this my slush fund?’ She said, ‘Yes, that’s your back pay,”’ Knowles told KENS 5.
With the money readily available, the couple withdrew some of it and used it to pay for their grandchildren’s medical bills and clothing.
But then a problem arose…
That money wasn’t actually their slush fund. That was a mistake. Three days later, their debit card was suddenly declined.
When Mr. Knowles called his bank, he learned that the bank had transferred the entire amount of more than $9,000 from his account, leaving him in the negative by several thousand dollars.
At the end of the month, the couple still owed the bank more than $2,000. When Mr. Knowles’ regular Social Security check arrived, he said, the bank merely held it to pay into the negative balance. The couple had no money to pay anything.
Finally, they called KENS 5.
The couple was eventually able to show KENS 5 a letter from the bank stating that the deposit was “deposited in error” and that the bank “apologized for the inconvenience.”
At that point, I needed to pay April’s rent in a few days.
“I’m in trouble,” Knowles told KENS 5. “The deadline for rent payment is the 5th of this month. What should I do about this?”
KENS 5 immediately contacted Chase Bank and received a call back the next day. Although Chase was under no obligation to address the problem, the bank nevertheless began considering available solutions.
In the end, the bank contacted Knowles on the same day the rent was due, but still found a solution in time.
“They told me I needed to go to the bank,” Knowles said. “My Social Security payments were returned to my account and I was able to spend the money as well. I was able to pay my rent, utilities, and water bill. I just wanted things to work out for the best. I was grateful to God for that.”
Knowles said the bank cleared the negative amount from his account and his regular Social Security payments became available again, which he can use to pay rent.
A Chase Bank spokesperson later told KENS 5 in an email: Our staff worked with Mr. Knowles and was able to resolve the issue. ”
Knowles said the bank eventually addressed the issue. Still, he was glad he called KENS 5.
“Chase Bank did a good job of identifying and resolving this issue,” Knowles said. “I was grateful to God. I’m grateful to KENS for all the help. And I’m grateful for what they’ve done for us.”