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CB Banks Review of AmSouth Bank
AmSouth Bank

AmSouth Bank review: Excessive checking account overdraft fees 4

M
Author of the review
12:00 am EDT
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I overdrew my account nine cents, and was charged the standard $30 overdraft fee without any notice whatsoever (until I got my statement three weeks later). The $30 fee then caused a subsequent purchase to bounce, resulting in another $30 fee, which then caused my next purchase at a gas pump to exceed my limit, resulting in another $30 fee.

Pretty soon I got my bill showing $1100 in overdraft fees for causing the bank to have to pay out about $150 in charges that exceeded my limit, none of which would have exceeded the limit but for their $30 fee. (Obviously I keep a low balance in my account.)

After I spent three days appealing, the bank credited me $150, I had to pay them $950, I closed my account, and they turned me over to the credit bureau claiming I still owed them the $150 they had promised to credit.

As a percentage, their usurious "fee" is higher than what is charged by the payday loan companies and the corner "mob" loansharks. And it's legal since they bribe state legislators via their "lobbyists".

4 comments
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Victor Lael
, US
Mar 23, 2011 12:05 pm EDT

I overdrew my account a few cents, and was charged the standard $30 overdraft fee. I didn't receive any notice from them, and saw my statement only weeks later. I deposited then $50 into my account, and made some purchases unaware about the $30 charged earlier. So, my purchase bounced again and once again I was charged $30 fee. By the end on the month I had $150 in bank changes. I closed my account with them and now I am with a bank that alerts me when I am over the limit.

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Dee Dottore
,
May 23, 2007 12:00 am EDT

AmSouth has taken over $700. in fees in the past year by using their "ledger balance/available balance" policy. I closed my account. An automatic auto insurance, which it was too late to stop, went to AmSouth. They RE-OPENED the account, charged $36.00 NSF fee and returned the item unpaid.

In addition, they have 'past-posted' items to my account causing a cascade of artificial over-drafts. In one month, they posted a check written on Tuesday before 3 items which were pending on Sunday and presented for payment on Monday. This caused 4 over-draft fees.

If anyone can find out who will listen to this, please let me know.

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D W
,
Sep 30, 2007 1:23 pm EDT

i really need to spell check my posts sorry, i type pretty quick when i am blowing off some steam.

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D W
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Sep 30, 2007 1:21 pm EDT

I agree i was an amsouth customer for two years, their brank tellars were nice, but everyone else up the corp latter was rude and unhelpful. they will pay with your balences and do things that you would believe are illigal, which its not just to cause you to over draft. I live in knoxville and i closed my account and paid off the 70 dollar in overdraft fees and went to the tva employs credit union. after being treated like crap from amsouth over the years being with a credit union who is local and actually its their job to care about their customers its amazing. go with a local credit union and never look back. forget about regions ive heard the amsouth people just took it over. just be smart and move on and they will notice their customers leaving in droves when their profit drops. when i closed my account which took two trips and three days to the local branch because it took them two days to post a cash deposit to my account to bring it to 0 the bank looked at my account and said i have been with them for two years could he help me stay. i was on the phone with their customer service with over an hour the day before, and delt with all levels at their call center. i told them they could keep my 70 bucks, even if they agreed to give it back i would never bank with them again and left. and that was last january i am still pissed at them.;