First Convenience Bank [FCB]
reviews and complaints

does it have a Visa or MAstercard logo? if so, they usually will help you with that!

This bank will hold your deposits to make you pay overdraft fees.

Please I need some advice on how to file a complaint with this company. What they have done has ruined my life.

I also had a horrible experience with this bank. For starters they had my SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER wrong on file the entire four months that I did bank with them..They also had my birthdate wrong, stating that I was born in 2008.. Because my social was not correct, I could not access online banking, or any sort of customer service over the phone. I tried multiple times to establish my online account but every time I would go to a branch they would be having "technical difficulties". I also had a branch MANAGER write down my checking account number as my savings, and my savings account number as my checking.. This resulted in about $400 in over draft charges. By the end of my time there, I still did not have online access to my accounts, but they did finally correct my social security number on file.. three months after I left the bank. Horrible bank, stay away.

I too have had more than one misfortunate decietful experience with first convenience theft, oh my bad "BANK?" Does any one have info on how to join in the class action law suit that is pending against them. Please help, am still fighting them over unwarranted overdraft fees! My name is Cynthia, my email is cab2christ@ yahoo.com

The thing that gets me about this bank is the fact that they overdraft your account for transactions that are pending, which haven't been paid yet. Other banks will not overdraft you until the pending charges are actually paid. Everyone makes mistakes, but getting charged almost $70.00 overdraft charge for a transaction that would have put the account $5 in the negative? Loan sharks don't even charge that. But this is legal? I have never disputed an overdraft charge, but if you notice, they will charge you the $70.00 when the charges are pending, and then another $70.00 when the charge pending actually gets paid for a total of $140.00 in overdraft charges for a $5.00 negative balance. I am closing my account with this bank. I will never again recommend this bank to anyone, and hope the people that I have recommended this bank to will forgive me.

this bank is awful. you think the 1$ charge to open a account is a good idea but yhat dollar has cost me dearly. every time my check was direct deposited in the bank there was always some kind of fees being taken out of my money. even when i would leave some money in the bank after paying bills to keep the account open i would always be told my account is in the negative. when i went to the manager about charges on my account that i did not approve he (chris) had a rude attitude and told me his employees did not make mistakes. i filed a complaint and they end up putting $900 back in my account. i have had nothing but trouble with the tyler branch in walmart. the account is now closed!

The bank does not keep track of what you approve and what is fraud. If a website says it's FREE and they still ask you for a card number, why would you take the risk of giving them the number and think they are not going to charge you anything? It's stupid to think they're not. There are reallt intelligent hackers all around the globe, so if you decide to buy anything online that is not a safe webpage, you run the risk of getting your information stolen by a hacker. The bank does not refund fees to dummies who give their account information to any webpage that asks for it. If you file a claim and the merchant can verify that you gave them all your correct information, obviously the bank is going to deny it because you approved it.

Battling with this horrible bank right now. Two days ago, there is a "pending transaction" for over $600 to a regional mid-east airline that has no offices in the U.S. nor do they even fly to or from the U.S. I call them since it's 8:30pm. "There is nothing we can do until the transaction posts" is the reply. "Then you can file a fraud claim."
The following morning, there are NINE more "pending transactions - another airline, 2 in Paris, one to SKYPE, one to Feed The Children and others. Another call and same response. Today, all the "pending transactions" are gone but my actual balance is now about $120 lighter. Over-draft fees and "Point Of Sale Denial" fees.. "You need a letter from XXXX Air stating that is was not you that made the charge. So I am supposed to try to contact an airline in a middle eastern country, find someone that not only speaks English, but is willing to help and fax something here. Yeah, good luck with that... I must be pretty good to be at points of sale in two middle east countries and Paris within minutes of each other... However this ultimately works out, I will be closing the account and will never use nor recommend this bank. And to chris1979 who said: "Although overdrawn accounts is more than likely why you are with First Convenience Bank anyway." Even if that were the case, it's irrelevant. Basic banking security and practices dictate that unless the account holder signed an "International Transaction Authorization, " the first charge should have been halted immediately and contact me...

Sounds like you all need to steer clear of SCAM site. Anything that says FREE or TRIAL and ask for a credit card number. Get ready for this battle. You should be mad a the company that charged your card, not the bank. Bottom line stay off of iffy SCAM sites, and quit being so free and quick to give your credit card number.

If you simply must use those types of sites, goto Wal-Mart, HEB, or some Check Cashing place and get a pre-paid card. Put $1.00 on it and verify till u can't no more.

Thats why people should have more than one account, like the account my direct deposit comes into is not the account I spend money out of, it's not even wiith the same bank. You know how most companies have a payroll account that they pay people out of and money is only in that account around payday. Opening a free no minium balance required account is very easy. Although overdrawn accounts is more than likely why you are with First Convenience Bank anyway.

I too had the same intense with First Convenience bank. I had signed up for some information through google and it promised to only charge 2.97. But a month later I was charged 74.00. I put in a complaint to the bank and they denied it because they said I already had a charge on the account for that amount. I was not disagreeing with 2.97. I was only disputing the 74.00 amount. And I couldn't understand what one charge had to do with the other. I was very upset. smu_smu_smu@yahoo.com

Why are they under federal investigation if you could post a link to your source so I can make a decision to stay or go I would really appreciate it, since most of my family banks there I would like to be able to give them a good reason to transfer to another bank, but if its true I don't want anyone to lose their money due to others mistakes and shortcomings .
Thanks So much

I actually still have this bank and I completely agree with you! Went in to cash a check that I had got from my sister .I wanted to deposit half and get half cash back, which apparently was fine, then changed my mind and decided to just cash the check and deposit it as cash so it would go into my account instantly instead of having to wait.The cashier then tells me that they couldn't do this anymore which makes absolutely no sense since she was gonna give me half of the check in cash in the first place.The only reason I still have this bank is because I get direct deposit and I'm just too lazy to change it to another.This is one of many things besides all the little random fees that they charge you that makes me not like banking with 1stcb!

I'm confused here. At the begining of this comment you wrote, "i used my card to make a online payment", if you didn't recieve your debit card, how did you make that payment the "next day" after opening your account. So, some of this comment is not true.

They DOUBLE DIP! If you make a charge...they list it as PENDING even after it's not pending anymore and they've already debited your account. Many people don't realize it and they do it to make you overdrawn so they can charge you $35 each overdraft that they INTENTIONALLY caused you to get. They are breaking the law and someone PLEASE contact me when you're ready to sue.

I have had the same problem with them where I have plenty of money in my checking account before I get charged. I even calculated it one time when I actually got overdrawn and told them that with two transacation that's when I got overdrawn but they charged me 135.00 plus another 135.00 for overdraft fees and the represenative still couldn't give me an exact reason for that. I can admit when I have done something wrong but I know that I haven't and it makes it impossible for people to catch up.

I have had nothing but problems with this bank! I am now in the process of looking for an attorney to handle my case, as I have tried and tried to work with this bank. They charged me an overdraft fee of 164.00 when I had plenty of money in the account! I finally looked online and I am finding at least hundreds of people that have been robbed just as I have!

This bank knows nothing about customer service. Just closed out my account at the bank in desoto, tx the representative was taking care of me then invited another customer to sit next to me while she finish closing my account out. No privacy. two weeks prior to this I walked in first convenience bank the one at cockrell hill, / I-30 in dallas, tx to dispute a paper draft claim. Not only was the service bad but the manger there (hispanic lady) took her sweet time taking care of me and later I found out she never submitted my claim through. I had to redo the claim over after I call customer service to complain about it. I'm done with this bank!

Charged overdraft fee for a $5 charge that I told them was done accidentally. Then charged another fee after 6 days in negative! I asked them kindly to reverse charges because I am on a fixed income but they show no mercy. So now I'm paying $100 dollars for a $5 charge!

These people prey on those that have no other banking choice. I definately think they should be held accountable just like the 'big' banks on the amount of fees and daily charges that they can charge. I am completely dissatisfied and will rid myself of them as soon as possible.

I hate 1nb. I had a check that someone altered and they refused to investigate or contact the police. They continually break banking regulations.

OMG what ever happened to accountability? A complaint about overdraft fees, really?

Bank is debiting account with overdraft fees with positive balances.

I over drafted sixty six dollors and they want three hundred and fifty dollors for it.

Salsido - are you serious? You really think you can join a class action lawsuit by saying "count me in" on a complaint board? Why is your account negative? If you didn't overdraw or have NSF checks you wouldn't be negative - so, it sounds like the issue is with you - not the bank.
So many people on here complaining but refusing to look at themselves and admit they had anything to do with the problem in the first place.
Also, there is a new invention called "Spell Check" - it's really cool - it will actually tell you if you've misssspelllleed a word - see, like the one I just wrote - when I intentionally spelled it incorrectly there was suddenly a red underline under the misspelled word --- meaning I had to correct it! Amazing, isn't it?!?!?!

I am having the same problem as all the stories above and I have only been with the bank for two months. The reason I opened this account is due to my husband now working out of town and very long hours. The weekend is the only time he can deposit. I have to close the account but like everyone else I cannot until it is not negative. So I am trapped the first client the single mother's story broke my heart. I was involved in a similar class action lawsuit against Wells Fargo and Bank Of America. The banks were ordered to reimburse us for most of the fees. If there is a lawsuit/complaint started please count me in salsidomary@yahoo.com. Looks like there are more sites with complaints so I would think we would have enough to start a class action lawsuit to make them stop this.

My car insurance company debited more money out of my account than I was aware they were going to. This overdrew my bank account by $170.00(including overdraft fees and returned check fees). I intended to pay this back in a couple of weeks until I discovered they were charging me $2.00 a day for a "Negative Balance Fee". I thought this was outrageous! When I called to cancel the account with the offer to pay the original $170.00 I owed they told me they could not cancel an account with a negative balance, and even if I paid the original overdraft I would still be negative because of the extra charges. Until I pay the unfair charges they will continue to charge me $2.00 a day for up to 90 days at which time my account will go into collections. They are now calling my place of employment daily (even though they have my cell phone number) asking me when I can make a deposit. STAY FAR FAR AWAY FROM THIS BANK! I only signed up with them because they were in a convenient location.

I have a customer of this bank here in texas for almost 7 years. Back in january of this year i started to buy phone cards over the internet, i had no problem what so ever until i went on vacation out of the country in april, when i got back the bank started to charge currency exchange fees, it took 2 months to find out from the bank as to why it was charging me this fees. Sometimes it was as high as $60 of fees for a $15 tranaction.

When i called customer service i was just told if i didnt like it to go somewhere else. They refused to tansfer me to a manager when i asked. I was actually told the reason i was charged this fees were because the company of the phone cards had a spanish name. I was never told as to why for 4 months i was not charged this fees, why the fees were so high, i could of send money by western union and only had paid a couple of dollars. I had letters and emails from the company stating tht all transactions were done in american dollars here in the united states, but i could not find one person in the bank that was willing to call the company and verify that. When i wrote to complain, all i got from the bank a very sarcastic letter. I will never do business with this bank and if you can help it, stay away from this bank.

I bank at first convenience bank and love it, I personally like the fact that even if you are in need of a second chance bank, they don't treat you any different or charge you for having to have a second chance account. As far as overdraft if you keep a register correctly and monitor your account on a regular basis then you shouldn't see any. And I have done it myself and once I listened to the teller I understood what happened to make me go overdraft. I also have direct deposit so I get the $700.00 overdraft protection as well, I think your problem is you are confused on what that is like I was. It doesn't mean your protected from getting fees, but that your purchases will be paid so your mortgage check doesn't bounce if you forgot to write down a transaction and you don't have the funds to cover it, or so you don't get declined with a cart full of groceries that you need. the overdraft protection doesn't cost you anything unless you USE it. And as far as fraudulent charges on a card if you pay by phone that person making minimum wage has all of your information, if you give it to a waiter same thing, and shopping online through unsecured sites is also dangerous. Be cautious of putting the card number or your account number for that matter. You might try a new service 1stcb offers its called identity secure which monitors all that and much more for you if that is a persistent problem. But what worked the BEST for me was being polite while explaining my situation to the teller helping me, I understand the frustration that comes with problems on the account, but I'm sure that the teller that is waiting to help you did not personally do anything to your account. They are only a representative of the bank and from all my past customer service experience being genuinely nice and ask for them to explain what happened and how to help you resolve the situation and ask questions on how not to end up in the same spot, then they will most likely be understanding and do whatever they can to help you out with whatever they can. Which in my case was all but one fee which I was responsible for, the others were due to a hotel pre-authorization (there was a sign in the lobby I was just unaware they charged at check in and check out till they made sure I didn't cause any damage that needed to be charged to my card) Since I had never asked for a fee to be refunded before and was unclear that the hotel but an extra hold on my funds the teller waived all the unexpected fees as a bank courtesy, I'm 100% positive it was due to I wasn't making a scene I was attentive and knew that she wasn't personally accountable for MY account being overdrawn and I wanted to know how to avoid making that mistake again. She was very happy to explain and answer every question I had. I have a second account at chase bank as well and something similar happened with a gas purchase and I was told they only refund fees that are due to bank error, no exceptions. Positive thing and attitude produces positive results. Maybe next time try a different approach with the person that is capable of helping you, I have always been more willing to help someone that was calm and polite over someone lashing out and barking orders of what they want me to do for them especially when its a situation where the person in front of you has the CHOICE to try and help you, but by no means do they have to satisfy you as long as they are within regulations set by our government. Attitude makes all the difference, remember that the next time you approach a teller with the ability to help you at a bank that actually will refund fees as a courtesy to help you, make it a point to be courteous, it will give a much more pleasurable response and you might be surprised with the result. I have had nothing but great experiences with them since, and the teller that resolved my issue always greets me by name now and goes above and beyond to make sure all of my banking needs are met and even give me any new infromation on account choices or perks as they become available (While they were running the refer a friend promotion i made 119.00 just by telling my coworkers of my experience and satisfaction gave them her card and she did the rest while I enjoyed seeing a bank give me money for a change) Hope this might change your mind, just allow someone the chance to help you might see how prior instances may have been more pleasurable. Hope this helps someone realize that there are banks willing to help you they want you to be pleased with their services and can offer their customers a great banking experience I know I've never found elsewhere!

This is a legitimate complaint. I have been with this bank for many years (trying to give them several chances) and keep getting screwed. And for the one who said (and cannot spell) that people get screwed for not knowing how to manage their money.. that is not true. My ledger is always balanced and I was able to get this "wonderful" bank to give me back money on several occasions because I kept my ledger balanced. I was a victim of unauthorized charges in June.. they charged me 139 dollars in overdraft charges but had to return it all because it wasn't my fault. Since a person was running up my card (and I still don't know how they got that number), my account started going over. I ended up getting a new card, and lo and behold AGAIN some unauthorized charges. I am still perplexed.. either someone in the bank has my new card number and is using it at match.com (the person in June also used it at match.com and americansingles.. hmm), hot topic and Macy's... or it's some internet hacker.

Either way, I am taking my money out tomorrow and going with a better bank.

This is a ligitimate complaint against 1st Inconvenience bank. They are a second chance bank for anyone who is unable to open a bank account anywhere else. This bank takes advantage of desperate people in need of a checking account and use shady practices to steal their money. I dealt with them for a short period of time, but I was not in need of a "second chance" bank so I closed the account as soon as I realized that they were trying to steal my money. My mother also opened an account with them soon after I did, and left for the same reasons. Unfortunately, my sister was in need of a second chance bank account and opened an account with them. I tried to warn her, but she was in desparate need of a checking account. She is now fighting with them to prove the outrageous overdraft fees she is being charged. She was told that it would take 5 business days to get back to her with an answer. Her account is overdrawn, so there have been no recent transactions. Now here's where it gets ugly; they are charging $2.95 per day for every day the account is overdrawn. These people are crooks!
I worked in the return items department at a bank for 2 years, so I know how it should work. I know that if a cash deposit is made before the books are closed for that day (usually before 2 PM) then that transaction should reflect immediately. 1st INconvenience bank doesn't do that! The mistake they made with my account was thinking they could charge me an overdraft fee for a transaction posted the previous night due to a "PENDING" transaction that didn't appear until the next day! This is a very corrupt bank.

If you want to file a formal complaint try this site: http://www.federalreserveconsumerhelp.gov/complaintinfo.cfm?info=1

I agree, every bank charges overdrafts when you over spend. The bank and teller are not to blame and keep track of your finances. It is your responsibility to know what your correct balance Is by keeping a register.

Learn from it!

i love first convenience bank! all banks have overdraft charges if you manege your money right it wont happen to you the [tellers cant always be there to hold your hand when you spend your money} GROW UP! LEARN HOW TO manege YOUR MONEY! THEY HAVE GRAT customer SERVICEs! I GUESS IF YOU CANT Manege YOUR MONEY THEN LET YOUR MOMYS AND DADS do IT FOR YOU! get over it! you work hard for your money! take care of it!

Your story is pretty much the same as mine. In total this so called bank is charging me $865. Whats so funny about my story is the tellers at this bank are rude right to your face. When I asked, how can a person overdraft so much? What was their response..."It is your responsibility to know what you spend, not ours." Not ours? But you have the nerve to charge the $35 fee without my knowledge? I'm in the same boat as you are. I never knew about the overdraft protection that is supposed to help you out. I asked "Where can I see this in writing?" What was their response..."The teller was supposed to tell you..." Well, the idiot didnt. So you guys are only getting richer. But obviously that isnt their issue. I personally have decided to let everyone know what a horrible place(place because it is obviously not a bank)this is.

I want to know does anyone get their money back when filing a claim?

i agree because i bank there and filed a claim and it was denied. My debit card was stolen. It wasn't mailed to my mailing address. Filed a claim and was put off until the claim date and was denied. I had to do all the investigation and everything that was asked and didn't get my money back. This bank should be investigated itself. I wonder if anyone has ever got their money back when filing a claim. That Killeen office is awful. Nothing will ever be done.

the new chrome card is ugly and looks fake, even green dot cards look more legit. Other banks offer better looking cards...
Bring back the horses please or even the blue cards.

you obviously don't understand reg cc it is meant to limit the amount of time funds can be put on hold not to tell the bank the funds have to be held, that is up to the banks desecration. do some research before you act like you know what you are talking about next time.

its not just common its a regulation. reg cc . google it and you will see. all banks use it.

I deal with at least 3 of the major banks (ie Wells Fargo, Chase, and Amegy)and unless you have funds to cover the deposited checks they all put holds on them. This is common practice amoung the banking industry. I also bank with 1St. convenience and they at first put holds on my very large depoists until I incurred enough to cover them.