Living client declared dead by Bank of America
Living client declared dead by Bank of America costing him thousands in added housing expenses, damaged credit
Apparently, even dead clients can pay their credit card bills and bank regularly.
Bank of America Corp. mistakenly reported Arthur Livingston, 39, of Prosperity, S.C., as being deceased to the three major credit agencies, according to a report from ABC News.
A 14-year client of the bank, Mr. Livingston realized only in October when he tried to get a loan from a mortgage firm that he was dead to the credit agencies. A couple of days later, he notified the bank. Thus began a seemingly endless effort to get BofA to bring him back to life.
“I contacted the bank two, three times a week,” Mr. Livingston said in an interview. “I don’t know how many hours I spent, but it was very involved and I couldn’t get Bank of America to tell me they would follow up.”
Between October and February, he also made a dozen inquiries into his credit report, which hurt his credit score despite the fact that the bureaus still considered him “deceased” and were not tracking payments Mr. Livingston made on his credit card and other activities.
The credit bureaus only got around to updating his status as living on Feb. 22.
The problem appears to have started when the father of two sold his home in May 2009, Mr. Livingston said.
Construction was supposed to begin on their new home in mid-December, with an expected move-in date in April, but because they can’t get a loan, construction was halted on the house. Meanwhile, the family has racked up $6,000 in rental costs that will likely continue growing. Even worse, the building costs themselves have risen by $4,000.
Pleas for help with the costs tied to the bank’s error have fallen on deaf ears. He has written two letters to Bank of America chief executive Brian Moynihan and received no response. Customer service representatives have also declined to help him cover the extra costs, but have said they would get back to him later this week after receiving additional documents from the very-much-alive client.
“For privacy reasons we do not discuss details of individual customer matters,” said Bank of America spokeswoman Nicole Nastacie. “I can tell you that we have worked directly with Mr. Livingston to correct the situation and have apologized for the error.
Mr. Livingston says he only wants reimbursement from the banking juggernaut.
“We would be spending money on a mortgage, but at least we would be building equity in our home,” Mr. Livingston said. “I’m not asking for anything more than what we’re paying out of pocket. We’re not looking for damages.”
Still, he said he would seek legal help if the bank fails to pitch in.
“If I knew in October what I know today, I would’ve gotten an attorney,” he said. “The bank said they’d review my request again, and if they don’t do it this way, then I’m getting a legal consultation.”
Learn more about reprints and licensing for this article.
