Business ProfileforFirst Bank and Trust, a Division of HTLF Bank

First Bank and Trust on 22nd and ******* in ********** has frozen my checking account so that I cannot access funds to pay bills. First ***************************** advised that my account was under fraud review. I arrived at the location and gave them my I.D. and advised them that there was no fraud. I have a VPN on my computer and forgot to turn it off while accessing my account online. While I was at the location advising them that there was no fraud and that I am there in person demonstrating that there is no fraud. They continue to take away my debit card and advised that I am not able to access my account or money for at least 30 days. Then they advised that they will cancel my account. I believe that this is deceptive practices and I am contacting attorneys. This is unacceptable for a bank to treat good customers in this manner. I also believe that it may be race related. I need this resolved as soon as possible.

I am writing in response to the complaint submitted to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) on June 18, 2024, regarding your concern that First Bank and Trust, a division of HTLF Bank (Bank or we) used deceptive and race driven practices when making the determination to close your deposit account ending in #**** (the Account). We researched your concern and would like to provide you with the following response:

On June 17, 2024, we provided you the Account Restriction Notice that advised that the Account was restricted due to suspicious or unusual activity. You were notified that during this time, it is recommended that all deposits or withdrawals be redirected to a different account. Failure to redirect transactions may result in delayed access to funds, as the Bank may reject further credits or debits to the Account.  I have included this notice for your review. 
On June 28, 2024, we provided you the Account Closure Notice that advised that we concluded our investigation involving the Account and determined that the Account does not meet the criteria of acceptable account activity and will be closed.  I have included this notice for your review.

******** takes customer dissatisfaction very seriously, and we are committed to maintaining high standards of service.  We have reviewed your complaint and, respectfully, found no indication of unlawful discrimination or deceptive practices. Furthermore, ******** maintains commercially reasonable controls to detect and prevent fraud.  We have confirmed that no error occurred on the part of the Bank.  Please note, in accordance with our Deposit Account Agreement and Disclosure, we reserve the right to close an account for any reason at any time.  If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us