
James of Monson, MA on June 13, 2006
AMSOUTH IS STEALING MY DEAD MOTHER'S MONEY Over a year ago my mother passed away, leaving me as beneficiary of a small account at AmSouth on Roosevelt Blvd in Jacksonville, FL. I went there and presented her death certificate and my ID, and the bank officer told me to wait a while, so that social security could balance the account, since they often pull the last deposit. In the interim I went to Massachusetts for a job. After waiting more than enough time for SS to settle the account, I emailed AmSouth to send the beneficiary check to my Jacksonville address of record, since the post office was forwarding mail.
There was no response. I sent them postal mail and there was no response. I called them, only to be told that the bank officer had left their employ and they cold not find my mother's death certificate and my ID. I sent another death certificate and ID and got no response. I called them and was told I had to collect the small beneficiary account in person. However, the gas and motel bills to and from Florida from Massachusetts, and loss of work income, would be almost as much as the nine hundred dollars in the account. I explained this to them, to no avail. They are just keeping the money that is mine, that my mother wanted me to have.
I then wrote a letter to their state licensing board but nothing was done. I have started the whole round again with another email, but again, there is no reply. I am beginning to think there is some skulduggery involved. I once read that computer crooks will use the accounts of thousands of dead people to shift funds or skim interest, and perhaps my mother's account is one such. I really can't think of what else to do. Travelling to FL to collect or hiring a lawyer would eat up the small funds that are in the account. The whole thing is insane. AmSouth goes across state lines and certainly does bank wire business in other states. It totally mystifies me why I must appear in person to close this small account. They are just a rotten bank.