Woodforest National Bank review: massive overdrafts 98

Really people. Everything I have read so far sucks. Woodfrest is like any other bank. Actually they charge less than other banks... Haven't you heard other banks and about to be changing their rates to 40+ dollars. Woodforest is staying in the low 30s. All these complaints are YOUR doing not the banks. The bank works with you when they can. I have seem some poor managers at other banks too. Also, other bank are way less personable. What bank can you go in to where most the staff knows you by name?

I totally agree that these nim wits are ###s. what are the qualifications to work here? Breathing? I had a transaction go thru my account 9 times from a company. the bank paid it. well in that sense it caused everything else to overdraft. the company returned the funds BUT the bank still screwed me over with over draft fees etc etc.I think im better off putting my money in a coffee can and burying it in the yard.

Look, whomever the bank serves is their right as a bank and the customers right to choose.
I'm know bigger banks that serve the same type of people and worse types of people.
With CEO's that are draining the banks they serve, I'm completely happy with a smaller bank with a good set of books.
Everyone has the option to choose a bank, so if you dislike Woodforest choose someone else.

All banks asess charges to accounts that rightfully deserve to be charged, it's ridiculous to think that a bank sporadically charges erroneous fees.

Well people, here is my experience and this just happened not 20 minutes ago! I went to the Woodforest in the Walmart in Mechanicsville Va to open a secondary account as I have a joint account with my spouse with a larger bank. Prior to visiting the bank, I reviewed the disclosure and requirements on line so I went in knowing exactly what I wanted/needed. I simply wanted to open a checking account. I brought in all the indentifying information necessary to establish the account. Who knew that it would take the entire staff to open this account! First, the teller said she couldn't verify my identity because my Drivers' License number wasn't my social security number...YOU IDIOT, ITS MY DRIVERS LICENSE NUMBER! so she then proceeded to get someone whom was suppose to be a "lead teller" to assist. This lead teller person explained to the young lady the different between the numbers and why the didn't match (wow) however she also told me she couldn't verify my identity because my work ID did not have the name of the company that I worked for on it. This is when I really began to get frustrated. I finally asked to speak with the branch manager. I spoke with this male whom identified himself as the manager and was finally able to verify that I am who my driver's license, social security and work ID say I am. Once the account had been established, I proceeded to make my initial deposit which was a cash deposit in the amount of $250.00. At this point, I was a little frustrated that it had taken almost 2 hours to get this account set up but hey, it was finally done. I walked out of the store with the account, starter checks, and a few free gifts. Once I got to my car, I proceeded to put my new account information away. Something made me look at the deposit receipt that I was given...THESE IDIOTS PLACED A 10 BUSINESS DAY HOLD ON MY DEPOSIT! meaning that if I needed to access these funds, I would not be able to do so until 01/09/2009! I immediately returned to the branch and asked the branch manager the reasoning for the hold. He explained that with all new accounts, inital check deposits are placed on hold while the funds are verified and if possible, he would be happy to release the hold prior to the 9th if they were able to verify the funds prior to that date. I stated to the branch manager that his statement made 100% sense to me on a check deposit...BUT MY INITIAL DEPOSIT WAS CASH, WHY WOULD A CASH DEPOSIT BE PLACED ON HOLD? This idiot proceeded to tell me that all new accounts have a standard hold in place to verify funds regardless of the method of the initial deposit. So I asked this idiot standing in front of me, how do you presume you will be able to verify if my CASH DEPOSIT is any good? With a blank face, he just looked at me and said we will verify it again funds within the bank. I WAS FLOORED! I immediately requested to close my account and have my $250.00 of unverifiable cash returned to me. I've read alot of the comments posted and I agree that alot of the errors are not the bank but the consumer, but all of you Woodforest supporters, you tell me, how in anyway was this my error with the exception of considering this bank as an option?

i had a very large su m of money in my account, and because of a bank mgr.by the name of daniel white at the gaffney, sc branch had a dispute with my daughter, he put a negative balance on my account and stole my money.he said he wanted to get my attention, he got it and also my money.do not put any money in that bank, they are crooks, also the people in texas told me they would fix it but never did and they will not give you thier last names, afraid of a lawsuit.

The Mrs...
I find it hard to believe what you are saying...I doubt that there is anyone working at woodforest that doesnt know the difference between a DL and a SS number..Expicially since we open 5-10 accounts a day..so i doubt that yours would have been the first...I also know that cash is never put on hold..I open plenty of accounts everyday, and it takes about 15 min to open an account on average...Most of these complaints are foolish..To blame a bank for giving you a fee when it is your fault doesnt make sense...If you keep up with your account and know how much money you have, it shouldnt matter how long it takes for the funds to clear from your account, bc you have already taken that into account...I know that sometimes there are holds on checks, but that is because we have dozens of bad checks that come in every day...EVERYDAY...so it is smart to hold them considering most people blame the bank for this...My advice for you is to compare Woodforest to other banks..I have worked for Wachovia and RBC bank and our policies are no different..They also put the largest items through first, and charge NSF fees...But when comparing banks, we are open a few hours later every day, and open 364 days a year.. We make everyday is a business days, and make "most" deposits available right away...Every bank is going to have customers that are irresponsible and blame the bank for their mistakes..

You should have opted out of your overdraft protection (you signed for it when you opened the account). Also, you signed for the daily overdraft fees which were also in your disclosures. You should go by the bank (not call, but physically walk in) and sit down with someone and they can help you. Banks can do a lot if you ask them for help first and not get angry after the fact.

Bought MasterCard giftcard from Woodforest for 100.00(they charge 5.00 for the card). Since they are open much later than the Chase bank, where I purchase Visa giftcards, I decided to try this option. Bad mistake! The first attempted transaction was an international purchase that was denied. The terms and conditions say that even though it is primarily for use in the U.S., it can be used outside the country. I understand that under the terms and conditions I am liable for the exhange rate and the exchange rate ajustment fee or fees. All of this doesn't matter because it is denied 3x by the company outside of the U.S.. Fine, this card is not the same as Chase's Visa giftcard, but the manager on duty told me I could get a refund if the card did not work in the capacity needed. When I tried to get a refund the next day, a different manager told me I would have to send the card back to the main office with a written request to get my money back. And the fee for this? It would be 15.00usd to get my money back. The manager then told me he could transfer the funds to a different card that might work for 10.00usd! What! He flat out refused to refund my money. He then made several calls to people higher-up on the food chain, but ultimately said that he could not give my money back. I decided to just keep the card and use it for other purposes-gas, food, etc. I tried to use the card at a gas station, took the card to the cashier, and it was denied after 3 attempts to verify it. Now I'm really getting mad! I call the number on the card and make sure there is 100.00usd on it, which there is. This time I was going to get my money back! I took the card to Wal-Mart where this little bank is located and tried to buy a box of corn flakes. Guess what? Denied again! So, with this new information I go back into the bank. This time the manager that assured me I could get my money refunded when I purchased it was on duty. After 15 minutes of trying to figure out why the card would not work, he refunded my 100 plus the 5 it cost me. Why did the other manager give me such a hard time? Why did he have to make 2 phone calls to this guys 0? The guy that gave me my money back wanted to do the right thing, and did. The other guy assumed that I was ignorant of the terms and conditions of the card, and was more concerned about making a profit off of me. A 5 dollar, 10 dollar, or a 15 dollar profit, he wanted something for somebody instead of returning what rightfully belonged to me. Thank you Josh, for giving me my money back. Nathan, learn from Josh. Provide good customer service when it will not cost you or your bank a penny.

I cannot wait to get out of Woodforest! I have a checking account in New Bern NC. While I understadn that someone is saying there is not a minimum balance, you are wrong, according to Woodforest, there is. I have been charged so many random fees. (I have looked over through online banking in the last year.) Some months they charge me $7 and change, sometimes $13 and change, and sometimes $5 and change. The charges are always listed as 'service fees' I have also noticed that the bank intentionally holds our pay checks (direct deposit) whne there are other transactions (autamatic payments, that are always set for the same day. For example, I get paid the last day of the month. I have 2 bills set up to come out on the 3rd. Every month for the last 3 months, I have been charged overdraft fees for those payments, even though my pay check is far greater than those two bills. According to the bank, those transactions are charged because Woodforest enters them in the system automatically a few days before they come out...immediately before entering my paycheck, usually just an hour apart. I asked if I could change the payments to the 5th to avoid this, they said they would continue to enter them in the order that they do now. Sounds like a ploy to get money from me every month. Also, their fee for these charges went from $32 to $35 without notice.
We have dealt with their holding checks as well, when we have checks to deposit, regardless of the amount, they will hold it until they feel like putting it in. While they tell us 10 days, it is generally more like 15. This is by far the worst bank I have dealt with, and as soon as I can change my husbands and my direct deposit info into the new account I opened elsewhere, I will leave Woodforest. If you are considering opening an account there, don't waste your time.

cheryl if there is a hold on a check it's 11 BUSINESS DAYS...sat and sun don't count (and holidays) don't count. also, if you overdraft your account, woodforest will give you a courtesy refund the first time and will always refund your cont. overdraft fees ($5 a day after the 8th day) if you make up the difference (i.e. the amount that you owe). seriously. i know at other banks like us bank, they charge you a continous overdraft fee after the first day and it's more like 8 a day vs. wf's 5. if you overdraft your account, you should be held responsible, yet woodforest will give you a courtesy refund anyway.

also, about holding checks, you do realize that this is done for YOUR protection as well as the banks. i read somewhere on here about a complaint about holding an 11, 000 check. you do realize that if that check came back, YOU owe woodforest the 11, 000, right? it's as much protection for you as it is for the bank. also, cheryl, woodforest does NOT hold direct deposits, because the funds are already verified, you must be mistaken.

i do realize that woodforest specializes in 2nd chance checking, so a lot of you are at woodforest because you have unpaid closures and open disputes with other banks, who i'm sure also screwed you over. complain all you want about woodforest's fees, but if you manage your money, don't write bad checks, and spend less than you make, you will never get any of their od and nsf fees.

Woodforest might not be the only bank that charge overdraft and NSF fees, but they are the only banks that charge a continious overdraft fee. Everybody has or had a different experience with woodforest. I had a woodforst account and I never had a problem with them, but I left my state and moved to Atlanta, Georgia where they didn't have any woodforest locations, so I closed my account with them and opened up a Wachovia account. I also have a BB&T account. I moved back to NC and now my fiance' has woodforest and makes alot of money. Woodfrest has been d**king him since he had them and they also has new employees and not the same employees that were there when i had my account. Woodforest OD, NSF, and COD fees has increased. So let's not call names such as ###s, ignorant, stupid and whatever others are saying towards other comments. If something don't sit right with you about your money that you have tied up in a bank account, then always investigate, but if you get there and they act like they don't know what you're talking about, then curse everyone out in the bank and contact your lawyer and file suit, because these banks got their hands in the cookie jar and that is why all of these merger and all this bailout mess. These banks has been ripping us off for years and still insist on taking taxpayers money. How can you charge an OD fee on a pending transaction if you already got that amount on hole and out of my bank account? All banks!

Is there any way to stop the daily charges for an overdrawn account? My daughter worked for WalMart and opened a WoodForest account. A really big mistake for such a young person. This was her very first account and she was so excited about getting a job and having a bank account. She deposited $200 cash and the next day wrote a check at WalMart to cover her lunch. Bad idea! She has been in the negative almost the whole few months she has had the account. Her paycheck was being directly deposited and so she never had any money after being paid. She stopped working due to an illness and charges have recked up to over $600. Insane!

And for the person who said they charge $3 per day that's incorrect! It's $5 per day and I got that directly from Wood Forest customer service and they won't close the account without all charges being paid. I am going to try and help my daughter by talking with the bank manager and reviewing her account. I hope we can get this resolved because I can't afford to pay this account to close it and neither can my daughter. And this bank is not the norm! Whoever keeps chiming in for Wood Forest should just stop. Everyone has problems one time or another with their bank account. Getting an overdraft fee is expected but getting daily charges is absurd! In these times of financial hardship and with the economy the way it is WoodForest should remove this requirement or at least change it so that it doesn't take money out of the pockets of its customers when its hard enough already to make ends meet!

I bank with Woodforest and my complaint is that they hold EVERY SINGLE transaction from the debit cards a MINIMUM of 5 days. Then they "order" the way that they post the items (not in the order that the transactions occur) in an attempt to cause the account to be overdrawn so that they can increase their revenues from the NSF charges. When I use my card, I have enough in my account at the time to cover the expenses at the time - I still have an item "pended" on my account that has been pended nearly 1 week! I called customer service to complain about the practice and was told that "the merchant has not collected on the transaction - basically its the merchants fault". You mean to tell me that EVERY SINGLE MERCHANT who accepts my card is waiting 5 - 7 days to collect their funds - I DONT THINK SO!

OMG. I'm a little concerned now. I just opened an acount with them today. I had a bad experience wiht US Bank and decided to give them try. WTF?! Are they really that bad?

No they are not that bad at all. They do charge some fees that i feel are stupid like 12.00 for a debit card each year. But really in all honesty its not that bad. They are friendly and if you accident over draft you account your account as long as you can make a deposit to cover it that day before they close the branch you will not have to pay the fee. They are open later on most days than regular banks and i see many Fridays they are open to midnight. I will not say that any one who has posted a bad experience didn't have it happen but i have not had one yet. And as for service fees if you do not have the money in you account to cover them it will not over draft you account... i have second chance checking because of an issue with a local bank and a buisness and them not stopping an automatic withdraw but that does not mean it is not partially my fault. Ne ways if i only have 2.30 in my account and they take out the monthly service fee of 9.95 my account will just be in the negative on my next deposit they will not include over draft fees.

I am not even a customer of this bank, I am a store manager for a major retailer, I was contacted by a customer of this bank and the bank itself, about a charge made in my store, mind you my store is over 12 hours away and they claim they were never in my buisness. I spent over two hours trying to find this transaction for this person with no help from the bank, not a date or transaction number. The bank is telling this lady that her card (which she has in her possesion) was copied and used other places a.k.a. my store 12 hours away and mind you no other charges were made to he card anywhere between there and my store, , , no gas no food, no other uses, they just copied her card drove 12 hours and spent 10.00 in my store...ok...they only other charge was pizza and that was made close to her. I had no transactions in that amount for the days givin and could not help, , so the bank personel and the customer said I was rude and unhelpful and called my corperate office...see what you get when you try to help. This is the banks job to solve this for her and my assets protection told me its probably a scam. I do not shop at wal-mart for any reason and remember why now...just one more reason why you should not trust your life savings to the same people you buy your milk from!

I have had numerous bad experiences with WF and now they have closed my personal account for no apperant reason ( will not even discuss it with me!) and are debiting my BUSINESS acct for the money they say I was over drawn. I was overdrawn at one point but I deposited enough money to cover it . ( I don't know where the other poster got their information, BUT, WF WILL NOT refund ANY charges that they decide to put against your acct.), OD, COD ? SOL! you get to bite the bullet and pay out the a$$ for it.
As far as the 11 day hold, I have gone in and deposited a Certified Cashiers Check ( already paid for and verified by the issuing bank) and they put a hold on it (why? that way they could use the money and make money off of it before giving it to me! and YES this does happen!) I had a wire transfer done INTO my acct and I knew exactly when the money was accepted by WF due to the fact that the sending bank notified me that the money had been accepted by WF, BUT they DID NOT show it as being in my acct for almost 3 days after that (the money arrived on TUESDAY) thereby causing several checks and payments to bounce at the rate of $35 per item (this has happened several times with my direct deposit payroll also), So to the poster that said they show transactions in the order they are received is full of it.
Asap I am opening an acct at another bank and closing the remaining accts I have at WF.

I have had good experiences with this bank. However, when I tried to open an account for my 17 year old in a state where one is not an adult until age 18, I instructed they were to not issue her a debit card and I selected the "totally free checking". They refused to let me read any of the material or detail on her account. I insisted I had the right, but they said I did not because it was "her account". Then when she was all alone with them to read the information and sign, they read to her certain sections and told her it was totally free, but did not give it to her to read. They kept telling her it was totally free.
When she came out with the paperwork, it was full of potential charges for a debit card, fees, checks, and fees if she closed the account in 6 months.
When I asked why she didn't challenge it she said the guy told her he would be keeping a close eye on her account to see if she was trying to pull something illegal with the account and it intimidated her.

This jerk is named Derek and is at the Kingwood Texas West Lake Houston branch. I'm going to give him a piece of my mind in the morning.

I read the comments about woodforest bank, all I can say about your situation is try to be nicer when you approach their employees.
I have nothing at this time other than kudos for this bank. If they continue on the same customer satisfaction with me, I will be their customer for life.

Allen Laws

Well for whatever it's worth, here is my experience with WF and please, keep the childish insults to a minimum, they only annoy me. I opened an account with them in July of 2008, a checking account. Not a second chance checking but a real, honest to God, checking account. Right off the bat, I was charged $12 for the debit card. I have never, in my life, had to pay for a debit card. Generally, a bank will GIVE you the debit card for your convenienve and for theirs. But I thought, ok, it's only $12. Everything was fine, had no issues with them whatsoever. UNTIL Sept of 2008, I went to work a 6 month contract job in Manhattan. After researching, I found that there would be no WF branches within even 50 miles of New York City. I called them up and said I needed to close the account as there would be no branches close to where I would be for the next six months. I was advised by the retention department not to worry, they would waive ATM fees for the first 5 transactions per month, provided my direct deposits were still coming in. I said ok, what about depositing any checks I receive? I was advised that I could just mail them in and as soon as they were received, they would be available. Since my account was already open for over 30 days, there would be no reason to hold checks. I said ok, I will keep it open. Everything went great for about 3 months and then my purse was stolen. I contacted WF and reported the debit card and checks stolen and asked for the account to be closed and a check mailed to me for the balance. At the time that I had reported, there were no unfamiliar pending authorizations on the account. Again, I was sent to retention where a banking rep told me that closing the account was not necessary, they could put it on a deposit only status, cancel the debit card so it would not work and any checks that would be written would not be honored and nor would I be charged. I was told that when I got back to PA I could take care of opening the new account and transfering the money over. I said no, I would rather just close it unless you can open another account for me now and transfer everything over. She said she could not because of the Patriot Act, how could she be sure of who I was? I said well you are willing to cancel the debit card because I asked, put the account on deposit only status, and you had me verify all personally identifying information, is that not enough proof that I am who I say? She said no. I said ok, just keep it on deposit only status and I will take care of it when I return from NYC. I contacted my employer and changed my direct deposit to reflect that from each of my paychecks, only $25 would be deposited into the WF account, remaining balance to go to my fiance's bank account with BOA. That was in late November, early December. I finally get back to PA in February 2009. Upon picking my mail up at the post office, I notice there are alot of those little green and white, fold over notification cards that WF sends out. I am thinking...hmm wonder what these are for?
I open 27 of them in total and just could not believe what I was reading. For an account that was supposed to be deposit only, someone had written a number of checks, which of course after the 5th one, all bounced like kindergartners in a bouncy castle. And for each one I received a $32 NSF fee, now after the first bounced item (which of course I was not aware of) I began to rack up the COD charge. How nice. But I am shocked because they never called me and they had my cell phone number, my home number (which rolls over to my cell), even my parents number as an emergency contact, yet they never called. Now you skeptics out there might ask "Why didn't you check your balance online?". Why would I? The account, to my knowledge, was on a deposit only status. In my mind, Im saving $100 a month by having the small direct deposit put in with NOTHING coming out, so no reason to check it. I call them and explode because this should not have happened. I said close the account IMMEDIATELY, only to be told, they will not close an account where money is owing and that I will continue to incur the COD charge until it is settled. I asked why were these charges allowed to go through on an account that was in DEPOSIT ONLY status? I was told they have no record of that anywhere in their system and when could I pay the balance to zero out the account?WTF? Why would I pay for THEIR mistake? So, at last count, I owed WFNB over $1000 and I will not pay it. I filed a police report, I tried to go through their fraud department who would not help me at all. I could not even get them to send me the fraud complaint forms. I will say, however, that the lovely people at WFNB did offer to forgive one of the NSF fees if I would just complete this silly, little, online overdraft course and fax them a copy of the printable certificate once I completed it. Gee, thanks! It's now sitting on my credit report and I am currently disputing it. And to all of you who said most of WFNB customers are ignorant, felons or immigrants, I am none of those, so please, speak of what you know and don't assume anything. This bank is garbage and I DO NO recommend using them.

Bank is absolute low-rent... they held a state check for 12 days. 2-4 days for "ELECTRONIC" TRANSFERS, 7-10 FOR A PAPER CHECK. I'll be keeping my money in a coffee can.

Hi i opened an account with them because i need a bank account, im 18 almost 19 and was at walmart and decided to do so, i have not deposited any money and i am not planning on it after how much bad news i have heard from them, if i leave the account alone and do nothing with it since it does not have a monthly cost can i destroy the debit card they send me and get away from any charges that they would charge for closing and account? I also just went over the paper work i signed and when i made the account i asked her if i had to make a deposit into the account she said no, and i just plainly saw that i need to deposit 25 dollars to open the account, did i luck out and the account will not work because i did not make the deposit? and Is there a fee to close an account? Also as for the complaint, the women i opened the account with was so ...ditsy i would say i was fearful to open the account but i did so out of the benefits of opening it.

i had a WF checking and they closed my account due to lack of activity. There was still money in there. I called them after I got aressted for bad checks. I had almost 300.00 dollars left in there from tax time and was saving it for my daughters birthday. so when he birthday came i went a wrote checks out not knowing that my account was closed. Months later a cop is at my door aressting me. I never got a notice or anything from the back. I have tried to get a hold of the bank manager but no luck. WOODFORST BANK IS AWFUL. They will screw you take your money out now.

This "bank" is the worst bank I have EVER come in contact with. These people are the rudest, most ignorant people in the world. I too had NSF charges on my account and wasn't aware of the "take charge loan" that they "offer". They took over $400 out of my other account and told me at headquarters that i was screwed and there was nothing anybody could do for me. I hate this bank. The people are worthless.

I believe that the people that are defending this bank are of the same educational level as the employees themselves. They may correct grammatical errors (which is the only way to really get under someones skin), but aside from that, actually bring no valid points to the table. If you work for a scam of a company, accept your losses, and find a better job. There's a reason that they have scored an "F" with the Better Business Bureau, and aside from the select few people to defend have had nothing posted anywhere that may hold themselves in high regards.
In research into this bank, they actually have several lawsuits pending that do not look at all in their favor, so for those defending (I am assuming that you are on their lowest level) I would quiet the mouths and be more concerned with your job stability.
As for my situation, I run a business and we were scammed into a false contract with them. Although, it's not completely their fault, as we had to go through a third party credit card company, the blindsided fees that we are facing has everything to do with them.
In our "contract", which is actually very loosely called a contract, we were promised the best credit card machine, the lowest fees, a contract with no termination fee, and many other subtle things that have been blatantly thrown back at our bank statement. Not only are we dealing with monthly fees (which are much higher and seem to be kept adding onto every month with a new fee), but daily discount fees that were not told to us upfront. At this point, they are at least doubling our monthly fees.
The terminal that we received is not only an older model, but the very basic model of an outdated machine. I have looked into other companies, and they won't even extend a hand until we update our machine so that they can actually process cards.
And as for their business measures, I have been attempting to reach a supervisor of any sorts for the past month and a half to resolve this issue and move past this bank.
It's absolutely horrendous not only that this issue is even coming into play, but the attempts to resolve it are still being unheard.
Horrendous.

I cannot... let me repeat... I cannot stand this bank. I've banked with two other banks: Wells Fargo and another Credit union and let me just say these banks know about customer service. I cannot begin to tell you how frustrated I am with Woodforest. Here is my situation: I had good intentions on having an account with this Bank. After I signed the paperwork I did not feel good with what I was told... I know, bad on my part. I begin reading the fine print after I signed and left (again, my bad... I know). HOWEVER, I did NOT have proof of address on me OR money/ check to deposit into the account and I was told by the teller that I would have a time limit to get it in or my mastercard would be put on hold and my account will be enabled and closed in a matter of two weeks. So I got home and started looking at reviews and a lot of you have proved my gut feeling right... this bank is a scam. So I figured "Don't worry about it... I did not deposit any money into the account and I didn't show the necessary paperwork to finish processing the account and they (meaning Woodforest themselves) even told me the account would be close due to this lack of info." It didn't sit so well in my gut that I emailed customer service and explained the situation to them and they emailed me back saying indeed that the mastercard order will not process and my account would be closed. Whew! what a relief. NOPE! Just a few days later I received my mastercard. Im like "What the?" and so I emailed customer service saying that I received the mastercard but that I have their email proving what they said. They wrote back "You're account will still close". Whew! that was close! Uh oh, not out of this sticky mess just yet! A few more days passed and I received a statement saying I was -$10. "What the?!?!?!" So I called customer service and they said: "Sorry, ma'am, you have to GO INTO the branch and talk to a manager!" and I asked them "What is customer service for then?" and he replied "Ma'am, to provide you with information!" and I said "So you're telling me this: I emailed your representatives, the company that YOU WORK FOR, The customer service section that YOU WORK IN, and THEY (You're office) told me this information, what do you say about that?!?!?!" and he said "Ma'am, I am sorry... you have to go into a branch and speak to a manager!" and I said "Why was I not told this in the first place?!" to make it short... He just kept repeating his nonsense and he got a little more than chewing out from me. So I looked at the time and said "Crap! I won't make it to the bank before it closes" so I called and asked for the manager. This is how our convo went: I explained to him about everything from beginning to end mentioning the fact that I still had the emails that customer service said. "Okay, I will refund the amount needed and close you're account." and me being paranoid (i've earned it) said "How will I know? Will I receive a statement?" and he paused "Um, well, no. I will do it now and it will be closed tomorrow" and I asked "You swear that you're going to close it?" and he said "Yes, ma'am, as we speak". Whew! thats a load off my mind. HAHAHA ya right! Bringing you to the present as this painful journey continues, I receive an offer to upgrade my account. I am thinking "It's closed... why would they send this?" and there is the bad feeling in my stomach again. I call customer service immediately and asked "Is my account closed?" and they replied "Oh no, ma'am... it's still open!" And you must be scratching your head and asking "Why is this lady not going into the branch?" Well timing is just perfect and every time I am brought to awareness on what's going on the bank is nearly at closing time. I tried reaching the manager on the phone but no such luck. I will be going into the branch tomorrow with copies of the emails and I will demand my account be closed like the manager promised. And you must be wondering: Why worry then? Well, I know they record phone calls but this institution has yet to prove themselves trustworthy so what if the manager says: I never talked to you? Thats a game of his word against mine. Also, like I said... I NEVER deposited money but because of the -$10 and the $25 they charge to close it... that brings me at $35 that I owe to them... and for what? I haven't even used their services! I am so beyond frustrated!

this bank will steal your money an then charge you a fee each month for doing it

I for one hate woodforest bank. Ive had an account with them for about a year and a half. I overdraft about $35 in feb last year, and I didnt know I did based on the misunderstanding of the online banking website. I didnt have th money to pay them and I moved away to go to school. in the middle of no where for 7 months, no walmart accessible. I came back in Dec. to find out my account accumulated to $417. $5 everyday is added until you pay. woodforest is the only bank that does that, I asked if I could do some sort of payment plan, I was told no. I would not recommend this awful bank to any, It completely, well nearly messed up my credit and I still dont have the money to pay it. I just finished school less than a month ago.

I just opened a checking account at WNB with the ideal I would participate in the "move your money" project. This project suggests that to fight the big Wall Street banks people should consider moving their money into the smaller local banks. These local banks invest locally to increase jobs and commerce in your area.

After I had time to digest how WNB functions and how their online billpay functions I have come to the conclusion that their services are not very good. I got the impression that WNB preys upon the young and inexperienced by offering a very confusing operation with an extensive maze like fee structures deliberately designed to trap their own depositors. I suspect that a good portion of this bank's profits come from levied feed and penalties collected. I also suspect WNB's system is purposely designed this way. Their system is not designed to be consumer friendly on purpose. This bank is a scavenger bank plain and simple.

I have had an checking account and on-line billpay with Chase Bank for over 15 years. They have great service. Compared to Chase WNB offers substandard services and their online banking billpay is a joke. Their processing is slow and the online accounts are updated too late to be of much use to the customer. In fact I believe one should avoid their online services and ATMs altogether. Sadly to say, that doesn't leave much reason to open any account with them.

I just opened my WNB checking account a few days ago and I have already seen enough. MY advice to those who wish to "move their money" is to forget about WNB and consider a local credit union.

I am the owner of a computer repair company in Veneta, Oregon. A little over a month ago, A representative of a credit card processing company which is associated with WoodForest National Bank, came into my office and promised me a positive experience with this company in helping me to process credit cards in my shop. Since that time, I have had nothing but headaches, and unanswered questions. I was told that I would only be charged around $50 per month, and I would be told ahead of time, what date I would be charged, so that I knew to have the funds available. That failed to happen. I was hit with charges right away into my account, resulting in several overdraft fees. I made only one transaction into the account, using the machine, which funds I never got to use, because it was never available because of all the charges made by the processor, and all the subsequent over draft fee’s that were generated as a result of these charges. Then the account continued to be hit by further charges that were unexplained to me. the representative. He swears he doesnt know anything about it, and will find out and get back to me. That was three weeks ago. He refunded me $100 to offset this issue, but that did not even come close to reversing the large negative balance, nor put it into the positive close to $200 where it should have been. I have called and left messages with the guy, and most of the other companies involved with them that I no longer wish to try to work with any of these institutions in order to process credit cards. I have left several messages with the rep, as well as the other companies involved, but as of yet, no one has returned any of my calls. I want this policy canceled and I feel that they have breached the contract, not me. On top of everything else, our account was just hit again today for the ridiculous amount of $667.15, putting us into the negative -$404, before further overdraft charges and insufficient funds fees! This is after receiving a letter that they are going to charge me $769.25 with absolutely no explanation as to why I am being charged! We have gone to our Bank, and challenged all of the charges and instructed them not to allow any more charges to go through. Please tell me how to return the equipment and end this nightmare. If someone does not make this right, I am going to contact the Better Business Bureau, and any other authoritative agencies that I can find, as well as take legal action. Thank you for letting me rant.

I am really unsatisfied with the woodforest bank. I was a wal-mart employee and thought what better to have yor bank at your job with direct deposit? Wrong! I guess it's better to keep it the old fashion way getting your check in your hand. I worked for a month and a half with them taking my checks from wal-mart basically I was working for free and I could not pay my bills. They were charging outrageous surcharges and I even asked them to stop my account and they said they could not unless I talked to a manager.The manager was never available eventually I quit my job because I was feeling that I was working just to pay those crooks .

STAY AWAY FROM THIS BANK! THEY WILL TELL YOU ONE THING THEN DO ANOTHER! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

I called and ask for information about opening up an account. The customer service rep told me I had to go to a branch to open an account and then she literally hung up in my face. I was a potential new customer and she rushed me off the phone. If they do their potential customers like this, I can only imagine how they do their customers.

If you have prending transactions, just go to your branch ATM and get the (Available Balance) print out or onscreen of the ATM.

Let me just say this... I have been working for Woodforest National Bank for almost a year... I see and deal with customers upset about their account everyday. Yes Woodforest does charge for overdrafts as any other bank does and yes it charges COF but all of this is explained when the account is opened. Some customers get careless with their accounts and dont notice they are spending to much, for those of you who get charge for no reaseon WFNB tries to help, I have read a lot of bad things here and I do not know what branches you are going to but believe me... that kind of service would not be given here. I just think that not all branches operate the same and you'll have your good and bad just as other banks do.

Wow. All I have to say is that there are a lot of ignorant "the world owes me something" people out there. Be responsible for yourselves and your own finances. And also, just because you had a bad experience with a particular branch, or a particular employee, you have to remember that all companies have their "bad apples" and they don't necessarily reflect the larger practices and values of the company.

This is the worst bank ever! They put checks on hold until they clear. Fine. So does everyone. The problem is their verification process and the different answers you get from each employee you talk to. I can call and verify the checks each time they "say" they have been unsuccessful at doing so. Each time they have told me that if I could verify the checks that they would also if I would give them the number I called. Why do I have to do their job for them? I have just called the issuing bank each time and had no problems verifying. Each time I have called customer service to complain about this they have told me that it is up to each branch as to how long the money isg andd on hold and that they can release all or some of it at any time they choose once they verify the check. It's obvious that they have no desire to verify anything just to keep the ledger up on their branch. Screw them. I am switching to a local bank as soon as this most recent hold is off.

Mad customer in TX, keep in mind that bank associates anywhere are much more easygoing with customers than they are with representatives from other banks. If I, as a consumer, deposit a Bank of America check into my Wells Fargo account, i can call Bank of America in a few days and the rep will tell me the check has cleared. However, if I call the same Bank of America branch as a representative of another bank trying to verifying a Bank of America check, they are much more difficult to work with and often make excuses such as "it's against policy to say if a check has cleared" or something to that effect. Not only is it competition, but that bank rep is also putting their job on the line by saying "that check has definitely cleared and there's nothing more to worry about."

So just because you can call the bank and the teller will say "yea it's cleared", don't expect them to give the same answer to a rep of a competitor bank. They'll probably get more of a "we have seen the check but we cannot tell you if it will clear"

I have been in the banking world for 11 years working credit unions and now Woodforest almost two. I started instore at a wal mart later moving to a traditional location. First I have to say that it does not matter what.financial institution you go through they all have fees. When you sign the account card s banker goes over all the.stipulations including fees which they give you this for future reference. Being able to sit and ask questions on checks and balances always helps for one, two keeping a register even better. I hear everyday what is a register then followed by nope I don't remember to write down. Ummm ok here is a big mistake. just remember the bankers don't make rules we have guidlines set forth to protect the bank and the customers. As for holds not everything goes on hold.depends on relationship with bank and where it is coming from usually max of 7 business days. Please keep in mind not every bank open till 7 but we are with several locations open till 12 and 24 hours. I know compass and B of A are not. Also, .how many banks make deposits available immediately up till 8 pm not B of.A.or compass even Regions plus if we can't make avaliable we.let you know when it will be. Legislation makes rules for banks if you follow you stay in business if not you fail simple as that keep a register and don't spend more than what you have. Always read statements to compare or go to local site and get printout. Also keep in mind economy terrible fraud on rise and we are all victims. Another reason to check account.and keep a relationship with your bank. All banks have fees that you will never see unless you spend out of means. Just urks.me one person makes mistake on their account and then it is banks fault. I am 31 with 7 accounts easy to make a mistake being single.mom but watching my accounts and having sweeps.even better. I too am paycheck to paycheck more reason to keep on top my credit union are.not responsible for my errors they don't.spend those funds. Might I also add you can sign up to remove your overdraft protection won't pay items.you cant afford just will charge you the fee. Take responsibily.don't just. Place blame we don't have your checkbook or debit card. Yikes!

Distrubed beyound belief.

I Opened an accout at Woodforest in November of 2006. I have not had any trouble until now. I looked on line and a fee of 5.95 was took out of my account. i called and the branch manager said we are starting something new. it's is no longer a free checking account. you have to keep a 100.00 dollars in there everyday and have direct deposit or you will be charged a service fee of 5.95 a month. first off i work pay check to pay check and there is no money left in my account. i think this is ridiclous. you has the money to keep a 100.00 in there everyday unless you have plenty of money. well i dont i am a single mother and money is very tight right now. i said i will be closing my account and they said every bank is charging that fee. i have looked aroung and no they are not. when they say free banking the other banks mean free banking.