I hate banks(please help me)

Hi guys,

Here is the situation. I am in Rochester, NY and am dealing with a local M&T bank branch that is being a pain in the ass. Basically, I bought a 1998 Ford Taurus 7 years ago and took out a loan with this bank, so they had a lien on my car. I finished paying the loan off a couple of years ago. Now I am trying to sell my car before I go back to school because I want to buy a new one. The title on my car says that there is still a lien on it because it was never removed, therefore I am going to have a heck of a hard time selling my car, because no one is going to believe me that the car is, in fact, paid off.

Here's what you may be thinking: Why doesn't this idiot just go to the bank and ask them to give him a lien release letter saying that the car is, in fact, paid off? Well, I tried. I went in yesterday morning and they told me that there were two loan numbers on my account there and they couldn't tell which loan was for the Taurus, so they couldn't give me the lien release letter.

I then went home and dug up an old payment stub with the account number on it from 5 years ago. I take it into the bank this morning, and now they tell me that my loan record was purged from their system since it is so old, so they can't give me the letter. They tell me that they'll have to contact their records dept in Buffalo and have them dig up some proof that I paid the loan off in full so that they can give me the lien release letter. I am very pissed at this and tell them that I need this now. I tell them that I can't afford to wait 3 months for their [censored] department in Buffalo to get the paperwork for me and that this is gross incompetence on their part. They just shrug and I walk out of the bank steaming mad.

I come home and call up the New York State Banking dept and they tell me to fax them a complaint to NYC. I just did so about 15 minutes ago but I don't know how fast the banking dept will work. I really feel like suing them for something. I am wondering if any people familiar with the intricacies of banks can help me out. I just thought that the local banks had to keep the loan information on file. This [censored] just seems preposterous to me.

Thanks very much for reading this.

[TheWorstPlayer]

Call the main headquarters and ask to speak to anyone. Then ask to speak to their boss. Then ask to speak to their boss. Once they stop passing you up, tell them your problem. Someone will help you sort it out.

And if they don't, tell them you're selling all your Berkshire-Hathaway stock and you hope Warren Buffett rots in hell.

Thanks, good idea.

[TheWorstPlayer]

I work in banking. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[rollingdirty]

[TheWorstPlayer]

It's M&T bank, as stated in the OP. Hence the comment about BH and Warren Buffet which owns M&T bank.

[JoePro]

Wouldn't your credit file show the loan as being paid in full? That should stay on your record for a good 6 years I believe.

[handsome]

Yea, dude. I have an account at M&T and I've gone through a load of [censored] with them. I won't go into detail but let's just say I no longer have my money with them anymore (besides a couple hundred for emergencies). A lot of people in the banking business are incompetent, so you just need to keep calling until you find someone who's not.

Update:

I called and spoke to a CSR who basically said that they could fax me a copy of the lien release,, but it wouldn't do any good since the NYS DMV does not accept fascimile copies of that document. It has to be certified and so that will take them 5 to 7 business days which SUCKS because I go back to school in like 3 weeks and so there's no [censored] way I'll be able to sell the car now.

Argh. /images/graemlins/frown.gif

[TheWorstPlayer]

Did you ask to speak with the CSR's manager? Just be insistent and then explain the situation to him/her including how long you have been a customer, how you are going to school, how this is EXTREMELY inconvenient, etc. Don't hang up. Stay on the phone for 30 minutes and when you come to an obstacle just ask for the next manager up and be insistent. Keep saying 'if you can't help me, I'd really like to speak with your manager'. I give you a 75% chance of having it work out if you are persistent enough. Trust me. They don't want to be helpful. You just need to fight through the bureaucracy. There is someone in that bank who can get you what you need. You just have to find that person and convince them that it is worth their time and effort to do so.

[SossMan]

[ QUOTE ]
Did you ask to speak with the CSR's manager? Just be insistent and then explain the situation to him/her including how long you have been a customer, how you are going to school, how this is EXTREMELY inconvenient, etc. Don't hang up. Stay on the phone for 30 minutes and when you come to an obstacle just ask for the next manager up and be insistent. Keep saying 'if you can't help me, I'd really like to speak with your manager'. I give you a 75% chance of having it work out if you are persistent enough. Trust me. They don't want to be helpful. You just need to fight through the bureaucracy. There is someone in that bank who can get you what you need. You just have to find that person and convince them that it is worth their time and effort to do so.

[/ QUOTE ]

unfortunately, this is very good advice.

Getting transferred to a supervisor as we speak.

I'm going to ask him to OVERNIGHT me the notarized lien release and not ship it so it takes 5-7 business days.

[Easy E]

"Hello, my lawyer needs some information about my accounts and this lien before she comes down to talk to your branch manager. Who should I contact about this information?"

[ QUOTE ]
"Hello, my lawyer needs some information about my accounts and this lien before she comes down to talk to your branch manager. Who should I contact about this information?"

[/ QUOTE ]

Never works. I've tried it before with companies and most of them just say fine then, our legal dept will be in touch.

I just made my last call to M&T. I'm giving up. [censored] them up their stupid asses and I will never use that shitty, shitty bank again.

Again, [censored] M&T bank and all the shitheads that work there.

[TheWorstPlayer]

Sorry man. It is never guaranteed. Good luck.

[[censored]]

Here is the thing I learned about banks. I hate them especially the large ones. This is I have a local credit union only policy. They are not perfect but in general because they are smaller and corporate account focused they are more responsive.

the truth is that the large banks have completely lost sight of the fact that the individual is their customer who they are actually suppossed to satisfy.

[TheWorstPlayer]

I actually bank at CitiBank and enjoy the experience. I even got them to waive a stop check fee and a wire transfer fee just by asking nicely and explaining that I am a corporate customer, yada yada. A lot of it is just knowing how to talk to them. I work in banking, so I have a lot of experience with it. Many many people prefer the small credit union experience, however. I travel a ton internationally, though, and don't know many CUs which have free overseas ATM access (Citi does).

[Easy E]

[ QUOTE ]
the truth is that the large banks have completely lost sight of the fact that the individual is their customer who they are actually suppossed to satisfy.

[/ QUOTE ]

Who is their real customer? From TWP's post
<font color="blue">I even got them to waive a stop check fee and a wire transfer fee just by asking nicely [b]and explaining that I am a corporate customer

[[censored]]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
the truth is that the large banks have completely lost sight of the fact that the individual is their customer who they are actually suppossed to satisfy.

[/ QUOTE ]

Who is their real customer? From TWP's post
<font color="blue">I even got them to waive a stop check fee and a wire transfer fee just by asking nicely [b]and explaining that I am a corporate customer

[/ QUOTE ]

yep screw you large banks I'm taking 217.23 balance and going somewhere else /images/graemlins/mad.gif

[ChipWrecked]

Two words:

Credit Union.

[PLOlover]

Just get a new title or sell it without a title. I think you just have to affirm that there is no lean on it or something.

If you want to be tricky transfer title to friend or relative as a cutout and then have them sell it. Or even double cutout they can sell it back to you. Only downside is paying fees each time. Note you can transfer title without registering it.