Valley Bank

Worst bank I have ever had! I couldn't even withdraw my money with transfers, as they kept hanging up the phone. I had to wait over 20 minutes on hold, and transfers verbally confirmed with the bank never appeared in my Wells Fargo account after verifying all they required. They try to keep your money in their account. I was attempting to give a dealership a down payment on my new SUV. Totally unacceptable, and I am disgusted with this bank. Normally, I don't have issues with anyone, so that says a lot. Please do not trust them with your money.

Ceiling on the deposits and withdrawals. Rude phone contacts. Closing my accounts and will never use them again. On the phone for over two hours trying to close my accounts. Use Amex, Ally, or Marcus by Goldman Sachs.

"I had zero problems with their HYSA. It was a pretty competitive APY, and their app never gave me any issues. I've even recommended this bank to my kids and my fiancé. Unfortunately, it's because of their checking account and how they assess their fees, that's making me close both my accounts.

Here's the reason why. Valley required a minimum of $100 a day in their checking account. No big deal, I wasn't really using it for a checking account, just something I could use to connect to pay my kid's tuition. The thought being, I leave the money in my savings, and when a tuition payment was due, I would transfer it to my checking and then make the payment.

One time, I goofed, and accidentally paid an amount that made my daily required amount dip below $100. I didn't overdraft. I just brought my account down to $90-some bucks.

Boom, hit with a $15 maintenance fee on August 31. I signed in on September 2 and saw the mistake and quickly paid off the $15 maintenance fee and brought my account back up to $100.00.

A month passes, and I see that my account is back down to $85. So I make a phone call and tell them I paid that maintenance fee and brought myself back to $100. The young man I was talking to saw that I had indeed done that, and he credited my account back.

Another month passed, now we're in November, and my account is $85 again because I was hit with that fee. I call again, they say they'll reverse it again, but it’s the last time.

The last time? I've paid that fee. They’re the ones who keep reassessing it.

And then I realized, I kept bringing my account back to $100, but because I didn't see these fees going until the day after they were assessed, it was causing my account to be below their minimum for the next month.

It became a cycle that they had created and made impossible to dodge if you were keeping the minimum.

Mind you, I was holding nearly 37k in the HYSA, it's not like I was hurting for money here; this was a principle thing at this point.

So this time, I put my account at a $150 minimum and sure as pie, the next month comes around and it's down to $135. I had broken their cycle finally and it cost $30.

That was two years ago. So why am I closing my account today?

Because today I signed in and saw that my account was charged a $15 maintenance fee. When I called to ask why, they said that in July, they changed their minimum required amount to be $500 in their checking account. How was I supposed to know that? They told me they sent something to my mailing address, which may or may not be true, but I haven't had any interaction with any bank, via paper in years.

There was no notice of the upcoming policy change on their app. No email sent within my account with a heads-up, no email sent to the email I used for logging in (and they send me my statements and notices of transfers every time I do a transaction).

This was sneaky behavior I believe to catch people off guard. And when those accounts dipped below the minimum, they hit us all with their $15 fee on August 31, only for the fee to be noticed on September 1 for another month below the minimum.

When I called the bank to work it out, they denied the reversal and told me via email that "regardless of paperless preference, notice was sent to my house."

This is a shady practice. This $15 fee is an easy fix. But they chose to refuse to assist, as is their right. Just as it's my right to bank with someone else if I'm not happy.

Today I closed out my HYSA and my checking account over this predatory and sneaky behavior.

I would like to acknowledge the exceptional service I received today when dealing with Christine Postma at Valley Bank, Tarpon Springs.
Christine went above and beyond in assisting me and made me feel like a valued customer.
Bill S.

I opened a three-year CD account two years ago. When I needed a statement from them to show that I have money in the bank to apply for a loan, the reps made me angry. I know I have an accent, but the rep could not understand the word "statement." She said she did not have a monthly statement, so I asked how about a quarterly statement? She simply could not understand my question. Then she transferred me to a branch with an employee who was supposed to speak Chinese. However, the employee could not speak and understand Chinese well and was very rude. She told me that I should go to a branch to get a letter to show I have money in their bank. The closest branch is hundreds of miles away. They simply do not provide any services. They all claimed that banks do not provide statements for CD accounts, which is not true. To save the trouble, everyone should stay away from this bank.

Opening a new account was fairly straightforward. However, the time to complete an ACH (from the application) took four business days. There was never any confirmation of being accepted into their savings interest rate promo or response to my secure emails on other matters. It finally took calling and talking to a representative 22 days later to satisfy my concerns that this bank wasn't a scam (applications taken at ValleyDigital.com, but online portal via Valley.com, both under the umbrella of Valley National Bank).

Sadly, the first employee was unable to answer a few very basic questions about my account and stated someone would call me back. Surprisingly, I did receive such a call the following day, but that "specialist" was astoundingly clueless about the business standards of banking data download capabilities (i.e., Quicken connection or manual data file access). Using a general kindergarten description in my questioning to specific technical terminology didn't even ring a bell to her. The encounter with these two employees screams poor training and management.

In less than a month of being a customer, I am seriously considering closing my account and cancelling plans to deposit a high five-figure amount, simply based on my confidence in the company.

Long wait times. They don't call you back when they say they will. I have called them three times to arrange something for my auto loan. Each time, I had to wait about 15 minutes to speak to someone. The first two times, they were supposed to call me back, but they didn't.

On the third time, I was disconnected (I might sound like a conspiracy theorist, but I think it was intentional), and they didn't call me back.

I have had nothing but issues with logging into my account. It seems that every time I try to log in to pay my car loan, I have to change my password. Then I change it, it works, and when I go back in to see if it still works, it doesn't. The interest rate for this car loan is extremely high for someone who has good credit. I'm thinking of refinancing with another company just to get out of this headache I'm experiencing with having to change my password every time I try to log in.

I've dealt with at least a dozen banks in my lifetime. Valley is without question the worst. They are nosy. I tried to withdraw $2K in cash from my own account and they had the nerve to ask what it was for. Customer service is abysmal. 30-45 minute hold times are the norm. And when you do get through, you get the runaround or the promise of a callback that never comes. Very pleasant people at my branch who are entirely inept at their jobs. I can't close this account quickly enough.

I only had this account for less than a month, and I made a transfer of 3200 from one of my accounts. I had an emergency, so I had to withdraw 1800 before it had transferred, and now they want to end their relationship with me because of it! How unfair is that? Things happen where you have to do things like that. They didn't care about my explanation. Other banks reach out via text or email to verify if it's you before putting your account on hold. I've had a hold on my money since Friday and have to wait even longer. I work hard for my money! If you think this may happen to you, Valley Bank is not the one. The one star is for the young lady who took time out to help me.

I'm shocked at the reviews people are giving for this bank. I'm considering canceling my account just based on the reviews. Come to think of it, the ATM is often messed up, and they do needlessly question my overseas purchases.

They provide poor customer service, closing requests/tickets without resolution.

This bank is absolutely ineffective when it comes to communication.

The website does not provide for the redemption of maturing CDs.

After many attempts to learn the procedure for CD redemption, I was not informed of the four-digit phone extension for the department that can process those.

With several attempts to call on the phone, I was usually number thirteen in the queue, never less.

I made complaints to the state Banking Commissioner and the Wayne, NJ BBB. These actions did get someone's attention.

My CD purchases were made online and funded using ACH transfers. When I tried to redeem the CDs upon maturity, I was told to visit a local branch.

They provide poor customer service, close requests/tickets without resolution, charge maintenance fees incorrectly, and even after many follow-ups, they do not reverse the charges. Finally, I closed all my accounts with them.

This bank is absolutely ineffective when it comes to communication, and their practices are highly questionable. They charge a $4.95 convenience fee every month for online payments, which they never mention before you sign any documentation. Over the last few years, they have continued to add substantial late fees even though I have never missed a payment in my lifetime. The most frustrating part is when customer service realizes that I am right, they either hang up the phone or assure me it's corrected, only for me to see it on the next bill. I have been hung up on by at least five different operators the moment they pull up my transaction history. I recommend banking anywhere but here. They will get you for hundreds over a 5-7 year loan. Math is simple.

This bank is biased against individuals receiving wire transfers or using cash apps. They are constantly calling, wanting to know your business—who is sending the money and what it's for—claiming they want to protect you from fraud. I've repeatedly assured them there is no fraud and that I know the people involved. Yet they persist in inquiring about the source of my wire transfers.

Yesterday, they closed my accounts without giving me a courteous call in advance. When I called, they mentioned a letter would be sent. I went shopping, and my card was denied, only to come home and discover that the Mount Olive Branch had closed the accounts. They said a letter had been sent out.

Consider taking your banking elsewhere. I will be contacting the OCC about this issue and will also send a letter to President Trump, informing him of the bank's attempts to control how we use our money. This bank appears to be discriminating based on financial activities, scrutinizing transactions that might otherwise go unquestioned.