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Business Profile

Bank

Five Star Bank

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

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Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Five Star Bank's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see

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    Customer Complaints Summary

    • 48 total complaints in the last 3 years.
    • 13 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

    If you've experienced an issue

    Submit a Complaint

    The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

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    Complaint status

    Complaint type

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:06/02/2025

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I have had an auto loan through Five Star Bank for the last two years, and until recently, I never experienced any issues with them. However, my frustration began on Thursday, May 29, when someone towed my car in the middle of the night. I was behind on my car payment that was due on April 23, but I had a scheduled payment set for Friday, May 30. Typically, I schedule payments on Fridays, but they don’t come out of my bank account until the following Monday. I expected that would be the case this time as well. Usually, the payment would at least show as pending, but this time it didn’t appear at all. The payment was still deducted from my account on June 2.

      On Friday, May 30, my car was towed in the middle of the night, and I received no information about where it was taken. I tried contacting my lender all day on Friday, but was told that only "Josie" handles repossessions. I left her two voicemails on Friday and another one this morning. According to New York State law, Five Star Bank was required to inform me immediately about the location of my vehicle. Now, five days later, I still have no information about where my car is. Furthermore, I am not the only customer who has had a negative experience with Josie; there are many unfavorable reviews about her online.

      Business Response

      Date: 06/03/2025

      Good Afternoon,We are in receipt of the above referenced complaint and will respond to
      the complainant directly.Regards,Angela S****

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:03/27/2025

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      We have a truck that is financed through Five Star which we sold to a dealership Saturday 3/22/25. The dealership has been trying to get an official pay off letter from Five Star since Monday with no success. I’ve tried to get them to send me the payoff letter as well, again with no success. Now five star is threatening to repossess the truck. But if they had sent the letter when it was first requested then they would have had a check in plenty of time before another payment was even due. We did finally get the letter almost a week later but we had to drive there and then demand it because they were still trying to refuse giving it to us.

      Business Response

      Date: 03/28/2025

      Good morning, We are in receipt of the above referenced complaint and will research and then respond to
      the complainant directly.Regards,****** *****

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:01/11/2025

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      The date of the payment was made in person on 11/18/24. We were paying our school taxes at the Five Star Bank location at 3110 Main Street, Caledonia, NY 14423. I asked for a blank check, but the teller stated I needed to make a cash withdrawal first and then redeposit it. They assured me I would meet the deadline for school taxes. Several months later I received several letters stating that I still now owed property taxes from last year with plenty of interest and late fees. They also claimed we did not pay the school taxes this year. We only just received notice of this in the mail on 1/10/2025. We received a check that was referred to as a return for paying late. The signature on this check was forged. This does not include interest. According to the school Five Star Bank was explicitly told in a contract not to accept any checks past deadline of October 31st. Upon learning this we requested our bank statements going back two years. They were reluctant to share any information and when I pressed the matter they sent me two copies of six months of statements. We discovered through computer software the statements were entirely AI generated fraudulent pdf files. Making the mistake of sending two copies which look very different confirms the use of AI. Through a post on ******** there is conversation and a lot of others are claiming to have similar issues regarding missing money and taxes. We are looking for a public defender and are fully prepared to take legal action. Considering the fact that the two statements we did receive I would perceive this as a form of identity theft. We have the check and a forged signature along with the AI pdf files saved. Jennifer L****** is the senior branch manager of the bank. She was apprehensive to answer any questions regarding the matter.

      Business Response

      Date: 01/14/2025

      Good Afternoon,


      We are in receipt of the above referenced complaint and will research and respond to
      the complainant directly.

      Regards,
      Angela S****

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:01/10/2025

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      My husband and I bought a car and Five Star Bank financed it for us. We have had the car two years. This last few months we fell behind on the payments. When we would call the only person we were allowed to talk to was a Lady named Josie. She would not pick up her phone or return voicemails. We were a little over two months behind and still paying a payment every month. This went on for weeks of no returned phone calls and being sent to voicemail. 12/20/2024 she sent the tow truck to repossess the vehicle with no explanation and no return phone call still. Maybe I am in the wrong and unfortunately life got ruff for us but we still made a payment every month to try and keep the car until we could sort things out. I feel that the bank should have given us a call back and a chance to fix things as well as a fair warning that they were going to just take it. It took 19 days after the car was taken for us to finally talk to this Josie and she was the most unprofessional person I have ever met. We asked to talk to a supervisor and they refused to allow us to talk to anyone else at the bank. Now we are out a vehicle and all the money when all we needed to do was talk to someone about our loan.

      Business Response

      Date: 01/14/2025

      Good Afternoon,


      We are in receipt of the above referenced complaint and will research and respond to
      the complainant directly.

      Regards,
      Angela S****

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:01/07/2025

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      * ********
      - all

      Hello,

      I am a customer of *****, and my account has been closed with a remaining balance of US$4020. Currently, I can no longer access the ***** website.

      Previously, I received multiple emails from Five Star Bank, from email *************************, requesting that I provide a bank account to withdraw the remaining balance. I have submitted my bank account details and emailed Five Star Bank several times, but I have not received the funds or any response to my emails. Please check this issue.

      Below are my ***** account details:
      Business name: **** *** **** *** ********* *** ****** ****** **** **** Email: ********************

      Business Response

      Date: 01/08/2025

      Good Afternoon,We are in receipt of the above referenced complaint. We will research and respond to
      the complainant directly.Regards,Angela S****

      Customer Answer

      Date: 01/15/2025

      Hello

      The previous message from Five Star Bank is about they are checking. I'm still waiting response from them. 

      Business Response

      Date: 01/15/2025

      Good Afternoon,

      We are continuing to research the complaint to determine how to proceed. It is a timely process, and we will contact the complainant directly. 

       

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:12/22/2024

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I have had an auto loan with Five Star Bank since 2018. Some time in 2021, my auto payment date was changed and I was never contacted about this. When I called, the address on file that my mail was going to was my father's address who had passed away. I have been receiving late fees monthly for almost 4 years even though I have had auto payment set up this whole time. I logged on to my account because I will be selling my car, and realized the error and called and was told this cannot be waived, despite paying on the exact same day of every month. The fees have accrued to almost $1500. They also told me they couldn't give me 10 day car loan payoff amount because they have been "having issues" even though I need this to sell my car. There online banking is needlessly complicated and customer service is frustrating and not helpful.

      Business Response

      Date: 12/23/2024

      Good Afternoon,We are in receipt of the above referenced complaint and will research and then respond to
      the complainant directly.Regards,Angela S****

      Customer Answer

      Date: 12/27/2024

      Better Business Bureau:

      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.I have been accruing late charges because my address on file was not correct but was never contacted regarding late fees despite paying at the same time every single month for 4 years. I was told I have to wait until the end of my loan date to negotiate, which is not feasible because I am selling my car on Monday. The late fees are more than what I owe on the car. I asked if I could pay off my loan today in order to negotiate and was still told this is not possible, leaving me with no option other than to pay $1400.00 in late fees in order to be able to sell my car, despite paying at the same time every month and this being out of sync due to an autopay issue. On ****** *****, my car loan has been listed as paid on time the last 4 years. How was I supposed to know I was accruing fees monthly to this degree?

      Regards,

      ****** *******

      Business Response

      Date: 01/03/2025

      Once the complaint has been researched, we will send the complainant a response directly.  

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:12/20/2024

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      We have a car loan through this bank. My wife was an active duty service member and the interest rate for the loan is higher than 6%. We questioned them about this and it was brushed off. We also have been calling for two weeks to get a get a loan pay off amount and keep being told that their system is down and has been for weeks. So we are unable to trade in the car. This has been extremely frustrating, and we feel scammed.

      Business Response

      Date: 12/23/2024

      Good Afternoon,We are in receipt of the above referenced complaint and will research and then respond to
      the complainant directly.Regards,Angela S****

      Customer Answer

      Date: 12/24/2024

      Better Business Bureau:

      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 

      Regards,
      ***** *****

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:11/09/2024

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      Several months ago, I requested to change my car loan payment schedule with Five Star Bank from one monthly payment of $388 to two bi-weekly payments of $194. This change, while standard, required multiple customer service interactions, during which I was temporarily overcharged. Eventually, the bank confirmed the new payment structure, withdrawing $194 every other week.

      Recently, while reviewing my account, I discovered that Five Star Bank has been charging me a monthly late fee. It appears this is due to a miscalculation in the bi-weekly setup, which was arranged by Five Star Bank themselves, not by me. When I reached out to address these incorrect fees, I was advised to contact customer service again, a process that has proven ineffective and frustrating.

      Resolution Requested:

      Immediate waiver of all accrued late fees associated with this error.

      Correction of the payment setup to ensure accurate bi-weekly processing without incurring further fees.

      A written acknowledgment that this error was on Five Star Bank's end, along with steps taken to prevent similar issues in the future.

      Prompt correction and removal of any negative impact on my credit report due to these inaccurately assessed late fees.

      This experience has been needlessly time-consuming, and I seek the BBB’s assistance to ensure Five Star Bank addresses these errors responsibly and fairly.

      Business Response

      Date: 11/12/2024

      Good Afternoon,We are in receipt of the above referenced complaint and will research and respond to
      the complainant directly.Regards,Angela S****

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:11/07/2024

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I had an auto loan with Five Star Bank for several years. During that time, I was never late ever with any payment. On 8/24/24, I traded in the car attached to this loan for a new vehicle. The next payment for my previous vehicle, which I no longer owned, was due 9/6/24. On 9/19/24 I was notified by Five Star they hadn't received payment. I called Five Star, informed them of the situation and was advised not to worry. They discovered the dealership sent payment late and to the wrong address plus was short $105.55. I was told by a representative at the bank the dealership would need to pay off the balance. The dealership paid off the balance, the loan closed, title release mid to late October. However, on 11/6/24, Five Star back submitted a delinquency notification to each credit bureau, even though the loan was already closed. I called their institution, was left on hold for 1 hour and 12 minutes, only to be told too bad, call the dealership.

      Business Response

      Date: 11/08/2024

      Good Afternoon,We are in receipt of the above referenced complaint and will research and respond to
      the complainant directly.Regards,Angela S****

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:10/18/2024

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I had an auto loan through Five Star Bank. I traded the car in at the end of May 2024 for a newer car. We spoke with the bank at the dealership and received a payoff amount for the loan. The loan was then paid off. I have been checking my credit report and on the Five Star Bank account it is showing a “charge off” for the month of May. I have called and emailed to get this taken off as the loan was paid and can’t seem to get any response. Please help me get this taken care of. I am trying to rebuild my credit and this is significantly affecting me.

      Business Response

      Date: 10/18/2024

      Good Morning,


      We are in receipt of the above referenced complaint and will research and respond to
      the complainant directly.

      Sincerely,

      Angela Snell

      Customer Answer

      Date: 10/22/2024

      Better Business Bureau:



      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 22437569, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.



      [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]



      Regards,



      Lisa Derks








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