Business Profile

Banking Services

SouthState Bank, N. A.

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Complaints

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

Customer Complaints Summary

57 total complaints in the last 3 years.
20 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

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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.

Initial Complaint
Date:01/08/2024
Type:Customer Service Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
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 will like to understand how my account was accessed and things were changed on a completely different day then when i call in.
Business Response
Date: 01/17/2024

***************
***************
**************
January 17, 2024

RE: BBB
Complaint # ********

Dear
****** ********,

On January
8, 2024, SouthState Bank, N.A. (“the Bank”) received your complaint filed
with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) regarding updates made to your account
by the Bank. The Bank takes seriously its obligation to fully investigate
complaints. Please accept this letter as our response.

Research
into your complaint revealed on September 30, 2023, you opened a checking
account online and entered **** ****** ***** ********** ** ***** as your
address of record with the Bank. On December 20, 2023, you contacted the Bank
requesting a replacement debit card and you indicated your address on file did
not include an apartment number. During this call you requested and authorized Bank
representative, Essence G******, to submit an address change to include
apartment number **** and order you a debit card. On December 27, 2023, your
address change was processed as requested. There
is no evidence of any other changes made to your customer profile or account by
the Bank since.

We
trust this provides clarity to your concerns, however, if your address change
is not what you were referring to in your complaint or if you have any
additional questions, please contact the Bank at 800.277.2175.

Sincerely,

Justin S****
Complaint Management
Initial Complaint
Date:12/06/2023
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
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 am a 72 year old women and had fraud on my debit card. The bank is not approving my claim and they are holding me liable. I did not make the transactions.
Business Response
Date: 12/14/2023
Re: BBB Complaint ID #********

Dear
Shirley *******,
On December 6, 2023,
SouthState Bank, N.A. (“the Bank”) received your complaint filed with the Better
Business Bureau (BBB) regarding debit card transactions you believe were
unauthorized and the outcome of your dispute of those transactions. The Bank
takes seriously its obligation to fully investigate complaints. Please accept
this letter as our response, although we also have communicated this to you by
telephone.
Our research
confirmed that, on November 7, 2023, you disputed the authorization of several
Amazon debit card transactions conducted between July 1, 2022, and October 16,
2023, totaling $931.78. On November 13,
2023, your checking account ending in 3757 was provided a provisional credit of
$931.78 while the disputed transactions were investigated.
As outlined in the
Bank’s Notice of Final Determination dated November 28, 2023, and conveyed during
a telephone call with you on December 5, 2023, with branch manager, Terrance
*******, due to your delay in reporting the disputed transactions, the Bank is
unable to fully mitigate your loss and on December 7, 2023, $915.00 of the
provisionally credited funds were debited from your checking account. As
disclosed in the Electronic Banking section of the Bank’s Personal Deposit
Account Agreement and allowed by federal law, reporting of unauthorized
transactions to the Bank must occur within sixty (60) days of the date of your
periodic statement on which they appear was made available to you, to minimize your
losses.
While the Bank is
sympathetic to your situation, we are unable to grant your request to refund
your lost funds. If you have any
questions, please reach out to Mr. ******* at ************ or our Dispute
Department at 800.277.2175 and reference dispute ID ******.

Sincerely,

Justin *****
Complaint Management

Customer Answer
Date: 12/14/2023

Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because: I am a victim of elderly abuse ! Review this dispute again !

Sincerely,

Shirley *******
Business Response
Date: 12/20/2023
Hello-
Please see below for our response to Ms. *******'s 12.15.23 rebuttal that we will also mail. Thank you,
Shirley *******
*** ***** ****
*********, ***** ******** *****

December 20, 2023

Re: BBB Complaint ID #********

Dear Shirley *******,

On December 15,
2023, SouthState Bank, N.A. (the “Bank”) was notified by the Better Business
Bureau(“BBB”) that you did not accept the Bank’s response issued on December
15, 2023, to your complaint submitted on December 6, 2023.
Your rebuttal
indicated you are a victim of elder abuse but did not provide any additional
information, therefore, Branch manager, Terrence *******, contacted you on
December 19, 2023. During this conversation you stated that you do not feel you
are victim of elder abuse by anyone at the Bank nor have you been taken
advantage of by someone else. Rather, you again expressed frustration with the
dispute process, the revocation of the provisional credit, and the outcome of
your dispute. We can assure you that your
dispute was properly investigated, and the outcome was based on the length of
time between the transaction dates and the filing of the dispute.
If you have any
additional questions, please contact our Dispute Department at 800.277.2175 and
reference dispute ID ******., or Mr. ******* at 803.***.****. We trust this
response provides clarity to your concerns.

Sincerely,

Justin *****
Complaint Management
Customer Answer
Date: 12/21/2023

Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because Terrence is lying at this point! I told him I do feel like someone at this bank took my money. Next report is about him and the lies he has been relaying

Sincerely,

Shirley *******
Business Response
Date: 12/27/2023
Hello-
Today I, Justin *****, spoke with Ms. ******* along with the Bank representative named in the third rebuttal, Terrence Hayward's, manager, Regional Area Manager Craig Boykin. At this time, the heart of the customer rebuttal is she has spent the provisional credit the Bank provided to her at the time of her fraud dispute. She asserts that even though every Amazon transaction in her dispute is fraud, that she only called in to file a fraud claim on two transactions, and that the Bank should have only given her fraud reimbursement for the two transactions. I confirmed that the Bank did refund the two transactions in questions; however, she spent the rest of the funds that were declined in the dispute due to Bank policy of notifying the Bank within 60 days of the transaction. Ms. ******* does not agree with the Bank's position and decision. She has confirmed that she is not claiming elder abuse and that she is only disputing the outcome of the Bank's decision to remove the provisional credit. After speaking to the customer, we are considering this matter resolved, with a witness, and confirming Mr. *******'s conversations with the customer outlined in our response are accurate. We would request the BBB to review all responses and facts to proceed with closing out this complaint.
Please advise if this is acceptable and/or there is anything else needed at this time.
Thank you,
Justin *****
Customer Answer
Date: 12/27/2023

Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because this is elderly abuse and I am not stopping until I get my funds back. I will keep going until my claim is overturned. Get the CEO involved as well if need be.

Sincerely,

Shirley *******
Initial Complaint
Date:12/01/2023
Type:Billing Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
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 am a contractor/handyman, and I was a victim of financial fraud. A scammer, posing as a customer, asked me to bid a job, which I did. He accepted the estimate that I gave him for the job he had explained to me in detail. He sent me a cashiers check to pay for the cost of my labor and the cost of materials. I deposited the check into my bank account and the teller made funds available that moment. I checked my account online to verify this.

My "customer" then asked me to pay the door supplier for the seven doors needed to complete the job. Since the check was deposited, to my knowledge, I had funds in my account that I previously did not. I proceeded to send $2000 out of those funds that were made available to me to the "door supplier".

The next day, my "customer" proceeds to tell me that he is going to have to cancel the job and will need me to refund the remainder of the check. At this point, I knew something was not right, so I went to the bank and spoke with a woman named Pam about the situation. She proceeded to tell me that it is most likely fraud, and that I would likely find out that the check was fraudulent.

The check did indeed come back as fraudulent and now they are telling me that I am out of pocket for the $2000 that I sent. I would not have been able to even send the $2,000, had they not made the funds from the fraudulent check available for me to spend immediately. I am a carpenter, and I am not familiar with the process the checks go through. To my knowledge, a cashiers check should be verified funds. Even if it wasn't, why would they make funds directly available? I find this strange, because most other checks that I have deposited of similar amounts have been placed on hold for seven business days before the funds were made available. The one time they should have placed a hold on the funds, they chose not to. Now they tell me I am liable for the damages ($2,000).

I have filed a police report regarding the scammer and the situation.
Business Response
Date: 12/07/2023
Dear
**** ******,

On December 1, **23,
SouthState Bank, N.A. (“the Bank”) received your complaint filed with the Better
Business Bureau (BBB) regarding a cashier’s check you deposited into your
business checking account and subsequently was returned due to fraud. You are
requesting the Bank refund your lost funds. The Bank takes seriously its
obligation to fully investigate complaints. Please accept this letter as our
response.
Research into your
complaint revealed on October 17, **23, you deposited a cashier’s check in the amount
of $5,540.00 at the Hilton Head Palmetto Bay branch. Pursuant to the Bank’s
funds Availability Policy and the Federal regulation governing how long banks are
allowed to delay the availability of funds when certain types of deposits are
made to checking accounts, the Bank was unable to restrict the use of the funds
from the deposited cashier’s check. Additionally, as stated in your Business
Deposit Account Agreement, you are responsible for returned items. Any item
deposited to your account or that we cash for you, that is not paid for any
reason when presented to the party obligated to pay it, will be charged back against
your account, even if this causes your account to be overdrawn, without regard
to whether the item was returned within any applicable deadlines.
While the Bank is
sympathetic to your situation, based on the facts outlined in this response we
are unable to grant your request to refund your lost funds. We trust this response provides clarity to your
concerns.

Sincerely,
Justin S****
Complaint Management
Initial Complaint
Date:10/08/2023
Type:Billing Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
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 missed one payment and they did not contact me to tell me. There was anything wrong with my account. They just sent it straight to collections after one missed payment with no contact. But they went ahead and took payments on the loan for the next couple of months without telling me that there was a problem and the money did not go towards my loan. Nor have I gotten that money back. They refuse to contact me to even try and resolve this issue.
Business Response
Date: 10/17/2023
Dear Catherine M*****,

On October 8, 2023,
SouthState Bank, N.A. (“the Bank”) received your complaint filed with the Better
Business Bureau (BBB) regarding missing a loan payment and the Bank sending
your loan to collections. The Bank takes seriously its obligation to fully
investigate complaints. Please accept this letter as our response
Research into your
complaint revealed you opened a personal installment loan on July 24, 2019. On
March 28, 2023, you contacted the Bank and requested the Bank cease any
telephone or email communications related to your account being past due, which
the Bank honored. On July 14, 2023, the
Bank notified you in writing that your account was past due and that you must
make a past due payment of $160.88, plus any additional payments coming due, by
August 13, 2023, to prevent your loan from being charged off. On August 28, 2023, you made a payment of $150.00,
which the Bank returned to you because at the time you were past due $453.88.
On October 5, 2023, your account was charged-off.
While we sympathize with your
situation, the Bank is required under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”) to
report accurate and timely information to the Credit Reporting Agencies,
whether positive or negative. The Bank has reviewed and confirmed the reporting
of your loan as past due was required and accurate.
If you would like to pay off your
charged off balance or have questions about the information outlined in this
response, please contact James H***** at ***.***.****.

Sincerely,
Justin Smatt
Complaint Management Team
Initial Complaint
Date:09/28/2023
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
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 am frustrated with South State Bank right now. I made a bank-to-bank transfer and they have child proof security BS (to protect them, not me) and making it difficult for the transfer to go though.
I am asking that you push through the $2000 transfer from SouthState to my Navy Federal account.
Business Response
Date: 10/05/2023
Dear
Avi S*****,

On
September 28, 2023, SouthState Bank, N.A. (“the Bank”) received your complaint
filed with the Better Business Bureau (“BBB”) regarding your inability to complete
a bank-to-bank (“B2B”) transfer from your deposit account, and you are
requesting the Bank process your transaction. The Bank takes seriously its
obligation to fully investigate complaints. Please accept this letter as our
response.
Research
into your complaint revealed you attempted to transfer $2,000.00 from your
account to an account at Navy Federal Credit Union (“external account”) on September
28, 2023. On the same day, due to a recent change you made to your online Bank
to Bank profile, a precautionary restricted hold was placed on the transfer by
the Bank’s fraud detection team until the Bank could contact you and confirm
the transfer was valid.
On
September 28, 2023, a representative of the Bank was unsuccessful in reaching you
by telephone to verify the transaction. On September 29, 2023, you responded to
the Bank’s outreach attempt, and confirmed that you initiated the transfer and
that you are a signer on the external account. The hold was removed on October 2,
2023, and the scheduled transfer was completed on October 3, 2023.
We
trust this response provides clarity to your concerns. If you have any further
questions, please reach out to the Bank at 1.800.277.2175.

Sincerely,

Justin Smatt
Complaint Management
Initial Complaint
Date:09/25/2023
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
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.
This bank has an open HELOC for me which I never applied for. I have ever done business with them. I began receiving notifications back in May regarding home owner’s insurance. I’ve called and even sent an affidavit so they could close that account.
I called again in August and was told the account had been closed. I’ve since then received two more notices so I called again only to find out that they purchased home owner’s insurance for my home. My home is paid off so I don’t have to carry insurance isi don’t want to. I do have insurance on my own but that’s none of their business as I DID NOT APPLY FOR A HELOC WITH THEM.
I’ve spoken to no less than 5 people over the last 4 months and I’m just over it.

I want this account closed and need it in writing.
Customer Answer
Date: 09/25/2023
This is most of the correspondence I’ve had with them other than various other phone calls.
They are harassing me.
thank you
Business Response
Date: 10/04/2023
Dear
Gladys E********-*******,

On
September 25, 2023, SouthState Bank, N.A. (the “Bank”) received your complaint
filed with the Better Business Bureau (“BBB”) regarding receiving homeowner’s
insurance notifications from the Bank for a Home Equity Line of Credit
(“HELOC”) that you do not believe you obtained from the Bank. You are
requesting the Bank contact you to review this matter and to close out the
HELOC. The Bank takes seriously its
obligation to fully investigate complaints. Please accept this letter as our
response.Research
into your complaint revealed you applied for and obtained a HELOC on May 21,
2020, with CenterState Bank. On June 7, 2020, the Bank merged with CenterState
Bank, and on June 1, 2021, the Bank assumed responsibility for servicing your
HELOC.
On
September 27, 2023, you spoke with Bank representative, Donna L*****, and
confirmed you understood the HELOC was valid and active. During this call, Ms.
L***** explained you received the homeowner’s insurance notification letters because
the Bank had not received proof of insurance and therefore, the Bank force
placed lender's insurance. Further, to
remove the lender's placed insurance, you would need to provide the Bank with
evidence of adequate homeowner's insurance since June 1, 2023, and the Bank
would need to be named as mortgagee. On
September 29, 2023, at your request, Ms. L***** contacted your insurance agent to
address this matter.
Upon
receipt of acceptable evidence of insurance coverage from your agent, the
lender’s placed insurance was canceled, and charges were fully refunded to your
HELOC account. Additionally, as you
requested, your HELOC has been closed, and as a courtesy, Ms. L***** contacted your
insurance agent and requested the Bank be removed as mortgagee.
We
trust this response provides a satisfactory outcome. If you have any further
questions, please reach out to the Bank at 1.800.277.2175.

Sincerely,
Justin Smatt
Complaint Management
Customer Answer
Date: 10/04/2023
I am rejecting this response because:
First of all I never admitted to knowing that this HELOC was still open because I did not know. Never received any correspondence from the bank informing me of a merger.
Second all I have is an email stating that this HELOC is closed but apparently there is a lien on my property which will take approximately three months to clear?
I need an official letter in writing that this is closed and I would like the case to remain open till which time the lien on my property has been removed…

Sincerely,
Gladys E********-c******
Business Response
Date: 10/13/2023
Dear
Gladys E********-C******,

On October
5, 2023, SouthState Bank, N.A. (the “Bank”) was notified by the Better Business
Bureau (“BBB”) that you rejected the Bank’s response to your complaint regarding
the payoff of your Home Equity Line of Credit (“HELOC”). Please
accept this letter as our response to your statements that you did not receive
any correspondence from the Bank informing you of a merger between CenterState
Bank and South State Bank, and you were not provided proof your HELOC was
closed as requested.
CenterState
borrowers received multiple written communications in 2020 and 2021 regarding
the merger between CenterState Bank and South State Bank, in addition to a
message on monthly loan statements. On April 16, 2021, SouthState Bank sent you
a Merger Welcome Booklet and supplemental Account Information Details Booklet
to inform you that your CenterState Bank HELOC would be serviced by SouthState
Bank. Your account was converted to SouthState Bank over the weekend of May 29,
2021.
We would like to apologize for any miscommunication in our
original response and would like to clarify your conversation on September 27,
2023, with Bank Representative, Donna L*****. During this call, Ms. L*****
informed you that your HELOC was still open and was being serviced by the Bank.
During this call, you confirmed your understanding of the Bank’s need to have
proof of insurance on your property, to add the Bank as named mortgagee so we could
then cancel the lender’s placed insurance, that you would need to complete a
Termination of Lien Agreement for the Bank to have on file, and then the Bank would
proceed with closing your HELOC. Ms. L***** confirmed that you understood this
process and assisted you with completing these steps.
Regarding proof your HELOC is closed, on
October 3, 2023, Ms. L***** informed you via email that you would receive a
letter approximately three weeks after the HELOC is closed. On October 11, 2023, Ms. L***** mailed you the
closure letter and we have attached a copy to this response. In addition, I can
confirm the Bank sent the lien release request to Brevard County. The Bank will promptly notify you once the County
has released the lien.
We
trust this satisfies your additional concerns. If you have any further
questions, please reach out to the Bank at 1.800.277.2175.
Sincerely,
Justin Smatt
Complaint Management
Enc: Paid Out Letter
Initial Complaint
Date:08/15/2023
Type:Customer Service Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
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 opened an account with SouthState Bank for our HOA using Association Prime. Our agent (Sojay Property Management) created an agency resolution that went against our contractual agreement. The agent did not grant the board with access to the banking accounts as agreed. The HOA sent SouthState Bank a revocation to this resolution on 7/15/23 and attempted to work with Karen G***** to resolve but she never returned calls or sent the docusign in order to grant the board with access. We spoke with Cheryl today and she advised that SoJay is still set up on the account as an authorized agent against the boards wishes. We are requesting that this ****er be resolved this month or it will be escalated. Attached is the Agency Resolution revocation for review.
Business Response
Date: 08/25/2023
Layton Lakes Estates HOA
c/o Akilah L******
* ******* ****t
******* *****, NJ *****

RE: BBB Complaint # ********
August 25, 2023
Dear Akilah L******,
On August 16, 2023, SouthState
Bank, N.A. (the “Bank”) received your complaint filed with Better Business
Bureau(“BBB”) regarding your Homeowners Association (“HOA”) agent, SoJay
Property Management (“SoJay”) creating an agency resolution that went against
the Board of Directors (“Board”) contractual agreement, and that SoJay did not
grant the Board access to accounts with the Bank as agreed. On July 15, 2023, the HOA sent the Bank a
revocation to this resolution and have been in communication with a
representative of the Bank, Karen G*****, in attempts to get this ****er
resolved. The Bank takes seriously its
obligation to fully investigate complaints. Please accept this letter as our
response.

Research into your complaint
revealed that Ms. G***** has been in contact with the Board via phone and has
sent email communications through the Footprints ticketing system. Ms. G*****
advised the HOA they would have to set up a new online access profile to view
the accounts, but this could not happen until the Board members were signers on
the account.

On August 18, 2023, you responded
to Ms. G*****’s email stating you were planning on returning the signer’s
information. As of the date of this response, the Bank has not received the signer’s
information and Ms. G***** has sent follow up emails attempting to provide a
resolution to your complaint, however the Bank has not received a response.

Once the signer’s information is
received, the HOA will then need to update the signature cards and execute the
Online Banking Agreement and access forms to be granted online access. If you
have questions or need further assistance, please contact Ms. G***** at
************.

Sincerely,
Justin S****
Complaint Management
Customer Answer
Date: 09/08/2023
Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because: We filed a complaint with the BBB regarding a similar ****er on 8/15/23 and it was advised that the bank made a good faith attempt to answer; see complaint ID ********. We acknowledged that the bank did respond and that ****er was closed, but there is a new issue is that if the board signs the electronic form to obtain the access to the account that the current property manager still exist on the account. The HOA Board did not want the existing property manager to have control of the funds. We need SouthState to address this new issue as we have reached out to the software vendor (CINC) to obtain our own independent account. The software vendor will not apply a discount or a lower rate to use CINC without the property manager being attached and advised that SouthState Bank can only authorize this request. We reached out to SouthState Bank on 9/6/23 and Sales advised that the discount to use the software can not be honored. If the HOA is only replacing the Property Management Company, we need to understand why SouthState will not authorize the discount so that we can move forward with using CINC. By restricting the usage of the software (the new issue) the board will be unable to transfer the lockbox over even after we sign the forms as listed in the prior complaint. Provide the discount to use CINC and explain what occurs once the board signs off on the electronic signature form as it relates to property management removal as listed in the agency resolution.

Sincerely,

Akilah L******
Business Response
Date: 09/20/2023
The Estates at Laytons Lake Homeowners Association, Inc.
c/o Akilah L******
* ******* ****t
******* *****, NJ *****

RE: BBB Complaint # ********
September 20, 2023
Dear Akilah L******,
On September 8, 2023, SouthState Bank, N.A. (the “Bank”) was
notified by the Better Business Bureau (“BBB”) that you did not accept the Bank’s
response issued on August 25, 2023, to your complaint submitted on August 15, 2023.

Your rebuttal indicates your concerns are regarding the Bank’s
requirement that the members of the Board of Directors of The Estates at
Laytons Lake Homeowners Association, Inc. (“the HOA”), execute new account signature
cards, however, SoJay Property Management (“SoJay”), the current agent for the HOA
through September 30, 2023, will retain access to the account, which is against
the Board’s interest. Additionally, you are
dissatisfied that CINC, a third-party vendor providing services for property
management purposes, will not establish a relationship with the HOA at an acceptable
price.

You are requesting the Bank provide you an explanation regarding
SoJay’s access to the HOA’s account once the Board executes the signature cards
and CINC’s unwillingness to provide services at an acceptable price.
As stated in the original response on August 25, 2023, Ms.
Karen G***** informed you Sojay will be removed as a signer from the account once
the executed signature cards are received.
The Board members will then need to execute the Online Banking Agreement
and access forms to be granted online access.

Subsequently, on September 19, 2023, Ms. G***** informed you that
once you request revocation of the agency resolution, the homeowner’s payments
will not be processed, and you will be unable to utilize the lockbox service.
You informed Ms. G***** that you did not want to lose the CINC lockbox service
and want to the service continued at the same cost offered with SoJay as the property
management agent. Regarding CINC’s
pricing, the Bank is unable to provide insight as to the pricing offered to the
HOA as a self-managed property association.

It is my understand that you intend on contacting Ms. G*****
after your scheduled meeting with Sojay on September 22, 2023. If you have questions or need further
assistance before then, please contact Ms. G***** at ************.

Sincerely,

Justin S****
Complaint Management
Customer Answer
Date: 09/21/2023

Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because there are some inaccuracies captured by Justin S****'s response.
1. We explained to Mrs. G***** that the orginal signature cards that were sent to set up authorization on the accounts listed Mr. Daniels on Miss L******'s docusign.
2. The docusign signature request also gives the agency (Sojay Property Management) rights back which will terminate the revocation to the Agency Resolution that was set up by SoJay to refute the terms and conditions of the existing contract. How are you attempting to grant access to SoJay once we send in the signature cards if there is a revocation in place?
3. Both CINC and TresRE advised that SouthState Bank controls the discount honored and those vendors cannot support any changes to rates given if not approved by the bank. The manner at which Justin S**** indicated in the response is that the Association was looking to obtain a discount just entirely because of the discounted rate given to SoJay and that is not entirely true. TresRE software is free to use, but if we wanted to couple that with accounting piece, it still had to be authorized by SouthState. The rate that was given to use CINC (full version) was $1500 a month. We are already existing customers under the current agent (SoJay Property Management) and to use our own accounting that ports over the existing portfolio should not be $1500. How are you attempting to charge $1500 for the same portfolio? None of this was ever explained. Terry at SouthState Bank also advised that the bank has the ability to grant discount but he had to escalate to confirm. We are requesting that you revisit honoring a discount based on this premise.
4. The board is truly concerned of agency vetting that use CINC and this ****er is currently being investigated. The agent (SoJay) set up one account and when we received the signature cards, we saw the additional account set up by the agent. The board has no knowledge of funds going in and out of those accounts and this is putting the Association at a major financial risk. How is the bank not giving statements to the Association as we are still the client regardless of who signed the master agreement (which was revoked)? The board has a fiduciary responsibility and we are unable to fulfill these obligations if awareness to the funds are not properly identified. Do you grant rights to any organization even if it is possible that the license may be expired? The client (Association) should advise the bank who and what has that access to our funds? Allowing these restrictions to the client may be against state laws.
5. The board sent a certified letter to SoJay on 8/22/23 to advise that we are not letting the company (SoJay) out of the current contract until all issues identified in that letter is resolved. We are not sure where you are getting that the current contract with SoJay will expire on 9/30/23. We have a meeting with Sojay on 9/25/23 to discuss these ****ers so the lockbox should stay open until we (the client) advises it should close.
We are requesting to keep this BBB complaint open until we advise this ****er with the bank is resolved. We plan to speak with Mrs. G***** on Monday and hopefully there is a better response than what was given.

Sincerely,

Akilah L******
Customer Answer
Date: 09/21/2023
Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because there are some inaccuracies captured by Justin S****'s response.
1. We explained to Mrs. G***** that the orginal signature cards that were sent to set up authorization on the accounts listed Mr. Daniels on Miss L******'s docusign.
2. The docusign signature request also gives the agency (Sojay Property Management) rights back which will terminate the revocation to the Agency Resolution that was set up by SoJay to refute the terms and conditions of the existing contract. How are you attempting to grant access to SoJay once we send in the signature cards if there is a revocation in place?
3. Both CINC and TresRE advised that SouthState Bank controls the discount honored and those vendors cannot support any changes to rates given if not approved by the bank. The manner at which Justin S**** indicated in the response is that the Association was looking to obtain a discount just entirely because of the discounted rate given to SoJay and that is not entirely true. TresRE software is free to use, but if we wanted to couple that with accounting piece, it still had to be authorized by SouthState. The rate that was given to use CINC (full version) was $1500 a month. We are already existing customers under the current agent (SoJay Property Management) and to use our own accounting that ports over the existing portfolio should not be $1500. How are you attempting to charge $1500 for the same portfolio? None of this was ever explained. Terry at SouthState Bank also advised that the bank has the ability to grant discount but he had to escalate to confirm. We are requesting that you revisit honoring a discount based on this premise.
4. The board is truly concerned of agency vetting that use CINC and this ****er is currently being investigated. The agent (SoJay) set up one account and when we received the signature cards, we saw the additional account set up by the agent. The board has no knowledge of funds going in and out of those accounts and this is putting the Association at a major financial risk. How is the bank not giving statements to the Association as we are still the client regardless of who signed the master agreement (which was revoked)? The board has a fiduciary responsibility and we are unable to fulfill these obligations if awareness to the funds are not properly identified. Do you grant rights to any organization even if it is possible that the license may be expired? The client (Association) should advise the bank who and what has that access to our funds? Allowing these restrictions to the client may be against state laws.
5. The board sent a certified letter to SoJay on 8/22/23 to advise that we are not letting the company (SoJay) out of the current contract until all issues identified in that letter is resolved. We are not sure where you are getting that the current contract with SoJay will expire on 9/30/23. We have a meeting with Sojay on 9/25/23 to discuss these ****ers so the lockbox should stay open until we (the client) advises it should close.
We are requesting to keep this BBB complaint open until we advise this ****er with the bank is resolved. We plan to speak with Mrs. G***** on Monday and hopefully there is a better response than what was given.

Sincerely,

Akilah L******
Business Response
Date: 09/21/2023
Please advise we are not going to respond to the second rebuttal received (09.21.23) until after the customer meets with Bank representative, Ms. Karen G*****, on Monday 09.25.23. The customer can request to have the BBB remain open; however, the Bank has provided a response to all customer concerns, including new allegations via the second rebuttal. The customer is wanting to have all concerns re-reviewed reviewed on Monday 09.25.23 with Bank representative Ms. G*****.
Customer Answer
Date: 09/25/2023
Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because the board attempted to meet with SoJay on Friday and the agent failed to appear. The board also held a meeting with Karen G***** on 9/25/23 and there is still ambiguity about the lockbox process. The board questioned that if the Board President signs the signature card what will happen to the master agreement since there is still an Agency Revocation in place none of that was clear. Additionally, the bank advised that only the discounts apply based on volume of CINC although there was reference by the bank staff that a discount could be honored for special instances. Mrs. G***** demanded the names of those the board spoke with at CINC although she advised that she circumnavigated the board by speaking with the president at CINC to advise against the discount. The board is hoping for a seamless transiition so residents can continue with using CINC and SouthState, but it appears that the bank is not in a position to help resolve. The board is planning to follow-up with CINC to confirm the discount process as there is a recorded call whereby CINC specifically mentioned that to use the software it cost $1500 but could be less if the bank agrees on the discount. The board is still unclear on the relationship between the bank, SoJay and CINC. The bank is also based in Florida but NJ regulations should still be considered. The board believes that the cost should not be as high if we are account holders already and it would just be a ****er of transferring data from one portfolio to another and the bank to move the account to a new lockbox which is still unclear. Why is there such a dramastic difference of what was offered by the bank discount to use CINC for SoJay ($723) vereses the board ($1500) if the Association are the clients. The board plans to contact other interested parties for advice to understand bank compliance and regulations for instances like this in order to be better informed.
The board advises that they also plan to meet with Sojay at 2pm on 9/25 and will follow-up with Mrs. G***** by 9/29 with a feasible plan. We would like to keep this BBB complaint open until those conversations are held.
Sincerely,

Akilah L******
Customer Answer
Date: 09/25/2023
Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because the board attempted to meet with SoJay on Friday and the agent failed to appear. The board also held a meeting with Karen G***** on 9/25/23 and there is still ambiguity about the lockbox process. The board questioned that if the Board President signs the signature card what will happen to the master agreement since there is still an Agency Revocation in place none of that was clear. Additionally, the bank advised that only the discounts apply based on volume of CINC although there was reference by the bank staff that a discount could be honored for special instances. Mrs. G***** demanded the names of those the board spoke with at CINC although she advised that she circumnavigated the board by speaking with the president at CINC to advise against the discount. The board is hoping for a seamless transiition so residents can continue with using CINC and SouthState, but it appears that the bank is not in a position to help resolve. The board is planning to follow-up with CINC to confirm the discount process as there is a recorded call whereby CINC specifically mentioned that to use the software it cost $1500 but could be less if the bank agrees on the discount. The board is still unclear on the relationship between the bank, SoJay and CINC. The bank is also based in Florida but NJ regulations should still be considered. The board believes that the cost should not be as high if we are account holders already and it would just be a ****er of transferring data from one portfolio to another and the bank to move the account to a new lockbox which is still unclear. Why is there such a dramastic difference of what was offered by the bank discount to use CINC for SoJay ($723) vereses the board ($1500) if the Association are the clients. The board plans to contact other interested parties for advice to understand bank compliance and regulations for instances like this in order to be better informed.
The board advises that they also plan to meet with Sojay at 2pm on 9/25 and will follow-up with Mrs. G***** by 9/29 with a feasible plan. We would like to keep this BBB complaint open until those conversations are held.
Sincerely,

Akilah L******
Initial Complaint
Date:05/10/2023
Type:Product Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
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.
Southstate Bank opened a bank account of someone impersonating me. The criminals used a synthetic ID shown in the attachment. These criminals then withdrew a large sum of money from my account at Key Bank in Kennewick into the fraudulently opened account at Southstate via ACH transfer. The transactions were:
$200,000.00 (5/31/2022)
$232,500.00 (5/31/2022)

Key Bank disputed these transactions and completed an investigation deeming these transactions as 100% fraud. Southstate refused to return the funds even with proof of the fraud. I expected nothing less than the entirety of money stolen from my account ($432,500.00) returned back to me as this transaction that was facilitated by Southstate bank was unauthorized and in violation of the bank secrecy act (KYC).
Business Response
Date: 05/12/2023
***** *******
**** ***** **
Richland, WA 99352
RE: BBB Complaint ID #********
May 12, 2023
Dear *****,
On May 10, 2023, SouthState Bank, N.A. (the “Bank”) received your complaint filed with the Better Business Bureau stating the Bank opened an account for someone impersonating you. The Bank takes seriously its obligation to fully investigate complaints. Please accept this letter as our response.
Our investigation confirmed the Bank has no accounts open in your name and has never had any account opened in your name, though we understand your broader concerns pertain to an open fraud investigation and dispute. While we cannot communicate a resolution at this time, the Bank continues to investigate the matter.
Sincerely,
Brandon B*******
Brandon B******* Complaint Management
Initial Complaint
Date:02/17/2023
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
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 received 2 $50.00 gift cards that clearly have expiration dates on the front of the card and when I called to activate them the bank withdrew fees for $50.00 on one of the cards and $15.00 on the other one even though the cards had not been activated. I saved these cards for a rainy day fund and needed to buy groceries.
Business Response
Date: 02/21/2023
Melissa ******
**** ********** ***
******* ** *****
RE: BBB Complaint ID ********
February 21, 2023
Dear Ms. ******,
On February 17, 2023, SouthState Bank, N.A. (the “Bank”) received your complaint filed with the Better
Business Bureau regarding dissatisfaction with the inactivity fees assessed to your gift cards. The Bank
takes seriously its obligation to fully investigate complaints. Please accept this letter as our response.
In addition to your initial complaint, when we contacted you on February 17th to further understand
your concerns, you also expressed confusion about the following question included in the Frequently
Asked Questions (FAQs) insert that came with the cards: “Does my gift card have an expiration date? Yes,
the expiration date is 7 years from date of manufacture of card. The funds on this card will be available
until spent or until the date of expiration on the front of the card. Which is at least 5 years from the date
the value was loaded."
While the above statements are accurate and neither card expired, our records show that card xxx2538
and xxx0189, funded in December 2020 and November 2021 respectively, were rightly assessed monthly
inactivity fees as outlined in the Fees and Charges on Your Card section of the disclosures provide at
time of purchase. Please note, the date the card is activated has no bearing on the assessment of
inactivity fees which is calculated based on the date of value load. Additionally, printed on the back of
each card it states, “An inactivity fee of $5.00 will be assessed the first of each month after 12 full months
of inactivity.”
As a follow up, we attempted to contact you on February 21st but were unable to reach you and left a
voicemail confirming fees were assessed according to the card agreement and that, as a courtesy, the
inactivity fees were reversed. At this time, both cards are activated with a current balance of $50 each.
We appreciate the opportunity to assist with your complaint and trust that our actions fully resolve your
complaint.

Sincerely,
Amie ***********
Complaint Management
Customer Answer
Date: 02/25/2023

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.

Sincerely,

Melissa ******
Initial Complaint
Date:12/05/2022
Type:Customer Service Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
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.
Received a letter from the IRS stating that a deposit was made to this bank in the amount of $4200. I have been contacting the IRS and making so many inquiries about where my money was sent. I have tried to contact the bank and no one can help me or even tell me what happen to my money. I even have the account number but for some reason I'm still being told they can't find anything. Now I know that an entire bank can't loss this type of information nor someone money like this. Its just crazy because I been going through this for almost 2 years trying to find my money. WHO CAN HELP ME????
Business Response
Date: 12/09/2022
RE: BBB Complaint ********
December 9, 2022
Dear Ms. *******,
On December 5, 2022, SouthState Bank, N.A. (the “Bank”) received your complaint filed with Better
Business Bureau (“BBB”) regarding funds direct deposited from the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”). The
Bank takes seriously its obligation to fully investigate complaints. Please accept this letter as our
response.
Our research confirmed on March 17, 2021, $4,200.00 received from the IRS was deposited into an
expired prepaid card account ending in ****.
In response to your complaint, we made several unsuccessful attempts to reach you using the contact
information provided in your complaint. We kindly ask that you contact ***** ********* at ************,
and he will assist you with accessing your funds.
Sincerely,
Amie K**********
Complaint Management

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SouthState Bank, N. A. is NOT a BBB Accredited Business.