FIRST BANK
Any one have issues with First?
I paid off my mortgage in June 2015
I could not get them to send me a deed release or the small amount of escrow money left in the account.
After 7 months of calling and emailing Puerto Rico and St Thomas loan services and not getting any response, I filed a complaint with the Federal Reserve.
Thanks to the Fed getting after First, I got the deed release last week, but am still waiting on a check
First Bank's response to the Fed, " they could not get in touch with me"
I have had the same address and phone numbers for 25 years
Warning to all..Stay away from First Bank
Sometimes it helps to go into the bank and deal with an individual who works with you on issues, especially a supervisor or branch manager. Glad you got your deed release. Hope you get your refund check soon.
I live on STX and I did that with the Orange Grove branch
They said I had to deal with STT or Puerto Rico to get my problem resolved.
That's weird, they don't have a branch manager that could help you!
No they said that I need to contact STT and they gave me some names and phone numbers, this was in October
I did talk to one person at STT and told them my story and they said they would contact Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico had to resolved the issue
After calling the STT person back, and leaving msg with their boss, from November thru mid February, I gave up and filled the complaint with the Federal Reserve
The Fed's are the ones that forced First to do their job and get me the documents I was entitled to
I do not like First Bank. I had too many issues with them. Every time I traveled to the states, my account would close when I used my debit card even when I caalled ahead of time to inform them I would be traveling. Then it would take two days and many phone calls to Puerto Rico to get my account re-opened.
Three months into the mortgage we got a letter saying First was going to foreclose because we had not paid
I rounded up all the cancelled checks, front and back, to prove that I had paid and then sent them to Puerto Rico
They came back with, "because I had failed to write the four zeros preceding the loan number that the payments where not credited to my account"
When I ask where they applied the payments that they had cashed, I got silence.
It did get correct after 4 1/2 months
Every branch has a manager. Did you actually speak to the manager face to face?
I spoke to the loan origination manager at Orange Gove in October
They were the one that referred me to STT or back to Puerto Rico
I tried to contact the VP of Operations, Loan Services, in STT but they would not return my calls.
I guess it is "all my fault" that I did not go buy a ticket on Seaborne and fly to STT or Puerto Rico and try and resolve this sooner instead of filing a complaint with the Feds, after a 7 month run around by First, over a issue that First should of taken care of with 30 -45 days after receiving my certified funds that paid the loan off
I had a car loan with them and never got the title. Dont remember what had to be done to get it
I see a pattern
Bought a house through them and when I sold the buyer financed though them. No problems ever with those transaction or the 3 accounts that l've had with them for over 25 years.
They even call me when I am on vacation to make sure my activities are not fraud related.
1st Bank experience for me was not good at all. Customer service was not helpful and the attitude of the lady helping us trying to open a account was really really bad. The documentation required to open account was excessive, a 2 week waiting period and some things said to us by the lady assigned to help us, put us over the top. closed the account and went elsewhere.
Also had a very short term account with them. They told me it would be a year before we coukd get visa logo debit cards
Not the way to do business.
I am surprised by the comments. My experience with First bank was reasonably good. First of all, all other banks turned me down as I could not produce original social security card. I have it scanned in my files and offered to email it to the banks but it was NO Bueno from Popular and Scotia. First Bank just ask me to sign a IRS form to confirm my SS number.
There is no fee checking with minimum balance of $1000, I got instant debit card, online banking with bill pay. All I need from the bank.
There are long lines to see tellers. That is only problem. It's mostly a problem created by old fashioned locals who stand in line to pay WAPA and TV. All this can be done from smart phone but I guess they like the social aspects of bank's que. I am skirting tellers by using drop box for deposits and ATM for cash. Sometimes ATM is out of cash and long wait ensures to see tellers.
Never used their loan services.
Sometimes ATM is out of cash and long wait ensures to see tellers.
I've never bothered to ask but do the STX grocery stores do cash back on debit cards? Beats waiting in line at the bank or using the ATM possibly with extra fees.
I know kmart does cash back on debit
Kmart and Home Depot give cash back on debit purchases. Plaza does not give cash back. I am not sure as to whether the other grocery stores do.
Sometimes ATM is out of cash and long wait ensures to see tellers.
I've never bothered to ask but do the STX grocery stores do cash back on debit cards? Beats waiting in line at the bank or using the ATM possibly with extra fees.
Even after a complaint to the Federal Reserve First can not get it right.
I took the Mortgage Release to the Recorder of Deeds on STX and they kicked it back . First had spelled my wife's last name wrong. Her and I have the same last name and mine was correct.
I have been trying for a week to get someone at First to call me back about this so I can get a correction
Still nothing from then...Great customer service
Looks like it is getting time for me to file another complaint with the Feds
Maybe file a complaint with the AG's office as well. When I do that in the states it always gets there attention. The AG office sends a letter to the company at issue requiring a response.
I'm not sure if STX has Merchants bank but I really like them. Professional and easy too deal with.
No Merchants Bank here...but we do have Bank of St. Croix which is more of a folks small town bank.
Finally after 2 + weeks and no calls or emails returned, First got me a corrected deed release
Of course I had to threaten them with another Federal reserve complaint and also a complaint to the Vi Lt Governor's office of Banking Regulatory.
Any one looking for a bank needs to steer very clear of these guys they are worthless
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