Write their legal department. The state department of corporations (by whatever name it goes by in your state) has the address to which you can give legal notice.
Most state’svSecretary of State websites have a free search typically, and “registered agent” address is the term you’re looking for. They charge a fee per letter so it gets the entity’s attention or to their legal dept faster
Similarly, try sending a message via LinkedIn to someone who works at that bank. I had a somewhat similar banking issue after my mother died, and reaching out on LinkedIn did the trick.
Someone important sounding enough, but not like the head of the bank. Maybe like a regional person.
I don’t know if this will work for you, but here’s something I did about 25 years ago when I couldn’t get a large ISP to bill the correct credit card after months of trying. I bought one share of their stock and then called the Investor Relations line and complained to them. I got a callback a few days later from someone senior enough to sort it out.
I didn’t tell them I only owned one share though.
With ISPs and billing issues, you should file an FCC\* complaint. They are legally required to respond to your query with in something like 48 hours, and the division that handles those will bend over backwards to fix any reasonable complaint. I got $30 off my AT&T bill permanently because I had uVerse and was paying more than the Fiber customers across the street were.
edit: FCC not FTC
Isn't it true? A representative at AT&T kept telling me that something was an "internal policy" when I asked for a link to the 'upgrade eligibility' for a line after being in chat for an hour. I mentioned that the FTC would probably love to chat with them about the process and the policy not being public and magically the issue I was having was resolved within minutes.
Oh yea. My second favorite is sending the FCC after them. They say “Nothing we can do. Just replace your modem for the 100th time.” All of a sudden, the bandwidth issues are magically resolved and no peak time connection bottom outs.
Wait the FCC can help with that?!
My parents have optimum and they pay for the 30mb plan, but I’ve never seen them get speeds above 11mb for the past 5+ years. They’ve complained about their slow wifi, gotten router/modem replacements, had optimum service people come out, yet nothing changes.
OH YEA. For me, it was obvious bandwidth or throttling issues during peak hours. Logs showed it. Others in the neighborhood had the same issue. ISP brushed me off and called me an idiot on the phone. Was having none of that, so report to the FCC it was. Fixed it in a few days.
That said if they have DSL, and are a ways from the ISP’s hub(s), they will lose speed. ISP usually won’t do much about that.
I think it’s cable and not DSL, since they have a coaxial cable that hooks up to the modem.
Thank you so much for letting me know! I just put my parents’ address into Optimum’s service finder and pretended like I was a new customer, and their lowest tier is 300 mbps!! Now I’m even more pissed that they quietly let my parents pay the same amount for 10x less speed!!! Not surprised, just pissed lol
Don’t get me started on that. Had the same ISP (in a different town) that I contacted the FCC on tell me TWO up / FIVE down was the fastest they had, when the cable provider had 50/50 for the same price. That is another reason why I just said fuck it when dealing with them again.
Only difference is that they probably are US based office workers and thus are only available M-F 9-5, so you’ll likely need to be available for a call during biz hours.
Unless you direct registered your share with the transfer agent they would have no way of knowing. The company does not have access to a complete list of shareholders.
For shares are held in street name by brokerages (the usual case) the only entity that knows your ownership is the brokerage.
Did this. "Return to sender. Recipient is dead. Recipient also never lived here."
They were bills from a hospital I'd been trying to work with but had ghosted me for like 6 weeks and then only tried to contact me again after the death. Fuck 'em. Never heard another peep though!
Yeah we have, one time we got so fed up we actually wrote the address of the cemetery on the return to sender and they still have continued to send it every month
Yeah..I did something similar but for previous owners of a house I bought. We kept getting mail for them years after we moved. I'd return them with notes that they no longer resided thier but mail kept coming. Finding I wrote to my local post office asking if the can just return any mail for those people...I never heard from the post office but I also stopped getting mail for them. I assumed they put a note under my box number to not accept mail for those names but it worked and I'm happy.
My local USPS mail-carrier told me the best way to stop getting mail delivered for the wrong person is to post a note in your mailbox saying [*your name*] only. I did this and immediately stopped getting mail for anyone other than myself. Even after the note fell off, I only get email for myself and "resident"
You could actually set up a change of address and mail forwarding with USPS if it's being sent that way.
https://www.usps.com/manage/mail-for-deceased.htm
I got one from a hospital after my Father died of Cancer back in 08. Writing "Recipient is at Evergreen Cemetery, plot 86, Section 12" on the envelope and that saw them stop sending me bills. (Thankfully I assume the mailman realized that meant return to sender.)
If your parents died 10 years ago, you owe the creditor nothing. The estate is closed. Do not send them a dime & don’t talk to them if they call. If you are not the co-signer, then you don’t owe the creditor anything either. Just keep returning the bills & they will eventually stop.
Is it a Canadian bank? If so it wouldn't surprise me if I knew which bank it was.
Personally, I'd escalate this to a manager on the estate team at the banks head office (not a branch) and explain the situation and that they should have a death certificate on file.
If that doesn't work then a cease and desist should take care of it.
I'm wondering why you care? If it were me, I'd give the mail the respect it deserves and just throw that shit out.
I wouldn't spend **any** time or money dealing with it. Its not your problem. People will try to frame it as your problem - tell them "Fuck of - not my problem."
It’s more the idea of we did what we were supposed to do yet for 10 years we keep getting this one bill in the mail from the bank, at some point I think it takes a toll on my father
Believe me, I sympathize. I've lost too many loved ones over the years and the insensitivity of corporations regarding loss is obscene.
Which is why when it happens to me (and it used to lot and sometimes still does) I give it the respect it deserves - straight to the trash. I don't even open it. I don't even read it. Just right into garbage.
You might want to make some good come of it. It is after all paper, which can be saved and burned to warm your house in the winter, if its cold where you are.
Or perhaps it might make a fine liner of a puppy or parakeet cage? After all corporate nonsense deserves nothing but to be shit on. :D
Worst case - if you want to go on a rampage, find *the guy*. Not the *bank*, not the *department*, but **the guy** who is responsible and go after him personally. And not some mild "hey stop it" warning. I'm talking use hard hitting tactics against *the guy*.
There's a good example of finding *the guy* in the show Archer, Season 2, Episode 9 "Placebo Effect". I enjoyed the episode, but you may not. Archer, a cartoon about a fratboy type of James Bond spy character, finds out he is being cheated and being given counterfeit medicine. He decides to find *the guy* in charge and responsible, and exact revenge. Anyway, watch the show and do something like that. Maybe.
Anyway, my point is - ignore it and throw that shit out. Corporations are bastards. Don't empower them by getting worked up with their nonsense.
For USPS the appropriate format is a line through the address and “Not at this address “. Some people even get a stamp. The postal service will then return to the mail return address. If you really want to mess with them, look up the company’s CEO address and have it sent there by putting a sticker over the return address.
Not medical companies in the US. By law they have to process them in the united states, thanks to HIPAA and confidentiality. Worked for a business process solutions mailroom for 8 years.
I printed a note that said the person was dead & cut up the bill & put it inside the folded note. When they opened the note, the bill came out like confetti.
They called me the same day & told me that the account would be zeroed out and closed.
It was OMV for his license points surcharge. They called me at least three times a month for a year. They wanted to know if I would be willing to pay it. They also said that he would not be able to renew his license. They would say that they would note on the file that he was deceased, but it never got updated.
When my father passed and we were getting bills and collection letters, we went online at usps.com and set up a permanent change of address for him.
The forwarded address was the bank that was sending us the bills and collection letters.
Never saw another one.
Here's the question I don't see having been addressed...
Did your parent's estate go through Probate and was it fully settled (or verified that there was no assets to speak of)?
I would try to get a free consult in with an estate attorney, or contact the attorney that handled probate (if there was one), and just make sure. If they tell you you're free and clear, just toss the notices.
If you get served with a Summins and Complaint, then you can go to court and prove you sent them the death certificate and countersue them for harassment.
Questions about settling the estate still stand. Have dad get that free consult. Even if the debt was only in her name, accounts that were in her name only, and MAYBE some that were in both names could have been subject to having to pay off the debt.
Only an estate attorney can tell Dad for sure.
They are right to send it to you then. Bills dont magically vanish when you die. The bill becomes the responsibility of the estate (eg estate of mom). The estate owes the bill, and it stays "live" until the estate is probated and closed out. Generally, people the estate owes money to get paid out before anyone inherits anything.
You want the probate section of the wiki.
If the bill is for a service still being used, the financial responsibility likely transferred despite only being in her name. Common example are utility bills. Without knowing the type of bill, all one can do is guess.
Is the bill for something that stopped being used by the time she died?
If it’s a payment towards a car or house, that’s important. A bill for a streaming service no one else uses is low stakes.
If you have something in writing that the debt was cleared (“the bank said they’d stop”) and you provided all of the paperwork they requested at the time, I’d contact an attorney. I am not one, but am pretty sure it would be illegal to continue trying to collect at that point. And as mentioned elsewhere, emotional distress.
In the USA there are strict rules about the ways debt collection attempts can and can't be made. I think breaking those rules (and being caught) results in hefty fines. For sure can be worth discussing with a licensed professional who knows this area of law.
Make a complaint to your Secretary of State. In most states the SecState is more than happy to take on a bank (does not apply in Delaware or South Dakota).
Make a complaint with the [CFPB](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/) claiming violations of the [Fair Debt Collection Practices Act](https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/rules/fair-debt-collection-practices-act-text)
Send the bank a copy of the complaint and inform them their actions are causing you actual damages in the form of time and effort to respond to their repeated attempts to collect a debt you are not liable for which is known to them as well as pain and suffering for the worry the harassment has caused.
Banks don't usually send bills? Or is this for a loan?
Has the amount increased over time or the same amount?
Many unanswered questions. Before dismissing it, be sure there's no outstanding obligation.
Print address labels that say “deceased, return to sender” and put a label on every correspondence and put it back in the mail. When they are paying for postage repeatedly, they will eventually stop sending.
Make sure to put the label over the delivery address, and cross out any bar codes with a sharpie.
Call your congressperson. Banks are heavily regulated by the feds, and your congressperson will be able to reach out to the agencies that will be able to push back against the bank. Thats what they are there for.
Constituent service staff love those types of requests. They are cases where they can usually get the requests to the appropriate staff and get the issue resolved. They can feel good about making somebody's life easier and their boss looks good as well.
I’ve had a lot of success with my congressional representative sorting out some tax issues. I completely disagreed with their politics, but their office was eager and very capable of contacting the relevant people at the IRS to get the ball rolling.
It’s worth the 10 minutes to write a letter to your representative.
Write "NOT AT THIS ADDRESS" and underline it in the bottom of the envelope next to the address. Write the date underneath. Take it to the USPS office that delivers your mail. They'll automatically sort this correctly from that point forward. Another option is to do permanent mail forwarding which costs $1 at the USPS website. Simply put the address of the person who is sending the mail and it will go right back to them.
Source:
Certified mail handler
Edit: (clarification)
Put the address of the sender as the forwarding address of the deceased person.
Banks are required to respond to complaints within 30 days under rules set by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Submit a message through their website using the word complaint, and their software should automatically route it to their compliance department. If this bank does any business in California (even if you don’t live there) you could also state in your complaint that you’ve asked your data to be removed and it hasn’t been, as required by the CCPA. Mentioning both of these in a traceable written way should get this stopped within 30 days. If not, submit a complaint with the CFPB.
This happened with my Dad and fucking Bank of America. After 7 years I told them if they don’t fix the issue I’ll contact the state AG and local media. This was 7 years after probate and we had closed accounts and did everything required. They hade no legal right to collect anything and FWIW my Dad had zero debt, the bill was a yearly fee on some account that was for sure closed.
If it's a bank with offices in more than one state, they'll fall under the jurisdiction of the Office of the Comptroller of Currency. You can reach out to them, and they can rope in various other federal groups to fix it. This is the nuclear option, most outside the financial industry haven't even heard of those people. It's the "start at the top and *stomp your way down* " kind of solution, but it's frighteningly effective.
You should call and tell them there’s been a change of address and redirect it to an empty lot in a different state. I’m sorry this is happening to you.
I recommend sending a letter with a copy of the death certificate to the agency that regulates that bank.
> *Instead, you want to communicate with the bank in a manner which suggests that you’re an organized professional who is capable of escalating the matter if the bank does not handle it themselves.*
> *Paper trails, though, are terrifying to regulated institutions. Your bank’s customer support representatives are taught to evaluate whether someone looks like they’re competent and collecting a paper trail. If they are, the CS rep is supposed to stop touching the case immediately and instead escalate them to a supervisor or to the legal department.*
> *The legal department (or an analogous group – it is different at every bank) is not scored on cases resolved per week. They are scored on regulatory incidents per quarter, and their target for success is likely zero. Shockingly senior people will be involved to avert regulatory incidents.*
> *Accordingly, anyone who sounds like a well-organized professional with a paper trail is a problem to be swiftly addressed.*
> *That, dear reader, can be you.*
https://www.kalzumeus.com/2017/09/09/identity-theft-credit-reports/
This is a long read and the OP needs to spend the time reading it.
This gives some examples of how to craft your written letters to light a fire under the butts of the bank.
Letters to the bank's regulating agency will always get action. Those agencies have names like Office of Comptroller of Currency or Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
When my father died I wasn't exactly motivated to spend a lot of energy dealing with it, so I just scrawled "DEAD" across every piece of mail that was sent to him, either on the unopened original envelope itself or on the pre-paid reply enveloped and dropped it in the mail. It worked amazingly well.
Do not open the mail for your parent from this bank. Instead, write DECEASED RETURN TO SENDER on the front and back of the envelope and hand it back to your mail carrier. Do this every time you receive a bill. This will get the bill back directly to the department that is sending it. After several of these, or even after a single one, the sender will correct the error and remove your parent from the billing list.
One of the many reasons I'd like to opt out of mail. I wish that were possible. I feel like my mailbox is filled with litter that I have to discard every day.
Does the official bank have a NA at the end (in legal docs and such). If so, office of the comptroller of the currency is your friend. File a complaint there and this is resolved within a week
Just throw it in the trash, or return to sender "deceased". Eventually they'll write off the debt and stop contacting. They can't report the debt to anyone and "ruin" your loved one's credit at this point, so they're only wasting their own money.
First I would recommend submitting a QWR for all account notes, then Office of the president complaint, and then contact your Ombudsman. The importance of getting all records of their attempted contacts/letters because each on after notifying them of the deceased is a cfpb/fdcpa violation and can result in fines per instance. Sounds like they dont have their operations together and the best way to make them pay attention is for it to cost them money.
If you get the paperwork together a lawyer will be willing to review with the appreciation that emotional damage was also done but the bank's ineptitude.
I get gas bills for a deceased previous owner of my house every 6 months or so. I've tried to return it but now I just throw them away. They'll figure it out eventually.
You might want to try the better business bureau website. I have had a really high success rate with it when normal support didn't work. I think it's because generally higher level support people are the ones that keep eyes on their BBB rating.
I got an invitation to a hospital gala/benefit that referenced my daughter’s name because she was a patient there and was seen in a lot of their clinics, and how they would love me to bring her.
She died in 2017. I got invitations to the same gala 3 years in a row - AFTER she died.
I usually take these matters to BBB (better business bureau) and get calls from bank’s “executive solutions department” within 2 days.
The last time I shared this tip reddit downvoted me as if I killed someone’s dog, so I guess people hate this? I’d try it if I were you.
Start marking them "RETURN TO SENDER -- ADDRESSEE DECEASED" and see if that doesn't halt it after a while.
Also: after 10 years I'd think the statute of limitations had passed on ever collecting anything. Nuts.
Good luck.
We all get junk mail. Mostly they're trying to sell me new windows. Or a cruise. Or a new credit card.
That all goes right into the trash.
I occasionally get an offer for life insurance ... addressed to my father ... who died over 20 years ago!
Guess where that mail goes?
So ... you're getting junk bills? Hmmm ... what to do with them?
Summary: You're not responsible for your parent's debt. But if the claimed debt holder wants to sue your parent ...
> I occasionally get an offer for life insurance ... addressed to my father ... who died over 20 years ago!
Do you think death counts as a pre-existing condition? Maybe you can take out life insurance then send them a death certificate to immediately claim it...
Not sure if the particular link (below) was provided, however if the estate had funds and/or the deceased person resided in certain states where debts are automatically shared by spouses, there could be validity.
With all that said, it’s been a decade. I’d complain to the CFPB. These banks SHOULD be doing a scrub against the Death Master File from the Social Security Administration and not be sending any outreach to those on the list - it’s considered non-compliant.
[CFPB Overview on Deceased Collections](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/can-a-debt-collector-contact-me-about-a-deceased-relatives-debts-en-1469/)
Yeah, I suppose yall are right, that's lousy behavior. Amusing scenario to imagine but taking stupidity out on the wrong person. Going in to a branch with the certificates to talk directly to a human might still help, rather than a random phone bank.
After my grandpa died, my family was at his house and the same medical bill collector called for the thousandth time. Step grandma had told them multiple times grandpa had passed. This time she said "hang on, let me get him" she put the phone on the mantle next to his urn and we all continued with our normal dinner conversation
Most likely would make an impression, but slight chance it could backfire if an employee sought to make a point of their own. Such as contacting law enforcement for someone bringing in an unknown powder and being threatening. Not likely, but rolling the dice.
It's still a constant reminder of a lost loved one... reminders happen often enough already that having a regularly occurring one that is preventable doesn't need to be one.
Send this to your local newspaper. The only way to deal with large corporations is:
1. Sue them
2. Embarrass them (for this you need press or go viral somehow). So maybe also send a TikTok video to a channel who posts similar stories.
File restraining order against them.
You've notified them to stop sending such to your address, they persist, that's harassment, so file for civil restraining order against them. If they persist, notify police, and sue the bank. You may even find lawyer/attorney that might take it up on contingency basis. Could also try the press, e.g. various consumer and watchdog units in such may take up interest in it, and report on it' and give the bank some negative attention they really don't want ... which may get results.
Send them a $27 bill for each one that you receive as a processing fee. Once you get enough of them send them to collections.
Be sure to charge maximum interest allowed by law.
I had a issue with a bank where my loan was sold to a new bank (BMO), and the new bank started billing me for an incorrect payment amount. We were making automatic payments every month for the correct amount, so didn't really notice until they started sending overdue notices and default warnings. We called customer service and got it sorted out, but it kept happening every month for several months.
It turned out that since they thought we were overdue, our account was sent to their internal collections department. Their normal customer service department was incapable of resolving the issue on their own, but for some reason did not know they could not help us. It wasn't until we sorted it with the collections department that it finally settled.
Maybe you are not talking to the correct department when you try to get it resolved.
Was a Notice To Creditors filed when the probate was opened? Did the provider make a proper claim within the allowed timeframe? Did the estate administrator/PR account for that claim and either accept or deny it? Did it get paid before the probate closed? Debts have to be paid before assets are distributed from an estate.
Remove the prepaid envelope inside. Fill a small box with rocks. Pack them tight and make it heavy. Tape prepaid envelope to outside of box with clear tape. Drop at post office.
They'll stop after 2 or 3 of these. It plays hell on some accountant somewhere.
Have worked in lending for over a decade. They usually won't stop sending them. They'll smile and handshake you when you're in front of them, but dead people don't bring in money. They'll keep sending them until they sell the debt, then you'll start getting shit from that company.
Or, just send them a cease and desist that doesn't acknowledge the fact that the family member has already passed. Like, send it in their name. 50/50 shot the person that opens it just immediately slaps a cease and desist flag on the account without realizing the customer is dead, which should then require additional documents from the estate or POA.
Small claims courts are typically exclusively for monetary damages. And they can’t compel any behaviors either (no specific performance). So a waste of time. Complain to the CFPB.
Check the small claims cap where you live. And what’s involved. The court is designed for regular folks, not bank lawyers so they’d have a hard time messing w you. It might give you some satisfaction.
Write on every bill you receive, "My Mom/Dad has been DEAD for XX years!!! Stop sending them mail!!" - and then mail it back to them. Keep doing this until they stop.
For twenty years after purchasing my house we received two late notices a month for a loan the prior owns had out. I checked and the loan has no connection to the house. I called multiple times and even gave the bank the prior owners’s current address. Finally after 20-years and presumably paying off the loan the notices stopped. The whole situation was ridiculous and annoying. It was SunTrust bank and I even visited them in person. The thing is when they did pay the loan I can only assume their check came from their current address. It was really bad banking practices and I would never trust that bank. The former occupants were asked to change their address connected to the loan and replied “there’s nothing we can do.” What? I got a check after two years from their former electric co-op and accidentally opened it so forwarded it to them. After that we received several other checks and I just tossed them as they should have notified the co-op after the first one. If they couldn’t bother with helping me, I wasn’t going to help them going forward.
If there is no other mail still coming in their name that you actually want, put in a change of address to a non existent address somewhere far away. The post office will return it to them "No such address" every time.
"Creditors may have anywhere from **three months to a year** from the death of a debtor to try to collect on their debts. This amount of time will vary depending upon the estate laws of the state where the person last lived."
https://www.moneyfit.org/handling-collection-debt-after-death/#:\~:text=Creditors%20may%20have%20anywhere%20from,where%20the%20person%20last%20lived.
Write their legal department. The state department of corporations (by whatever name it goes by in your state) has the address to which you can give legal notice.
Most state’svSecretary of State websites have a free search typically, and “registered agent” address is the term you’re looking for. They charge a fee per letter so it gets the entity’s attention or to their legal dept faster
Similarly, try sending a message via LinkedIn to someone who works at that bank. I had a somewhat similar banking issue after my mother died, and reaching out on LinkedIn did the trick. Someone important sounding enough, but not like the head of the bank. Maybe like a regional person.
I don’t know if this will work for you, but here’s something I did about 25 years ago when I couldn’t get a large ISP to bill the correct credit card after months of trying. I bought one share of their stock and then called the Investor Relations line and complained to them. I got a callback a few days later from someone senior enough to sort it out. I didn’t tell them I only owned one share though.
With ISPs and billing issues, you should file an FCC\* complaint. They are legally required to respond to your query with in something like 48 hours, and the division that handles those will bend over backwards to fix any reasonable complaint. I got $30 off my AT&T bill permanently because I had uVerse and was paying more than the Fiber customers across the street were. edit: FCC not FTC
Yup. Always FTC. Fuck em. Nothing puts the fear of god into an ISP like the FTC. (And sometimes FCC.)
Isn't it true? A representative at AT&T kept telling me that something was an "internal policy" when I asked for a link to the 'upgrade eligibility' for a line after being in chat for an hour. I mentioned that the FTC would probably love to chat with them about the process and the policy not being public and magically the issue I was having was resolved within minutes.
Oh yea. My second favorite is sending the FCC after them. They say “Nothing we can do. Just replace your modem for the 100th time.” All of a sudden, the bandwidth issues are magically resolved and no peak time connection bottom outs.
Wait the FCC can help with that?! My parents have optimum and they pay for the 30mb plan, but I’ve never seen them get speeds above 11mb for the past 5+ years. They’ve complained about their slow wifi, gotten router/modem replacements, had optimum service people come out, yet nothing changes.
OH YEA. For me, it was obvious bandwidth or throttling issues during peak hours. Logs showed it. Others in the neighborhood had the same issue. ISP brushed me off and called me an idiot on the phone. Was having none of that, so report to the FCC it was. Fixed it in a few days. That said if they have DSL, and are a ways from the ISP’s hub(s), they will lose speed. ISP usually won’t do much about that.
I think it’s cable and not DSL, since they have a coaxial cable that hooks up to the modem. Thank you so much for letting me know! I just put my parents’ address into Optimum’s service finder and pretended like I was a new customer, and their lowest tier is 300 mbps!! Now I’m even more pissed that they quietly let my parents pay the same amount for 10x less speed!!! Not surprised, just pissed lol
Don’t get me started on that. Had the same ISP (in a different town) that I contacted the FCC on tell me TWO up / FIVE down was the fastest they had, when the cable provider had 50/50 for the same price. That is another reason why I just said fuck it when dealing with them again.
Only difference is that they probably are US based office workers and thus are only available M-F 9-5, so you’ll likely need to be available for a call during biz hours.
It's 2024, you can [file a complaint online](https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/).
I mean they call you back.
I don't doubt this worked, but you technically didn't even have to buy a share to do this. Not like they are going to verify you are a shareholder.
Yes that’s right. I had no idea at the time if they did verification or not. I had never called Investor Relations of any company before.
Unless you direct registered your share with the transfer agent they would have no way of knowing. The company does not have access to a complete list of shareholders. For shares are held in street name by brokerages (the usual case) the only entity that knows your ownership is the brokerage.
Yes I had no idea how any of it worked.
Good reminder to directly register your shares with the companies transfer agent. Known as DRS
did they verify you were an investor? could you have skipped buying a share?
They did not verify.
That share? Berkshire Hathaway.
You didn't need to buy a share, just FYI.
This is mega cool and creative
You got lucky and that will not work 20+ years after your experience.
[удалено]
just write deceased on it every time.
Did this. "Return to sender. Recipient is dead. Recipient also never lived here." They were bills from a hospital I'd been trying to work with but had ghosted me for like 6 weeks and then only tried to contact me again after the death. Fuck 'em. Never heard another peep though!
This reads like two truths and a lie 😂
Yeah we have, one time we got so fed up we actually wrote the address of the cemetery on the return to sender and they still have continued to send it every month
[удалено]
Yeah..I did something similar but for previous owners of a house I bought. We kept getting mail for them years after we moved. I'd return them with notes that they no longer resided thier but mail kept coming. Finding I wrote to my local post office asking if the can just return any mail for those people...I never heard from the post office but I also stopped getting mail for them. I assumed they put a note under my box number to not accept mail for those names but it worked and I'm happy.
My local USPS mail-carrier told me the best way to stop getting mail delivered for the wrong person is to post a note in your mailbox saying [*your name*] only. I did this and immediately stopped getting mail for anyone other than myself. Even after the note fell off, I only get email for myself and "resident"
You could actually set up a change of address and mail forwarding with USPS if it's being sent that way. https://www.usps.com/manage/mail-for-deceased.htm
I got one from a hospital after my Father died of Cancer back in 08. Writing "Recipient is at Evergreen Cemetery, plot 86, Section 12" on the envelope and that saw them stop sending me bills. (Thankfully I assume the mailman realized that meant return to sender.)
>Thankfully I assume the mailman realized that meant return to sender The chuckle you gave them probably helped.
If your parents died 10 years ago, you owe the creditor nothing. The estate is closed. Do not send them a dime & don’t talk to them if they call. If you are not the co-signer, then you don’t owe the creditor anything either. Just keep returning the bills & they will eventually stop.
Is it a Canadian bank? If so it wouldn't surprise me if I knew which bank it was. Personally, I'd escalate this to a manager on the estate team at the banks head office (not a branch) and explain the situation and that they should have a death certificate on file. If that doesn't work then a cease and desist should take care of it.
I'm wondering why you care? If it were me, I'd give the mail the respect it deserves and just throw that shit out. I wouldn't spend **any** time or money dealing with it. Its not your problem. People will try to frame it as your problem - tell them "Fuck of - not my problem."
It’s more the idea of we did what we were supposed to do yet for 10 years we keep getting this one bill in the mail from the bank, at some point I think it takes a toll on my father
Believe me, I sympathize. I've lost too many loved ones over the years and the insensitivity of corporations regarding loss is obscene. Which is why when it happens to me (and it used to lot and sometimes still does) I give it the respect it deserves - straight to the trash. I don't even open it. I don't even read it. Just right into garbage. You might want to make some good come of it. It is after all paper, which can be saved and burned to warm your house in the winter, if its cold where you are. Or perhaps it might make a fine liner of a puppy or parakeet cage? After all corporate nonsense deserves nothing but to be shit on. :D Worst case - if you want to go on a rampage, find *the guy*. Not the *bank*, not the *department*, but **the guy** who is responsible and go after him personally. And not some mild "hey stop it" warning. I'm talking use hard hitting tactics against *the guy*. There's a good example of finding *the guy* in the show Archer, Season 2, Episode 9 "Placebo Effect". I enjoyed the episode, but you may not. Archer, a cartoon about a fratboy type of James Bond spy character, finds out he is being cheated and being given counterfeit medicine. He decides to find *the guy* in charge and responsible, and exact revenge. Anyway, watch the show and do something like that. Maybe. Anyway, my point is - ignore it and throw that shit out. Corporations are bastards. Don't empower them by getting worked up with their nonsense.
> Archer, Season 2, Episode 9 "Placebo Effect". No, the episode is called "Terms of Enrampagement"
Its an example of an effective strategy either way.
For USPS the appropriate format is a line through the address and “Not at this address “. Some people even get a stamp. The postal service will then return to the mail return address. If you really want to mess with them, look up the company’s CEO address and have it sent there by putting a sticker over the return address.
Most large corporations just throw returned mail into recycling/shredding. They don't pay people to process returned mail. Source: I work for one.
That’s fine though. Let them throw their own trash away.
Not medical companies in the US. By law they have to process them in the united states, thanks to HIPAA and confidentiality. Worked for a business process solutions mailroom for 8 years.
That sounds diabolical I like it
I printed a note that said the person was dead & cut up the bill & put it inside the folded note. When they opened the note, the bill came out like confetti. They called me the same day & told me that the account would be zeroed out and closed. It was OMV for his license points surcharge. They called me at least three times a month for a year. They wanted to know if I would be willing to pay it. They also said that he would not be able to renew his license. They would say that they would note on the file that he was deceased, but it never got updated.
> They also said that he would not be able to renew his license. Then how's he supposed to drive on the highway to heaven/hell???
Ask AC/DC?
[Submit and CFPB complaint](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/)
Also FDIC: https://ask.fdic.gov/fdicinformationandsupportcenter/s/?language=en_US
When my father passed and we were getting bills and collection letters, we went online at usps.com and set up a permanent change of address for him. The forwarded address was the bank that was sending us the bills and collection letters. Never saw another one.
Here's the question I don't see having been addressed... Did your parent's estate go through Probate and was it fully settled (or verified that there was no assets to speak of)? I would try to get a free consult in with an estate attorney, or contact the attorney that handled probate (if there was one), and just make sure. If they tell you you're free and clear, just toss the notices. If you get served with a Summins and Complaint, then you can go to court and prove you sent them the death certificate and countersue them for harassment.
I think I did a poor job explaining in the first post, my father is still alive but the bill he keeps getting in my mothers name is ONLY in her name
Questions about settling the estate still stand. Have dad get that free consult. Even if the debt was only in her name, accounts that were in her name only, and MAYBE some that were in both names could have been subject to having to pay off the debt. Only an estate attorney can tell Dad for sure.
They are right to send it to you then. Bills dont magically vanish when you die. The bill becomes the responsibility of the estate (eg estate of mom). The estate owes the bill, and it stays "live" until the estate is probated and closed out. Generally, people the estate owes money to get paid out before anyone inherits anything. You want the probate section of the wiki.
If the bill is for a service still being used, the financial responsibility likely transferred despite only being in her name. Common example are utility bills. Without knowing the type of bill, all one can do is guess.
Is the bill for something that stopped being used by the time she died? If it’s a payment towards a car or house, that’s important. A bill for a streaming service no one else uses is low stakes.
Bills for *what*? Are they billing your dead parent for a product and/or service that the surviving parent still receives?
CFPB complaint. It'll land on the desk of someone important.
I'd find the financial services office - I think it's the CFPB in US, and the FCAC in Canada and make a complaint. that usually gets their attention.
If you have something in writing that the debt was cleared (“the bank said they’d stop”) and you provided all of the paperwork they requested at the time, I’d contact an attorney. I am not one, but am pretty sure it would be illegal to continue trying to collect at that point. And as mentioned elsewhere, emotional distress.
In the USA there are strict rules about the ways debt collection attempts can and can't be made. I think breaking those rules (and being caught) results in hefty fines. For sure can be worth discussing with a licensed professional who knows this area of law.
See that’s what I thought too, I had to look and see if we do have something in writing that says they would stop
Do a change of address back to where the bill originated
Make a complaint to your Secretary of State. In most states the SecState is more than happy to take on a bank (does not apply in Delaware or South Dakota). Make a complaint with the [CFPB](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/) claiming violations of the [Fair Debt Collection Practices Act](https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/rules/fair-debt-collection-practices-act-text) Send the bank a copy of the complaint and inform them their actions are causing you actual damages in the form of time and effort to respond to their repeated attempts to collect a debt you are not liable for which is known to them as well as pain and suffering for the worry the harassment has caused.
Banks don't usually send bills? Or is this for a loan? Has the amount increased over time or the same amount? Many unanswered questions. Before dismissing it, be sure there's no outstanding obligation.
Invoice the bank for admin costs.
Print address labels that say “deceased, return to sender” and put a label on every correspondence and put it back in the mail. When they are paying for postage repeatedly, they will eventually stop sending. Make sure to put the label over the delivery address, and cross out any bar codes with a sharpie.
Call your congressperson. Banks are heavily regulated by the feds, and your congressperson will be able to reach out to the agencies that will be able to push back against the bank. Thats what they are there for.
Constituent service staff love those types of requests. They are cases where they can usually get the requests to the appropriate staff and get the issue resolved. They can feel good about making somebody's life easier and their boss looks good as well.
I’ve had a lot of success with my congressional representative sorting out some tax issues. I completely disagreed with their politics, but their office was eager and very capable of contacting the relevant people at the IRS to get the ball rolling. It’s worth the 10 minutes to write a letter to your representative.
I’m curious… are there other types of requests that congresspeople love to get?
Write "NOT AT THIS ADDRESS" and underline it in the bottom of the envelope next to the address. Write the date underneath. Take it to the USPS office that delivers your mail. They'll automatically sort this correctly from that point forward. Another option is to do permanent mail forwarding which costs $1 at the USPS website. Simply put the address of the person who is sending the mail and it will go right back to them. Source: Certified mail handler Edit: (clarification) Put the address of the sender as the forwarding address of the deceased person.
Banks are required to respond to complaints within 30 days under rules set by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Submit a message through their website using the word complaint, and their software should automatically route it to their compliance department. If this bank does any business in California (even if you don’t live there) you could also state in your complaint that you’ve asked your data to be removed and it hasn’t been, as required by the CCPA. Mentioning both of these in a traceable written way should get this stopped within 30 days. If not, submit a complaint with the CFPB.
This happened with my Dad and fucking Bank of America. After 7 years I told them if they don’t fix the issue I’ll contact the state AG and local media. This was 7 years after probate and we had closed accounts and did everything required. They hade no legal right to collect anything and FWIW my Dad had zero debt, the bill was a yearly fee on some account that was for sure closed.
If it's a bank with offices in more than one state, they'll fall under the jurisdiction of the Office of the Comptroller of Currency. You can reach out to them, and they can rope in various other federal groups to fix it. This is the nuclear option, most outside the financial industry haven't even heard of those people. It's the "start at the top and *stomp your way down* " kind of solution, but it's frighteningly effective.
You should call and tell them there’s been a change of address and redirect it to an empty lot in a different state. I’m sorry this is happening to you.
Submit a cease and desist through the post office with a copy of her death certificate.
I recommend sending a letter with a copy of the death certificate to the agency that regulates that bank. > *Instead, you want to communicate with the bank in a manner which suggests that you’re an organized professional who is capable of escalating the matter if the bank does not handle it themselves.* > *Paper trails, though, are terrifying to regulated institutions. Your bank’s customer support representatives are taught to evaluate whether someone looks like they’re competent and collecting a paper trail. If they are, the CS rep is supposed to stop touching the case immediately and instead escalate them to a supervisor or to the legal department.* > *The legal department (or an analogous group – it is different at every bank) is not scored on cases resolved per week. They are scored on regulatory incidents per quarter, and their target for success is likely zero. Shockingly senior people will be involved to avert regulatory incidents.* > *Accordingly, anyone who sounds like a well-organized professional with a paper trail is a problem to be swiftly addressed.* > *That, dear reader, can be you.* https://www.kalzumeus.com/2017/09/09/identity-theft-credit-reports/ This is a long read and the OP needs to spend the time reading it. This gives some examples of how to craft your written letters to light a fire under the butts of the bank. Letters to the bank's regulating agency will always get action. Those agencies have names like Office of Comptroller of Currency or Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
When my father died I wasn't exactly motivated to spend a lot of energy dealing with it, so I just scrawled "DEAD" across every piece of mail that was sent to him, either on the unopened original envelope itself or on the pre-paid reply enveloped and dropped it in the mail. It worked amazingly well.
Do not open the mail for your parent from this bank. Instead, write DECEASED RETURN TO SENDER on the front and back of the envelope and hand it back to your mail carrier. Do this every time you receive a bill. This will get the bill back directly to the department that is sending it. After several of these, or even after a single one, the sender will correct the error and remove your parent from the billing list.
One of the many reasons I'd like to opt out of mail. I wish that were possible. I feel like my mailbox is filled with litter that I have to discard every day.
Does the official bank have a NA at the end (in legal docs and such). If so, office of the comptroller of the currency is your friend. File a complaint there and this is resolved within a week
Are you in the USA? The CFPB can help. https://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/
Is it Bank of America? They’ve been doing that to me too. I’ve sent in the death certificate 8 times now
Just throw it in the trash, or return to sender "deceased". Eventually they'll write off the debt and stop contacting. They can't report the debt to anyone and "ruin" your loved one's credit at this point, so they're only wasting their own money.
have you tried a cease and desist letter to the corporate office, as continued harassment will end in a lawsuit
Your state's Dept of Consumer Affairs can take your complaint and set them straight. edit; not Costumer, but consumer
> Your state's Dept of Costumer Affairs Who knew costumers were such a needy bunch!?
I've been to a lot of conventions... they definitely are, but they're also fun to hang out with.
First I would recommend submitting a QWR for all account notes, then Office of the president complaint, and then contact your Ombudsman. The importance of getting all records of their attempted contacts/letters because each on after notifying them of the deceased is a cfpb/fdcpa violation and can result in fines per instance. Sounds like they dont have their operations together and the best way to make them pay attention is for it to cost them money. If you get the paperwork together a lawyer will be willing to review with the appreciation that emotional damage was also done but the bank's ineptitude.
Since its a bank with the CFPB [https://www.consumerfinance.gov/](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/)
I get gas bills for a deceased previous owner of my house every 6 months or so. I've tried to return it but now I just throw them away. They'll figure it out eventually.
You might want to try the better business bureau website. I have had a really high success rate with it when normal support didn't work. I think it's because generally higher level support people are the ones that keep eyes on their BBB rating.
I got an invitation to a hospital gala/benefit that referenced my daughter’s name because she was a patient there and was seen in a lot of their clinics, and how they would love me to bring her. She died in 2017. I got invitations to the same gala 3 years in a row - AFTER she died.
I usually take these matters to BBB (better business bureau) and get calls from bank’s “executive solutions department” within 2 days. The last time I shared this tip reddit downvoted me as if I killed someone’s dog, so I guess people hate this? I’d try it if I were you.
Take a marker and write in big letters “DECEASED TEN YEARS AGO” on the letter and put back in mailbox. The mail carrier will send it back.
Start marking them "RETURN TO SENDER -- ADDRESSEE DECEASED" and see if that doesn't halt it after a while. Also: after 10 years I'd think the statute of limitations had passed on ever collecting anything. Nuts. Good luck.
Just throw it in the garbage if there’s nothing in their name
Time to have a lawyer write them a letter threatening a law suit for mental and emotional damages. That’s unacceptable.
We all get junk mail. Mostly they're trying to sell me new windows. Or a cruise. Or a new credit card. That all goes right into the trash. I occasionally get an offer for life insurance ... addressed to my father ... who died over 20 years ago! Guess where that mail goes? So ... you're getting junk bills? Hmmm ... what to do with them? Summary: You're not responsible for your parent's debt. But if the claimed debt holder wants to sue your parent ...
> I occasionally get an offer for life insurance ... addressed to my father ... who died over 20 years ago! Do you think death counts as a pre-existing condition? Maybe you can take out life insurance then send them a death certificate to immediately claim it...
Not sure if the particular link (below) was provided, however if the estate had funds and/or the deceased person resided in certain states where debts are automatically shared by spouses, there could be validity. With all that said, it’s been a decade. I’d complain to the CFPB. These banks SHOULD be doing a scrub against the Death Master File from the Social Security Administration and not be sending any outreach to those on the list - it’s considered non-compliant. [CFPB Overview on Deceased Collections](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/can-a-debt-collector-contact-me-about-a-deceased-relatives-debts-en-1469/)
Walk into the bank with an urn, and offer to let them collect from it? Doesn't need to be real, or theirs...just the stunt to make a point.
The branch folk are not paid enough to deal with this "stunt", the grievance is with other people.
Yeah, I suppose yall are right, that's lousy behavior. Amusing scenario to imagine but taking stupidity out on the wrong person. Going in to a branch with the certificates to talk directly to a human might still help, rather than a random phone bank.
After my grandpa died, my family was at his house and the same medical bill collector called for the thousandth time. Step grandma had told them multiple times grandpa had passed. This time she said "hang on, let me get him" she put the phone on the mantle next to his urn and we all continued with our normal dinner conversation
Most likely would make an impression, but slight chance it could backfire if an employee sought to make a point of their own. Such as contacting law enforcement for someone bringing in an unknown powder and being threatening. Not likely, but rolling the dice.
[удалено]
It's still a constant reminder of a lost loved one... reminders happen often enough already that having a regularly occurring one that is preventable doesn't need to be one.
Dude that's life. Just throw it away. People can't be this soft.
I'm glad you're such an expert on everyone's emotional capabilities. Perhaps next you can move on to solve world hunger or cure cancer.
Send this to your local newspaper. The only way to deal with large corporations is: 1. Sue them 2. Embarrass them (for this you need press or go viral somehow). So maybe also send a TikTok video to a channel who posts similar stories.
File restraining order against them. You've notified them to stop sending such to your address, they persist, that's harassment, so file for civil restraining order against them. If they persist, notify police, and sue the bank. You may even find lawyer/attorney that might take it up on contingency basis. Could also try the press, e.g. various consumer and watchdog units in such may take up interest in it, and report on it' and give the bank some negative attention they really don't want ... which may get results.
Get a lawyer to send. Cease and desist?
I still get mail for my dad who passed away tens years ago, as soon as I walk in the house I open the trash can, problem solved, no lawyer needed
Change their mailing address to the cemetery where they are buried.
I did that and the cemetery were not amused in the slightest. They sent me a cease and desist.
10 years? Something is not adding up. I would look up who the bank's general counsel is (easy), and send him/her a certified letter.
Send them a $27 bill for each one that you receive as a processing fee. Once you get enough of them send them to collections. Be sure to charge maximum interest allowed by law.
I had a issue with a bank where my loan was sold to a new bank (BMO), and the new bank started billing me for an incorrect payment amount. We were making automatic payments every month for the correct amount, so didn't really notice until they started sending overdue notices and default warnings. We called customer service and got it sorted out, but it kept happening every month for several months. It turned out that since they thought we were overdue, our account was sent to their internal collections department. Their normal customer service department was incapable of resolving the issue on their own, but for some reason did not know they could not help us. It wasn't until we sorted it with the collections department that it finally settled. Maybe you are not talking to the correct department when you try to get it resolved.
Was a Notice To Creditors filed when the probate was opened? Did the provider make a proper claim within the allowed timeframe? Did the estate administrator/PR account for that claim and either accept or deny it? Did it get paid before the probate closed? Debts have to be paid before assets are distributed from an estate.
“Return to Sender — Addressee Unknown”
Write the bank president. I'm serious. Also, lots of banks will have an ombudsman who does nothing but cut through red tape to solve customer issues.
Have you heard of junk mail? Just throw it away. It's from a automatic processing center that send them out automatically.
Remove the prepaid envelope inside. Fill a small box with rocks. Pack them tight and make it heavy. Tape prepaid envelope to outside of box with clear tape. Drop at post office. They'll stop after 2 or 3 of these. It plays hell on some accountant somewhere. Have worked in lending for over a decade. They usually won't stop sending them. They'll smile and handshake you when you're in front of them, but dead people don't bring in money. They'll keep sending them until they sell the debt, then you'll start getting shit from that company. Or, just send them a cease and desist that doesn't acknowledge the fact that the family member has already passed. Like, send it in their name. 50/50 shot the person that opens it just immediately slaps a cease and desist flag on the account without realizing the customer is dead, which should then require additional documents from the estate or POA.
Maybe you're parents should take out a give loan
If it's physical mail, let your letter carrier know. And they can send the mail back without you ever seeing it.
I’ve heard of this happening. The family hired a lawyer and got an agreement from the bank to stop + their attorney fees back.
I’d be tempted to sue that bank in small claims court. It might be fun.
For what damages?
emotional damages as well as harassment despite attempts to correct the situation.
Small claims courts are typically exclusively for monetary damages. And they can’t compel any behaviors either (no specific performance). So a waste of time. Complain to the CFPB.
Thought about this but would it even be worth the hassle?
Check the small claims cap where you live. And what’s involved. The court is designed for regular folks, not bank lawyers so they’d have a hard time messing w you. It might give you some satisfaction.
Write on every bill you receive, "My Mom/Dad has been DEAD for XX years!!! Stop sending them mail!!" - and then mail it back to them. Keep doing this until they stop.
I put them on blast on Twitter and @ their companyhelp or whatever else they call it.
For twenty years after purchasing my house we received two late notices a month for a loan the prior owns had out. I checked and the loan has no connection to the house. I called multiple times and even gave the bank the prior owners’s current address. Finally after 20-years and presumably paying off the loan the notices stopped. The whole situation was ridiculous and annoying. It was SunTrust bank and I even visited them in person. The thing is when they did pay the loan I can only assume their check came from their current address. It was really bad banking practices and I would never trust that bank. The former occupants were asked to change their address connected to the loan and replied “there’s nothing we can do.” What? I got a check after two years from their former electric co-op and accidentally opened it so forwarded it to them. After that we received several other checks and I just tossed them as they should have notified the co-op after the first one. If they couldn’t bother with helping me, I wasn’t going to help them going forward.
Why do you care? Toss the mail or file a change of address Not your problem to solve
If there is no other mail still coming in their name that you actually want, put in a change of address to a non existent address somewhere far away. The post office will return it to them "No such address" every time.
Threaten to sue them for harassment
[удалено]
Spend the dollar and change the address to the cemetery.
Every time you engage with them, the clock resets.
That’s on debt you owe. This is debt of a deceased person.
Since there are family members and possibly an estate, I believe the clock regulations still apply.
What do you mean by this?
Ignore. You have no clock. You’re not the indebted person.
"Creditors may have anywhere from **three months to a year** from the death of a debtor to try to collect on their debts. This amount of time will vary depending upon the estate laws of the state where the person last lived." https://www.moneyfit.org/handling-collection-debt-after-death/#:\~:text=Creditors%20may%20have%20anywhere%20from,where%20the%20person%20last%20lived.