On April 30, 2018, Ms. Deng from Pingli County, Shaanxi Province, suffered a great change in her life, and her husband unfortunately passed away. In addition to her grief, Ms. Deng discovered that her husband had a deposit of more than 130,000 yuan in the Agricultural Bank of China before his death. In the past two years, she went to the bank several times to confirm, and it was not until December 2021 that the bank also issued a deposit inquiry information to confirm that the deposit still existed.
However, when Ms. Tang went to the bank to withdraw money in February 2022 with the relevant procedures, she was told that the money had been withdrawn and the account had been cancelled. Ms. Deng was very confused and helpless in the face of this sudden change, after all, she had gone through the notarization procedures for this purpose, and the bank also had a check record showing that the deposit existed.
Ms. Deng recalled that in November 2020, she inquired about the deposit of more than 130,000 yuan in her husband's account at the bank, and issued a receipt of inquiry according to the bank's requirements. In December of the same year, she inquired again, and the bank staff told her that "the money can't run, don't worry". Subsequently, Ms. Tang followed the instructions of the bank and applied for inheritance notarization with her family at a notary office.
However, even with the notarial deed in hand, Ms. Deng was still unable to withdraw the money smoothly. In December 2021, the inquiry results issued by the bank showed that the account balance was still more than 130,000 yuan.
On February 23, 2022, when Ms. Deng went to the Zhenping County Branch of the Agricultural Bank of China to check her deceased husband's account, she was informed that the account with the tail number 0072 had been closed and the funds in the account had been withdrawn. This contradicts the previous information that the bank has repeatedly confirmed that there is more than 130,000 yuan in the account, which makes Ms. Deng feel very confused and uneasy.
On June 27, 2022, in order to further prove her claim, Ms. Deng provided the latest deposit inquiry application to the Red Star News reporter. In this application, the original account information with the tail number 0072 is missing, which means that there is no record of this account in the banking system. It is worth noting that this inquiry application is stamped with the special business seal of "Agricultural Bank of China Co., Ltd. Zhenping County Branch", which confirms the authenticity of the inquiry results.
Ms. Tang was puzzled by this, and she did not understand why the results of the same bank's inquiries were so different, and why notarized deposits would disappear. Since 2020, the issue has remained unresolved, and the bank advised her to resolve it through legal channels. Ms. Deng had encountered a bank staff offering to compensate 2,000 yuan privately, but this obviously did not solve the problem.
In June this year, the staff of the bank involved visited Ms. Deng's home late at night to try to negotiate a settlement, but Ms. Deng did not open the door because she was worried about her safety.
Regarding this matter, the vice president of the Pingli branch of the Agricultural Bank of China said that it had been handed over to the superior branch and was unwilling to talk about it. The person in charge of the office of the Ankang branch admitted that it was caused by the mistake of the bank staff, and was communicating with Ms. Deng's family, and if she was not satisfied, she could solve it through legal means. As for the actual amount in the account and why it was cancelled, the person in charge said that it was inconvenient to disclose the privacy involved, and the specific situation is still under investigation.
This series of events revealed vulnerabilities and miscommunication in banking services.
Ms. Tang's experience reminds us that we should be more cautious and timely when dealing with important financial matters such as inheritances. Here are a few tips that may help you avoid similar problems in the future:
- Transfer funds in a timely manner: Once the inheritance rights are clear, especially after the notarization process is completed, it is best to find a way to transfer the funds to your own account as soon as possible to avoid possible account management problems in the future.
- Maintain all documents and records: When dealing with an estate or other significant financial affairs, it is important to keep photocopies or electronic copies of all relevant documents, including but not limited to bank enquiry records, notarized documents, transaction vouchers, etc., which will become strong evidence in the event of a dispute.
- Know and exercise your rights: As a depositor, you have the right to know your account details, including balances, transaction history, and more. If you encounter improper operation or service problems with the bank, you should raise a question in time and ask for a reasonable explanation or compensation.
- Seek professional advice: Banks have a complex set of internal processes and regulations when dealing with inheritances, and if any one of these processes goes wrong, it can lead to blocked withdrawals. When dealing with complex financial issues, especially when it comes to inheritance, tax planning, etc., it is advisable to consult a lawyer, accountant and other professionals who can provide professional guidance to help you avoid risks.