Local bank merger leaves some customers frustratedby John Paul (jpaul@wsbt.com)
MFB became Mutual Bank on Friday, July 18, 2008. The transition has not been smooth for many customers. (WSBT photo) MISHAWAKA — The merger between MFB and Mutual Bank became official Friday. But the changeover hasn't been smooth for everyone. Multimedia Officials at Mutual Bank say their phone lines have been jammed with customers calling about their debit and credit cards, checks, and accounts since the merger went through. Many customers tried using their debit and credit cards, only to find out they were declined. That wasn't the only problem. Delivery of new cards was also delayed. For some customers though, the changeover has been a pleasant one. “Just some minor changes that's all,” said Mutual Bank customer Lisa Bartkowiak said. “It's been great.” “We’ve experienced no problems with the accounts or anything,” agreed customer Bill Maines. For other customers, days after the merger, business at the bank left them frustrated and full of questions. The merger has changed online banking, introduced new credit and debit cards, and forced customers to get brand new bank account numbers. “They changed their account numbers and all of this happened so fast,” said Mutual Bank customer Heather Hahn. “They gave us the letter one day, like Monday, and then by Friday I got my debit card.” “It's kind of embarrassing, because you know you have money in your account and you go to use it, it gets declined,” said customer Jennifer North. “It’s like why did it decline? They told me I could use it!” Chuck Viater, Regional President of Mutual Bank, said a lot of confusion occurred during the mailing process. “I think a lot of people saw that and didn't realize it was from our new organization in anticipation of this weekend coming,” said Viater. “And they didn't recognize they needed to hold on to that.” The bank says it mailed notices in June. But as of Wednesday some customers still don't have access to their cards or money. “If it didn't go as they had hoped, then it didn't go as we had hoped,” said Viater. “If I don't receive anything by this week, I think I am going to switch banks because it's getting frustrating,” said North. With fears of losing customers, Mutual said its operators and tellers will do their best to help make this a smooth transition. The bank is encouraging customers to call their Customer Support Center at 1-800-382-6031 or visit one of their branches. Friday, Jul 25 at 8:45 PM customer wrote ...I have been through several mergers; do you really think the bank is not going to make things right? The bank will be fine. Some people just have lots of issues that they make for themselves. Friday, Jul 25 at 8:43 PM ANONYMOUS wrote ...I THINK WSBT NEWS SHOULD TAKE THESE COMMENTS TO MFB BANK AND ASK THEM ABOUT WHAT THEY THINK OF THE COMMENTS THAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT THE PROBLEM THEY HAVE.AND HOW CAN THEY HELP THE POEPLE. Friday, Jul 25 at 3:57 PM SB Local wrote ...For you all that want to go to TCU. Have you considered Notre Dame Federal Credit Union? They are the best havent had any problems and they really care about their memebers too. Friday, Jul 25 at 12:20 PM CUSTOMER NOT HAPPY wrote ...I AM SO FRASTRATED ABOUT MFB I CANT WAIT TO GET MY MONEY WHEN THAT MONEY GET IN MY HANDS I WILL TAKE IT TO TCU BANK I KNOW I CAN TRUST THEM WITH MY MONEY I SISTER BANKS THERE FOR 18 YEARS NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH HER MONEY SHE TOLD ME THAT THEY ARE SO FRIENDLY AND THEY CARE ABOUT AND YOUR THEY WILL HELP YOU WITH ANY PROBLEM YOU HAVE ABOUT YOUR ACCOUT THEY ARE THERE COME PEOPLE GO TO TCU BANK NOW BEFORE IT TO LATE. Friday, Jul 25 at 11:40 AM get your facts straight wrote ...TCU is not a bank, people. Its a credit union. There are many differences. If customer service is your #1 priority, then a credit union may be the choice for you. Banks can generally offer you more options, variety in accounts, types of investment possibilities, etc. But heck, why should we even bother to know what we're talking about when we post on public message boards!? Try a large national bank like Chase or Bank of America, then you get the best of both worlds. Friday, Jul 25 at 11:25 AM 30 year customer wrote ...Most of you sound pretty helpless. One day of minor problems not that big of a deal in the scheme of things. Many of you sound as if you have never had any other hiccups in life...I have found the conversion slightly frustrating, but the staff has been helpful and friendly--as always. Friday, Jul 25 at 10:57 AM Mr. Obvious wrote ...I think I'd sleep rather well if I just made millions. Thursday, Jul 24 at 10:32 PM former employee wrote ...Way to go MFB! I don't know how Marien and Viater can sleep nights. Don't choke on your millions you made out of selling a good bank. Thursday, Jul 24 at 9:43 PM BOA SUCKS wrote ...I switched from BOA to TCU. Bank of America will post debits in the order to try to overdraw your account. The people there are rude and don't listen to anything you say. Had no problems with TCU and they have never left me disappointed. Thursday, Jul 24 at 9:38 PM satisfied customer wrote ...All you have to do is let them know how many checks you have left and they will replace them all free of charge. A few weeks back when the 1st source atm mess happened MFB put my money back the same day I notified them. Others I know that bank elsewhere were not as lucky and had to wait several days. Thursday, Jul 24 at 9:31 PM up set customer wrote ...i will tell you one thing tcu is the best bank in town my uncle as a account there for 16 years never had a problem they are a good bank so get ready poeple and pack your wallet and go there they are very nice poeple there so take your money there start now before something happen to money thats if you still have some left from this bank . good luck to every one out there i am also one of these poeple that will go to tcu have a good night i know i will when i get my money out of mfb . Thursday, Jul 24 at 8:51 PM K wrote ...TCU offers free checking to anyone with direct deposit. You also get the first box of cks free and they offer a debit card that pays a rebate!!! Love TCU!!! Thursday, Jul 24 at 6:25 PM marilyn of mishawaka wrote ...i call mfb today to ask about my accout and they did not have answer all what i dont understand is that mfb should of think about how many poeple are up set over this what i dont understand is they should of sent out the new accout number 60 days before they change. i fill sorry for the social security office because they dont have the new number to send checks to so they better make sure that people gets there money or there will be a big mess at that bank that day people will be mad that day . Thursday, Jul 24 at 5:24 PM Anonymous wrote ...I bank at Bank of America and the trans from Lasalle bank went smooth I can still use the check I had at Lasalle with no problem..that is really good bank and they are very friendly try them.. Thursday, Jul 24 at 4:55 PM Jackie wrote ...I have had two fustrating days with this new bank. I need my debit card and no one can tell me where it is. Why didn't they send the the cards out a month ago so we would have them by now??? I am very upset and will be planning on changing banks and direct deposit. I have had enough of the "We are sorry for the Inconvience" Thursday, Jul 24 at 4:55 PM Security Alert wrote ...I'd be surprised if a botnet wasn't already aimed at that site trying sequential 9 digit numbers within known ssn ranges. If you have an account there, log in and change your password immediately. A hacker can grab your ssn anyway. Call and demand the ability to change your account identifier. When you call, be sure to say WSBT sent you! Thursday, Jul 24 at 4:43 PM Happy at my bank wrote ...If you're looking for a good bank, try Centier. I used to bank at TCU but got tired of the monthly fees and paying for my checks. Centier doesn't charge me any fees, buys my checks for me AND pays me interest on my account with no minimum balance. Now there's a bank! Thursday, Jul 24 at 4:28 PM Anonymous wrote ...To Myrt. Don't panic, the system will prompt you to change your password and user ID after you log on. This is just to get you in the system for the first time. Thursday, Jul 24 at 4:07 PM Bill wrote ...MFB stands for My Former Bank. Thursday, Jul 24 at 3:30 PM Myrt wrote ...Social Security number for access ID and the last six numbers for your password??? I think I'll switch banks! Thursday, Jul 24 at 2:27 PM mel wrote ...This really has been ridiculous.. its now thursday the 24th and I STILL have not received my debit card?? WTF?? i think its also wayy crappy about the account number change?? Thursday, Jul 24 at 1:13 PM TOM wrote ...I GUESS MFB DOESNT STAND FOR "MICHIANAS FINEST BANK" NOW DOES IT. Thursday, Jul 24 at 12:42 PM living in plymouth wrote ...MFB is one of the better banks in the area. Both 1st source and Key have lost deposits I made and 1st source had stolen data issues. MFB should have let people know account numbers were changing. I just bought 500 checks that are useless. I just switched to TCU not because of the checks but because TCU is all over the place. MFB isn’t. TCU is a little tiny bit better than MFB when it comes to checking and savings. I have an account at Lake City and would bank with them too. Thursday, Jul 24 at 12:04 PM ONLINE BANKING wrote ...To get your online banking to work: your access ID is your Social Security number and the PASSWORD is the last 6 digits of your Social Security number. And if you don't get through customer support try calling one of the local Mutual Banks (MFB) the tellers are really friendly and helpfull! Thursday, Jul 24 at 12:03 PM Goshen wrote ...I had a few problems over the weekend, but in hindsite they were pretty much mine. I did not read all that they sent out. Had I done so, it would have gone pretty smooth. Now they just need to convince me that the new bank is worth staying with... Thursday, Jul 24 at 11:51 AM Steve-O wrote ...TCU best bank out there. Been banking there for over 15yrs. no problems. Thursday, Jul 24 at 10:49 AM K wrote ...Hey everyone, why not take your account to TCU? It's a great place to have an account at!!!! Thursday, Jul 24 at 10:21 AM *@$#%$^ wrote ...I think frustrated is an understatment. I have banked with MFB for almost 8yrs now and had no major problems but now I am closing my accounts and going else were. This was just plain, poor planing and customer service. Thursday, Jul 24 at 9:40 AM Cindy wrote ...Some of you may not have had any problems, but we received the letter and package on Friday. I am still waiting for my debit card and had no access to my account all week. This is just plain stupidity. My husband and I have already switched our accounts to another bank, and as soon as everything that is outstanding clears, then we are closing our account at MFB. Thursday, Jul 24 at 8:57 AM a banking customer wrote ...i have banked with mfb for years and not had one problem i know that transitions can be difficult also people need to be patient also people should always pay attention to what they get in the mail and most would have known what was going to happen Thursday, Jul 24 at 8:41 AM Very Little Problem Here wrote ...They did send out a letter in June and a notice Monday for the Friday cutover. It had new checks, debit card and all info needed to switch. Customer service was very helpful. Most people probably did not read the first notice or then the cutover packet sent a 'week' ago. It was fast! BUT no matter how long some people still would not have followed directions. Even I failed to read and had small issues-my fault. If you are having issues read the documentation!!!!!! That is not MFBs fault. Thursday, Jul 24 at 8:06 AM Mike wrote ...I got my notice in the mail on Sat. to not use my old checks as of Fri., the previous day. I have 2 checking accounts and only received new checks for one of them. I don't appreciate being notified after the fact that a change is coming. I was told that the new supply of checks that I had just received would be replaced at the banks cost if I bring in my old checks. That sure doesn't help me in the 2-3 weeks where I have no checks to use for my account. Thursday, Jul 24 at 7:26 AM Highly Annoyed Soon to be Former Customer wrote ...Mailed out letters in June?!? I didn't get one until LAST WEEK. I had to personally request a new ATM card, otherwise I would not have gotten one. I have to manually change my direct deposit to account numbers which I don't even know at this point. I have experienced other bank mergers when I lived in a different state. NONE of them (there were 3) have EVER been this much trouble, nor have they required changes in account numbers. Thursday, Jul 24 at 6:21 AM bill wrote ...jay i did have a problem because i did not read the directions i called customer service and they were most helpful. it took just a few minutes. i was hooked up and ready to go monday afternoon. Thursday, Jul 24 at 3:12 AM good to go wrote ...It only took me about 5 minutes to set up my online banking. Follow the instructions. Wednesday, Jul 23 at 11:02 PM jay wrote ...bill, i've been waiting all week for my online acct to be setup. how did you get yours taken care of so quickly? Wednesday, Jul 23 at 9:34 PM bill wrote ...I have banked at MFB for quite a few years and have had no problems (YET) before or after the change. I have always kept and eye on my accounts and make sure they ar in order at all times. I usually check them on line at least once a day. Good luck to all of you that have had problems!! Wednesday, Jul 23 at 9:24 PM MFB sucks! wrote ...Switch your accounts to Horizon Bank. I go to Elkhart but I tink they have one in South bend too.They are some of the nicest people in banking. All my accounts at MFB have been CLOSED! Wednesday, Jul 23 at 7:20 PM What kind of banking is this.... wrote ...Watch out! Don't call customer support after 5pm, you won't get anyone. 8am-5pm, talk about frustrating. Also watch your credit/debit cards-my husband has the wrong name on his. Wednesday, Jul 23 at 6:30 PM Ed wrote ...I have a mortgage with them and this scares the ---- out of me. What are they going to screw up with it? Sounds like a real joke of a bank. Add a comment |
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Monday, Jul 28 at 2:54 AM RAY in ELKHART wrote ...
WHAT A TOTAL NIGHTMARE!!! FROM THE NO LONGER MICHIANA'S FINEST BANK! I WAS ON VACATION IN THE WISCONSIN DELLS FOR 11 DAYS WITH MY KIDS AND SMACK DAB IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR VACATION, AFTER ALL MY CASH HAD RUN OUT, I PULLED OUT MY DEBIT CARD, ONLY TO FIND THAT IT DID NOT WORK!!! I COULD NOT CALL THE BANK UNTIL MONDAY, AND WHEN I DID, ALL I GOT WAS "DIDN'T YOUR BRANCH MANAGER TELL YOU?" AND "THERE IS NOTHING WE CAN DO...ALL ACCOUNTS WERE FROZEN ON FRIDAY NIGHT". TOOK MY NAME BUT NEVER CALLED ME BACK!