We were with Bank of the West - transitioned to BMO recently. I saw other posts of the pains of online banking not working, so it seems like I was not the only one! My Zelle was also disconnected in the transition and won't reconnect.

I understand there are some bumps to be expected in a transition, but my real issue is the hold time on checks. We are a construction business - I have material to purchase, guys to pay... and they are holding funds for over a week! I've asked them to release it, cut the time back even a bit... and NOTHING. Nope, we can't help you - too bad, you chose to deposit your check here and so you have to deal with it.

I had 3 people in the branch tell me funds will be released today... well, surprise ... they weren't. I called BMO customer service - they are now telling me they won't be released until tomorrow. Such a frustrating and disappointing experience with BMO. What are your hold times like - long holds forever or is this part of the transition headache?

Hello All,

I need a US based account in US dollars to receive US paypal transfers from my business. This is to avoid the currency conversion fees from paypal. I am also currently wanting to hoard US dollars and am not interested in converting the funds into Canadian dollars.

I was recommended TD on the US side and unfortunately due to limitations I was unable to open an account online with them. After waiting many hours with TD in person in Canada and on the phone I am giving up on TD. This option I will consider again once the borders open and I am able to drive to the US to open an account in person.

I started to look into BMO Harris and I am wondering if anyone here uses it.

All my needs are: 1 the ability to receive paypal tranfers in USD and 2 a checkbook so I can write myself a check in USD.

Has anyone opened an account with them from Canada? (without going stateside)

Hi r/AskChicago, moved to the city a few months ago. Looked around here for reviews on banks and landed on BMO Harris. Seemed like a good local bank. Boy was I wrong.

I set up a checking account to pay my rent with IL checks, and deposited some money via check. They incorrectly flagged it as fraud, and have shut down my account for two weeks and counting.

I’ve visited in person twice, called a dozen times (one local bank representative, the rep that opened my account, general customer support 5x, fraud department 5x). I went in person with the person that wrote me the check, bringing both our ID’s and trying to convince them my roommate actually did write me the check I deposited. They didn’t care.

Each time they have pushed me around and said they cannot help my case. Fraud will ‘decide’ when to open my account again, and they’re estimating another week till they have a decision. They initially said 7-10 business days, so far it’s been 11 (and 14 days total!) They refuse to let me and check writer / roommate speak to or meet the investigator they have assigned.

I’m out my roommate’s and my rent money. How can I escalate this further? Imagine not having access to your checking account for 3+ weeks. I can’t think of anyone else to call, every department pushes me around in circles. Oh and we called the bank that the check originated from and they said they can’t help either.

At some point should I get legal help? How can I file a formal complaint with any agencies? Any suggestions and anecdotes you have regarding this situation are appreciated. I’m really at my wits end.

(Oh and how hard is it to close an account there once they finally unlock it…)

I got a flier for BMO Bank offering up to $700. Details can be found here.

Basics:

0.) Limited to the D&D Basket of the US: Illinois, Wisconsin, NW Indiana, Minnesota (with a few county exclusions). Maybe some other places. Check for details. Sorry cool kids not in the midwest :(

1.) Open checking account (no fees for Smart Advantage) and within 150 days: Receive $6000 in direct deposits, make 10 transactions (debit/online bill pay), and go paperless.

2.) Open savings account and keep $25,000 in it for 90 days. (APY is 1.00% with that amount).

3.) Boom. At the end of 90 days if both requirements are fulfilled, you should be able to cash out. (E: caveat - you need to have both accounts open and in good standing at the 150 day mark. There's no minimum for either so leave like...$1 and cancel your debit card to prevent any accidents).

There is an account closing form I found through google here or presumably you can close in person. I have a branch within a mile so that wouldn't be an issue.

My current savings APY is 2.00% with AmEx and I can easily shift 25k from that to the new savings account. The direct deposit threshold won't be an issue. Making 10 transactions will be easy as the account provides a free debit card.

I know some of these offers either don't really pay off much or closing the account is damn near impossible.

How does this one sound?

My bank is being purchased by BMO Harris and I'm curious as to how they are as an employer. I've been in corporate banking for almost twenty years and am used to corporate blowing smoke up our butts so right now it's all sunshine and roses. If anyone can share what they are really like it would be greatly appreciated.

I accepted an offer for a BMO Harris Bank card about four weeks ago because they were offering a 0% intro APR. We used it for a couple of weeks and then I got a fraud alert--my wife had used it at a bakery 10 blocks from our house.

I called the number in the fraud email, like you do, and they told me that--since I'd had the nerve to apply for the card online--they needed me to go into a branch and present them with two forms of government ID. Seemed a bit much, but they told me they had three branches in Portland, where I live, and one isn't far from my house.

When I got there, I discovered it was a Bank of the West branch, and the nice manager there told me that although they were merging into BMO, they did not yet have access to any BMO data. So she suggested I call BMO from her desk, and they called me back on my cell for security, asked me a few minutes of security questions, asked her if my ID looked legit (they didn't actually copy it or anything, since she had no way to get it to them), and lifted the lock on my card. I jokingly asked if they could promise not to ask me to go into another Bank of the West branch.

Today, three days later, we used the card again (about the sixth time since the other day), and it was marked as fraud again. This time I called them and was told to go into a branch again, and when I explained that the Bank of the West branches that their system told them were usable for this purpose were in fact not connected to their systems, they said I should call back during business hours. I've had a lot of cards in the last couple of decades and I don't ever recall a fraud line being unable to verify me and lift the freeze just because it was off hours. For that matter, I've never been asked to go into a branch and produce two forms of ID, much less a branch of a bank that wasn't really integrated into the bank that gave me the card and sent me to that branch.

In sum, if you want a credit card that works, I recommend a different choice from BMO Harris Bank.

I know that a lot of people here despise BMO for their poor handling of personal checking bonuses last year. Still if you wanna give it a shot, here's the link -

https://www.bmoharris.com/main/small-business-banking/always-on/checking/

Note that it is an in-branch offer. So CC funding might not be possible.

Fine print for $200 bonus:

1. Open a new Essential Business Checking account between January 16, 2018 and October 31, 2018.

2. Make a minimum opening deposit of $1,500 in funds not currently on deposit at BMO Harris Bank or its affiliates.

3. Have a collected balance of at least $1,500 in the account at the end of 90 days following account opening.

4. Have at least 10 electronic transactions post to the account within 90 days of account opening.

For $500 bonus:

1. Open a new Business Advantage Checking account between January 16, 2018 and October 31, 2018.

2. Make a minimum opening deposit of $5,000 in funds not currently on deposit at BMO Harris Bank or its affiliates.

3. Have a collected balance of at least $5,000 in the account at the end of 90 days following account opening.

4. Have at least 10 electronic transactions post to the account within 90 days of account opening.

EDIT: Electronic transactions can be any combination of ACH credits or debits, online bill payments, mobile deposits, wire transfers or debit card POS purchase transactions. ATM transactions and POS credits do not qualify.

I have used BMO Harris Bank for years. I opened my first account as a joint account when I was 16 and they were a local bank under a different name. That bank was bought out, I’ve long since switched to my own checking account, and I’ve had the absolute worst experience with a fraudulent charge.

I got paid on 1/18. On 1/19 I attempted to order pizza, only to have my card declined. I called the bank to see what was up. Online banking was down that weekend for a scheduled update so I knew I had to call. My account was flagged for fraud. I still had $53 dollars in my account (I should have had over $400), but because they noticed the fraud, they changed my account to credits only. I was not told this, instead I was told I would be able to withdraw funds via ATM with my pin. I wanted to grab that last $50 so I at leas had some cash while I got this sorted. I’m a paycheck to paycheck girl while going to school and trying to pay off my car.

I went to the ATM the next morning with no luck. Call the bank back and this new lady tells me that I can’t withdraw the funds and that I need to visit a branch as soon as possible to get the fraud dispute started (I was also told this on the previous call). She also informed me that this charge was from PeoplePay, which I had never heard of and had to have her explain to me over the phone.

Tuesday morning (1/22, bank was closed 1/21 for a holiday) I walked into the branch I have been going to since the day I opened my account. There were no available personal bankers and they asked me to come back at noon. When I came back at noon, I sat with a personal banker who walked me through what I would have to do, and she told me the fraud occurred through my online banking. A fraud claim needed to be filed and I needed to start the process of getting back into my online banking. I began to backtrack and realized I got an email saying my account was locked on 1/18 from failed login attempts. She said that’s probably whoever did this. She also informed me that I had to open an entirely new checking account because the old one would never be valid again. And I needed $25 to do so. Also the investigation would be 7-10 business days before I see that money again.

At this point I have no money. Payments that I set up over the weekend ‘processed’ but would eventually be returned because I had no funds. That meant the $50 I hoped to take out that weekend were lost to me for now. The banker also had to call online banking to figure out the process I needed to go through. I told her I could get the $25 to open an account, but it wouldn’t be until later that day (borrowed it from my brother), and she said I should come back later.

I went in for the third time that day. She told me she had filed the fraud claim and we opened my new checking account. She also told me my credit card payment would process (that lady $50) and it wouldn’t be returned, but my cell phone payment would be.

In 1/19, I checked my credit card app only to see that $50 payment had actually been returned. I called the bank since it was Saturday and branches were all closed after noon to verify I had funds in the locked account. I did, but he was unable to transfer them over because it had to be done in person since there had been previous fraudulent activity.

On 1/28 I called the banker at the branch to transfer that money into my good account (she said since she knew me I didn’t need to come in) and check the status of the fraud claim. I was told in order to restore my access to online banking, they required a third party to wipe clean my devices I used for online banking in case any one was hacking them.

Being without any money, my only option was to drive an hour to the apple store who would wipe my phone and computer for free. But before I drove that distance, I decided to swing by the ATM to make sure she had actually transferred the money over. She had not. I went into the branch and made sure she did it, triple checked my account, and drove to the apple store. Also it was snowing and the roads were super dangerous, but because of my work schedule, that was the only day I could go.

On 1/29, I went into the branch with my receipts from the apple store to restore my online banking. The girl I had been previously working with was not available, so I worked with a different personal banker. I sat at his desk for 45 minutes while he was on hold with online banking to restore my account. Eventually that got done and online banking informed him that a male had called on 1/15 asking to reset my password. Apparently whoever this was had my SSN. I asked if they had a number of the person that called but never got a response. I asked him if he could check the status of my fraud claim. He said sure, but he didn’t want me to have to wait there while he was on hold. He assured me he would call me later that afternoon with an update. I never got a call.

Yesterday, 1/31 (the 7th business day), I called the original banker I was working with for an update. When she returned my call, she said there was an issue with the claim and I needed to contact online banking and fraud myself. She gave me the general customer service line. I called and got to a human who told me they would transfer me to online banking and it would be a 45 minute wait. I asked to speak to a manager. His manager told me she would contact one of the managers in online banking and they would call me back before the end of the day. They did not.

I regularly tweeted about this whole ordeal, and the verified BMO twitter DMd me asking what happened and for my phone number so someone could contact me. Several hours later I got a call from a guy (I believe he was in customer care/social media) who told me he was going to have an investigation started to figure out why I’m getting this run around.

Around 5:30 pm I got fed up that online banking had not called me as promised earlier, I called the bank again. I was on hold for 20 minutes, told that it would be an additional 15 minute hold time for online banking, and I waited. It was an hour before I got someone in online banking. I was upset. I was in tears by the time they answered and my mom was very angry too as she seen what had happened and had to help me throughout by lending money,

This lady informed me that there were no fraud claims filed on my account. I would have had to sign something for that to happen and it never did. She didn’t understand why the banker I had been working with in person didn’t file anything and why I’ve had to do all this without a claim. She told me the fraud department was closed now (it was after 6pm) but she gave me her first and last name and we picked a time of 11am today (2/1) that she would call me back and transfer me directly to fraud and I wouldn’t have to be on hold anymore.

I don’t really expect that call to come in today. I don’t ever expect to get my money back. But I haven’t stopped trying yet. It’s been exhausting and I’ve cried several times. I’ve gone 2 weeks now having to rely on other people for money. I have bills to pay. I had to switch my direct deposit and it wasn’t verified yet so I don’t have my paycheck this week. It will be sent out in the mail, hopefully, so who knows when that will come.

As soon as I get my paycheck, I’m opening an account at a new bank. I’ll leave what I have a BMO open for a bit just in case there is an automatic payment I forgot to move over, but I’m done with them now. I don’t expect anything good to come from them anymore.

tl;dr Someone fraudulently got into my online banking, took my money. I was told a fraud claim was filed and the investigation was underway. Nearly two weeks later, I find out that claim was never filed. I’ve never had this happen before. I didn’t ask the correct questions. I just trusted what they’ve told me. And it’s not worked out well for me.

I was looking for a way to MS $1000 on an Amex via bank funding and found a BMO Harris Checking Bonus of $200 for 2 DDs of $300+. Discover ACH counts as DD. The site asks for your email to request a promo code but the email I got was blank. When I called they said they have a basic code for that offer. Pays within 120 days

Here's the promo code: flexcode06

Fund up to at least $1000 with CC.

Good luck, have fun.

Link: https://www.bmoharris.com/main/personal/checking-accounts/everyday

Edit: expiration date courtesy of u/bnmsba14 - 4/28

Edit 2: Posted as purchase

I got conditionally approved for Wellsfargo with 2.49% APR first, but heard the $30 fee from this subreddit. I emailed to [email protected] and quickly received a new different and lower loan option - BMO Harris Bank, 2.19%. Is anyone here using it? Thoughts?

Early June I started receiving emails from BMO Harris prompting me to finish setting up my account with BMO Harris. After calling the fraud department and emailing several times in an attempt to engage BMO Harris to take action regarding this fraudulent activity today I received a balance statement.

Needless to say I am once again on the phone with BMO Harris.

If you do business with BMO Harris beware.

If you don't do business with BMO Harris and they contact, be scared

So, i opened another savings account at BMO Harris last week, and have had a continuous relationship with them for over a year. Apparently, starting on February 29th, there's a new wrinkle to opening an account: you have to call in and provide them with personal details (most of which are otherwise covered in the online application process). Things like, "Are you or a family member serving as a high-ranking gov't official?" "What is your expected activity on the account - ATM, in-branch, online/billpay?"

It wasn't a real grilling, but it's new. I believe the lady asked me "What is the purpose of the account?" and i simply replied, "Savings", and that was sufficient.

IN the past, you had to turn in a signature card, and that was it. now, it's both.

BMO is offering a $350 bonus for $7,500 in direct deposits in the first 90 days. Sign up, collect the bonus, close the account once the termination fee no longer applies. Seems like easy money. Is there a catch that I'm not seeing?

https://www.doctorofcredit.com/il-wi-mn-in-az-fl-ks-mo-bmo-harris-350-checking-300-savings-bonus/

A few weeks ago another user asked for local bank recommendations. I have been looking as well and none of the institutions suggested seem to fit what I'm looking for.

So far, BMO looks like a great choice for me but I also notice no one mentioned them in the other thread (or older ones, even). Does anyone have experience with BMO and, if so, would you recommend them?

I opened my account about a year ago and I’ve never banked with a bank as bad as BMO. It’s such simple things too - DD notifications, being able to add your card to Apple Pay, sometimes I can’t even use Apple Pay because BMO loves to lock my card for some reason and I end up having to call support and stay on the phone for an hour until it actually gets fixed. Yes, I know I can switch banks, but does anyone else have the same issue?

Hi All,

Buying our third home here in the next few months and it's the first time we have been confronted with "real" interest rates. Previous homes had 3.6% and 2.5%, so seeing mid 7s is shocking.

While investigating different mortgage products, we saw that BMO offers a guaranteed rate reduction option. Basically they will let you do a streamlined refinance at any point to a new interest rate for a flat $1,000, without new appraisal, underwriting, etc. Seems like a pretty nice perk to offer, and surprised I don't see other mortgage lenders advertise it. For our $700k loan, it would not take much of a change in interest rates to make the $1k worth it, and no hassle of a full refinance. Plus they say that the new rate would consider a new LTV ratio which seems it could only help. Is this something many lenders would do, but just don't advertise? Or is this the unique good deal it seems like?

Just wondering if anyone had experience. The rest of the mortgage offer is competitive but standard. I have no connection whatsoever to BMO, just randomly came across this promotion.

Thanks!