Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Civista Bank's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Civista Bank

  100 E Water Street Sandusky, OH 44870-2210

• 

  Civista Bank

  16 Executive Norwalk, OH 44857

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/13/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Year 2021 I filed wit a lady who stole my refund so I contacted the irs beginning of 2023 to try n get my money back they took me through loops and swoops to find out you guys are the bank where my money was supposed to be deposited . Well I tried to do a refund trace with u all and it sent me to SANTA ******* TAX PRODUCTS GROUP website mind u I can NEVER get ahold to anyone on the phone tried to do my social and stuff to login wouldn't allow me to and Idk where to go atp I sent my forgery claim back in Sept haven't gotten any replies

  Business Response

  Date: 12/18/2023

  This letter is in response to the complaint filed against Civista Bank (Bank) through the Better Business Bureau and received on December 13, 2023.
  
  Civista Bank provides banking services in connection with a tax refund program of Santa ******* ****************** (TPG). TPG is a wholly owned subsidiary of Green ********** TPGs program manages and pays out refunds for clients of many tax preparation franchises,independent tax professionals and online tax preparation services, to manage and payout refunds for clients of those firms.  The refund transfer service (the ** Service or **) is offered and administered by TPG, with Civista Bank providing banking services for the ** Service. The ** Service allows taxpayers to pay their tax preparer fees from their federal or state tax refund, rather than paying their tax preparer fees at the time of tax preparation.
  
  Civista Bank merely acts as the bank to which the refunds are sent. When a tax filer uses this service, the filer gives instructions to the preparation service and TPG concerning how the refund is to be paid out.  After Civista receives the refund from the **** TPG provides the filers instructions to Civista, and Civista pays it out as instructed. Since TPG runs the refund program, and Civista Bank merely distributes refunds as directed, it has limited information and relies upon the following information provided by TPG.    
  
  TPG apologizes for your experience in contacting TPG ***************** TPGs automated phone system is accessible for current-year accounts.For questions about prior year tax filings, please contact TPG **************** at TPG-************************** and your request will be routed to the appropriate department.
  
  Unfortunately, TPG could not locate your record with the information submitted through your complaint. Because your complaint matter addresses potentially sensitive or confidential information,please contact TPG directly for further assistance. Additionally, TPG requests that you provide additional information when contacting them, such as one of the items below, to assist in locating your account:
  
  1. Email submitted when filing your tax return.
  2. Address submitted when filing your tax return.
  3. Phone Number submitted when filing your tax return.
  
  If you believe that your personally identifiable information has been used without your consent, please contact the *** at the Identity Theft Specialized Unit toll-free at **************. The *** can assist you with questions regarding identity theft related to your account.You will need to fill out the *** Identity Theft Affidavit, Form *****, which can be located at www.irs.gov. If you believe you are a victim of identity theft, you should take immediate steps to protect your personal information. Please visit the Federal Trade Commissions website for information on what you should do as a victim of identity theft: *********************************************.
  
  If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact TPG **************** at TPG-************************** and your request will be routed to the appropriate department.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/07/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  To file my 2020 taxes I went through a tax preparer at Upscale Multiservice LLC. I was supposed to received a significant tax refund but have never received the money from the bank. The tax preparer said the money is tied up with Civista Bank, which is the bank with the routing number and account number on my tax return that I have attached. This has been an ordeal for over 2 years and I have yet to receive any response or information from the bank regarding my refund. I just want my refund as I am sure like everyone else the last few years have been financially burdensome.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/11/2023

  This letter is in response to the complaint filed against Civista
  Bank (Bank) through the Better Business Bureau and received on December 7, 2023.
    
  
  Civista Bank provides banking services in connection with a tax
  refund program of Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG). TPG is a wholly owned
  subsidiary of Green Dot.  TPG’s program
  manages and pays out refunds for clients of many tax preparation franchises,
  independent tax professionals and online tax preparation services, to manage
  and payout refunds for clients of those firms.  The refund transfer service (the
  “RT Service” or “RT”) is offered and
  administered by TPG, with Civista Bank providing banking services for
  the RT Service. The RT Service allows taxpayers to pay their tax
  preparer fees from their federal or state tax refund, rather than paying their
  tax preparer fees at the time of tax preparation.
  
  Civista Bank merely acts as the bank to
  which the refunds are sent. When a tax filer uses this service, the filer gives
  instructions to the preparation service and TPG concerning how the refund is to
  be paid out.  After Civista receives the
  refund from the IRS, TPG provides the filer’s instructions to Civista, and
  Civista pays it out as instructed. Since TPG runs the refund program, and
  Civista Bank merely distributes refunds as directed, it has limited information
  and relies upon the following information provided by TPG.    
  
  TPG apologizes for your experience in contacting TPG Customer
  Service. TPG’s automated phone system is accessible for current-year accounts.
  For questions about prior year tax filings, please contact TPG Customer Service
  at ****************************** and your request will be routed to the appropriate department.
  
  According to research conducted by TPG, on February 17, 2021, TPG
  received your electronic submittal through the tax preparer’s office of UPSCALE
  MULTI SERVICE LLC. This means the option to utilize a Refund Transfer to
  pay the software fees was elected in lieu of paying via credit card at the time
  of filing. 
  
  On June 2, 2021,
  when TPG received your refund from the IRS, the fees were deducted for the tax
  preparation, Refund Transfer service, and the remaining balance was deposited to
  the account you designated at the time of filing. You may reference the
  ‘Disbursement Methods’ section 5 of your Refund Transfer Service Agreement to
  confirm your submitted account information.
  
  Please contact
  your designated financial institution, (we cannot provide your financial institution name here due to privacy rules) and
  provide the outgoing ACH trace number (we cannot provide the ACH trace number here due to privacy rules, please contact TPG directly to obtain this important piece of information. We cannot forward the information to you because you did not provide a mailing address with this complaint.) for more information about the status of your funds.  Once TPG
  releases the funds to the designated financial institution, they have no
  visibility over their status.
  
  On June 18, 2021, you contacted TPG to
  inquire about the status of your refund. TPG advised you that funds had been
  deposited to the account designated at the time of filing and to check the
  status of your funds at your designated financial institution.   
  
  If you have any
  further questions or concerns, please contact TPG Customer Service at ****************************** and your request will be routed to the appropriate department.
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/27/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Issues with service/product . It shows on tpg site that my money was sent back to irs on 07/26/2023 but I contacted the irs they said my money is still with civista bank . Kindly send my money as check or resend it back to irs so they can issue me check .

  Business Response

  Date: 11/28/2023

  This letter is in response to the complaint filed against Civista Bank (Bank) through the Better Business Bureau and received on November 27, 2023.
  
  Civista Bank provides banking services in connection with a tax refund program of Santa ******* ****************** (TPG). TPG is a wholly owned subsidiary of Green ********** TPGs program manages and pays out refunds for clients of many tax preparation franchises,independent tax professionals and online tax preparation services, to manage and payout refunds for clients of those firms.  The refund transfer service (the ** Service or **) is offered and administered by TPG, with Civista Bank providing banking services for the ** Service. The ** Service allows taxpayers to pay their tax preparer fees from their federal or state tax refund, rather than paying their tax preparer fees at the time of tax preparation.
  
  Civista Bank merely acts as the bank to which the refunds are sent. When a tax filer uses this service, the filer gives instructions to the preparation service and TPG concerning how the refund is to be paid out.  After Civista receives the refund from the **** TPG provides the filers instructions to Civista, and Civista pays it out as instructed. Since TPG runs the refund program, and Civista Bank merely distributes refunds as directed, it has limited information and relies upon the following information provided by TPG.    
  
  TPG apologizes for your experience in contacting their ***************** To keep you informed about the status of your refund payments, please log into your TPG account on TPGs website, www.sbtpg.com, to get up-to-date information about your Refund Transfer filing. 
  
  According to research conducted by TPG, on June 1, 2023, TPG received your electronic submittal through an online tax software provider. This means the option to utilize a Refund Transfer to pay the software fees was elected in lieu of paying via credit card at the time of filing.  When TPG received your refunds from the *** fees were deducted for the tax preparation fees and *********************** fee.
  
  At TPG, there are systems in place to safeguard your personal information and maintain the integrity of your tax data. Because of these protective measures, TPG systems have identified your refunds as part of a group that required funds to be returned to the ***.
  
  Your federal refund was wired to the *** on July 26, 2023, with an *** External Lead Number used by the Return Integrity Verification Operations (****) Department at the ***. (We cannot post this lead number in this online response due to privacy reasons. Nor can we mail you the lead number because you did not provide a mailing address in this complaint).  It may take the *** several weeks to credit the funds to your account. Once TPG releases the funds to the **** they have no visibility over their status.
  
  Please contact the *** at ************, go to www.irs.gov for further details, or seek assistance from a Taxpayer Advocate in your state. When contacting the *** at the customer service number provided above, please advise the customer service agent that your refund has been sent back to the **** department. 
  
  If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact TPG directly at *************, Monday through Friday, 7:00 am to 4:00 pm PST.
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/22/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My ************************************************************************** you account and I have been trying to get my money since February 2023 The account number is ************ Routing number is *********

  Business Response

  Date: 11/29/2023

  
  This letter is in response to the complaint filed against Civista Bank (Bank) through the Better Business Bureau and received on November 22, 2023.
  
  Civista Bank provides banking services in connection with a tax refund program of Santa ******* ****************** (TPG). TPG is a wholly owned subsidiary of Green ********** TPGs program manages and pays out refunds for clients of many tax preparation franchises,independent tax professionals and online tax preparation services, to manage and payout refunds for clients of those firms.  The refund transfer service (the ** Service or **) is offered and administered by TPG, with Civista Bank providing banking services for the ** Service. The ** Service allows taxpayers to pay their tax preparer fees from their federal or state tax refund, rather than paying their tax preparer fees at the time of tax preparation.
  
  Civista Bank merely acts as the bank to which the refunds are sent. When a tax filer uses this service, the filer gives instructions to the preparation service and TPG concerning how the refund is to be paid out.  After Civista receives the refund from the **** TPG provides the filers instructions to Civista, and Civista pays it out as instructed. Since TPG runs the refund program, and Civista Bank merely distributes refunds as directed, it has limited information and relies upon the following information provided by TPG.    
  
  According to research conducted by TPG, on January 19, 2023, TPG received your electronic submittal through an online tax software provider.  This means the option to utilize a Refund Transfer to pay the software fees was elected in lieu of paying via credit card at the time of filing. 
  
   When TPG received your refunds from the **** TPG deducted fees for the tax preparation fees and the *********************** fee and deposited the remaining balance to the account you designated at the time of tax filing. You may reference the Disbursement Methods section 7 of your *********************** Agreement to confirm your submitted account information.
  
  Unfortunately, your financial institution rejected the funds, declared the account an R02/Account Closedand returned your funds to TPG. Therefore, TPG attempted to disburse funds via a cashiers check to your address on record. This check was returned as undeliverable on April 12, 2023, and after multiple failed attempts, TPG could not successfully disburse the refund check to you. Because of the risk of fraudulent diversion of tax refunds, TPG will not process any address or account changes.
  
  Your funds were returned to the *** on April 28, 2023,with an *** External Lead Number (this number is being sent to you via overnight ***** This lead number is used by the Return Integrity Verification Operations (****) department at the ***. Please note, it may take the *** several weeks to credit the funds to your account and once TPG returns the funds to the **** TPG no longer has visibility over their status.
  
  As a courtesy and because you mentioned that the *** states, they do not have your refund, TPG requested a status update from the ***. Once TPG receives confirmation, TPG will contact you to advise of this update. In the meantime, please contact the *** at ************ or seek assistance from a Taxpayer Advocate in your state. When contacting the *** at the customer service number provided above, advise the customer service agent that your refund has been sent back to the **** department. 
  
  If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact TPG directly at *************, Monday through Friday, 7:00 am to 4:00 pm PST.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/09/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I filed my tax return February 2023, ******** Treasury stated the refund was ACH'd to my bank account September 19. 2023. The account & routing number they provided me was not mine. MI Treasury said I needed to contact Civista Bank. I have no affiliation with this bank. I am unable to gain a response from them. This is theft. They have no legal right to my tax refund. If my refund is not released to me soon, a lawsuit will be filed.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/15/2023

  This is in response to the complaint filed against Civista Bank (Bank) through the Better Business Bureau and received on November 9, 2023. 
  
  Civista Bank provides banking services in connection with a tax refund program of Santa ******* ****************** (TPG). TPG is a wholly owned subsidiary of Green ********** TPGs program manages and pays out refunds for clients of many tax preparation franchises,independent tax professionals and online tax preparation services, to manage and payout refunds for clients of those firms.  The refund transfer service (the ** Service or **) is offered and administered by TPG, with Civista Bank providing banking services for the ** Service. The ** Service allows taxpayers to pay their tax preparer fees from their federal or state tax refund, rather than paying their tax preparer fees at the time of tax preparation.
  
  Civista Bank merely acts as the bank to which the refunds are sent. When a tax filer uses this service, the filer gives instructions to the preparation service and TPG concerning how the refund is to be paid out.  After Civista receives the refund from the **** TPG provides the filers instructions to Civista, and Civista pays it out as instructed. Since TPG runs the refund program, and Civista Bank merely distributes refunds as directed, it has limited information and relies upon the following information provided by TPG.    
  
  According to research conducted by TPG, on February 17, 2023, TPG received your electronic submittal through an online do-it-yourself software provider. This means the option to utilize a Refund Transfer to pay the software fees was elected in lieu of paying via credit card at the time of filing. 
  
  On March 1, 2023,when TPG received your refund from the **** the fees were deducted for the tax preparation, ************************ and the remaining balance was deposited to the account you designated at the time of filing. You may reference the Disbursement Methods section 7 of your *********************** Agreement to confirm your submitted account information. This deposit can be confirmed by ACH Trace number (trace number will be provided to you via *** overnight letter).
  
  On September 19,2023, TPG received your refund from the ***************** and attempted to deposit the funds to the account provided at the time of filing, which is the same account your federal refund was successfully deposited into.  Unfortunately, your financial institution rejected the funds, declared the account an R02/Account Closed and returned your funds to TPG. Once TPG received the rejected refund, TPG attempted to disburse your state refund to you via a cashiers check to your address on record.
  
  On October 12, 2023, the check was returned to TPG as undeliverable. After multiple failed attempts to deliver your state refund, TPG could not proceed further in our efforts to disburse funds. According to your state guidelines, the funds will enter the escheatment/unclaimed property process. Your state's escheatment contact information is provided in the letter we are sending you. 

  If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact TPG directly at **************,Monday through Friday, 7:00 am to 4:00 pm PST.
  

  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/16/2023

   
  Complaint: 20844472
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  Unclaimed Property of ******** has no record of my refund being sent to them. Also, my legal address is valid. No check from Civista Bank has ever been attempted to be delivered to me. If they actually tried, I would like a copy of the check itself.  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

  Business Response

  Date: 11/21/2023

  This is in response to your rejection filed on November 16, 2023.  

  In your rejection response you state that your legal address is valid. Please be advised that the address on record with TPG and provided at the time of tax filing has the same street address and apartment number, however, the city is Newport and **************.  The city and zip code listed on your complaint is ******** and **************.

  A TPG representative will be reaching out to you to verify your information and provide you forms to complete in order to obtain your refund.  The forms must be completed and returned as instructed.  Otherwise, your state refund will follow your state escheatment process which means the money will be turned over after 3 years. (The period of time is determined by each state, yours is 3 years).  Escheatment simply means when funds go unclaimed or cannot be delivered as instructed, banks, insurance companies etc. must turn the money over to the state according to the state guidelines. 

  The Cashier's Check that TPG mailed to you for the state refund was sent to Newport and was returned as undeliverable by the USPS.  When checks are returned as undeliverable, they are noted in our computer system and then destroyed.   

  If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact TPG directly at ************ Monday through Friday 7:00 am to 4:00 pm PST.   
  

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/30/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I’ve been waiting on my federal income tax refund since july11th I’ve looked on the tpg website we’re they said it was sent back to the irs I’ve been calling the irs the last few months and they told me that tpg Civista bank have not sent my money back I would like to receive my refund before I have to take further notice !! Someone needs to be letting me know what’s going on

  Business Response

  Date: 11/06/2023

  This letter is in response to the complaint filed against Civista
  Bank (Bank) through the Better Business Bureau and received on October 30, 2023.
     
  
  Civista Bank provides banking services in connection with a tax
  refund program of Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG). TPG is a wholly owned
  subsidiary of Green Dot.  TPG’s program
  manages and pays out refunds for clients of many tax preparation franchises,
  independent tax professionals and online tax preparation services, to manage
  and payout refunds for clients of those firms.  The refund transfer service (the
  “RT Service” or “RT”) is offered and
  administered by TPG, with Civista Bank providing banking services for
  the RT Service. The RT Service allows taxpayers to pay their tax
  preparer fees from their federal or state tax refund, rather than paying their
  tax preparer fees at the time of tax preparation.
  
  Civista Bank merely acts as the bank to
  which the refunds are sent. When a tax filer uses this service, the filer gives
  instructions to the preparation service and TPG concerning how the refund is to
  be paid out.  After Civista receives the
  refund from the IRS, TPG provides the filer’s instructions to Civista, and
  Civista pays it out as instructed. Since TPG runs the refund program, and
  Civista Bank merely distributes refunds as directed, it has limited information
  and relies upon the following information provided by TPG.    
  
  According to research conducted by TPG, on June 6, 2023, TPG
  received your electronic submittal through an online tax software provider. This means the option to utilize a Refund Transfer to pay the software fees
  was elected in lieu of paying via credit card at the time of filing. 
  
  When TPG
  received your refunds from the IRS, TPG deducted fees for the tax preparation
  and Refund Transfer service fee.
  
  At TPG, there
  are systems in place to safeguard your personal information and maintain the
  integrity of your tax data. Because of these protective measures, TPG systems
  had identified your refund as part of a group that required funds to be
  returned to the IRS.
  
  Your federal
  refund was wired to the IRS on July 11, 2023, with an IRS External Lead Number (this number cannot be provided to you here due to confidentiality and will be provided to you via overnight UPS letter). This lead number is used by the Return Integrity Verification
  Operations (RIVO) Department at the IRS.
  
                You notified Civista Bank on
  October 30, 2023, that the IRS states they do not have your refund. Please
  keep in mind, when TPG returns funds to the IRS, it may take the IRS several
  weeks or longer to process and credit the refund to your account. Once TPG
  releases the funds to the IRS, TPG no longer has visibility over their status.
  As a courtesy, TPG requested a status update from the IRS and once TPG receives
  confirmation, TPG will contact you to advise you of the update.
  
  Please
  contact the IRS at ************, go to *********** for further
  details, or seek assistance from a Taxpayer Advocate in your state. When
  contacting the IRS at the customer service number provided above, please advise
  the customer service agent that your refund has been sent back to the RIVO
  department. 
  
  If you have any
  further questions or concerns, please contact TPG directly at (**** ********,
  Monday through Friday, 7:00 am to 4:00 pm PST.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/20/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I was approved for my tax refund on 04/11/2023. I was tracking my payment threw the IRS2Go app, and was expecting a return on 05/24/2023. I was suprised to find my payment was successfully paid to the bank account on file only to find out that it isn’t mine. After contacting the irs I was told I couldn't make a claim until 7-10 days. I filed a tracer for the check 05/6/2023. Apparently my return was sent to another account and actually cashed. I have been waiting to get a response to have a resolution.I haven't received any update until this point it is 10/19/2023. When I spoke to a representative of Santa Barbara I was once again told it was cashed it wasn’t anything that could be done. I 100% am not related or associated with the bank account and didn’t consent my money being sent there.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/27/2023

  This letter is in response to the complaint filed against Civista
  Bank (Bank) through the Better Business Bureau and received on October 20, 2023.
     
  
  Civista Bank provides banking services in connection with a tax
  refund program of Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG). TPG is a wholly owned
  subsidiary of Green Dot.  TPG’s program
  manages and pays out refunds for clients of many tax preparation franchises,
  independent tax professionals and online tax preparation services, to manage
  and payout refunds for clients of those firms.  The refund transfer service (the
  “RT Service” or “RT”) is offered and
  administered by TPG, with Civista Bank providing banking services for
  the RT Service. The RT Service allows taxpayers to pay their tax
  preparer fees from their federal or state tax refund, rather than paying their
  tax preparer fees at the time of tax preparation.
  
  Civista Bank merely acts as the bank to
  which the refunds are sent. When a tax filer uses this service, the filer gives
  instructions to the preparation service and TPG concerning how the refund is to
  be paid out.  After Civista receives the
  refund from the IRS, TPG provides the filer’s instructions to Civista, and
  Civista pays it out as instructed. Since TPG runs the refund program, and
  Civista Bank merely distributes refunds as directed, it has limited information
  and relies upon the following information provided by TPG.    
  
  According to research conducted by TPG, on April 11, 2023, TPG
  received your electronic submittal through an online tax preparation software provider. This means the option to utilize a Refund Transfer to pay the software fees
  was elected in lieu of paying via credit card at the time of filing. 
  
  When
  TPG received your refunds from the IRS, TPG deducted fees for the tax
  preparation fees and the Refund Transfer service fee and deposited the
  remaining balance to the account you designated at the time of tax filing. This deposit can be confirmed by an ACH trace number that we are sending to you via UPS overnight letter. You may reference the ‘Disbursement Methods’
  section 7 of your Refund Transfer Service Agreement to confirm your submitted
  account information.
  

  Further information is provided in this letter to guide you in the next steps of tracing your deposit with your financial institution.
  
  If you have
  any further questions or concerns, please contact TPG directly at (***)
  ***-****, Monday through Friday, 7:00 am to 4:00 pm PST.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/12/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Civista Bank is the bank that the IRS states has my Tax Return for the year 2022. It was sent to them on August 9th, 2023 to the routing number ********** and account number *****************. Which is Civista Bank in Sandusky, Ohio. Their phone number ***-***-****. When I called them they sent me to their "customer" Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (SBTPG), which has automation set up so you cannot speak to an actual representative, the automation says my refund was returned to the IRS for suspicious activity, and that is. The IRS is stating this is not true they do not receive funds back once there have been any sort of fees taken out.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/16/2023

  This letter is in response to the complaint filed against Civista
  Bank (Bank) through the Better Business Bureau and received on October 12, 2023.
     
  
  Civista Bank provides banking services in connection with a tax
  refund program of Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG). TPG is a wholly owned
  subsidiary of Green Dot.  TPG’s program
  manages and pays out refunds for clients of many tax preparation franchises,
  independent tax professionals and online tax preparation services, to manage
  and payout refunds for clients of those firms.  The refund transfer service (the
  “RT Service” or “RT”) is offered and
  administered by TPG, with Civista Bank providing banking services for
  the RT Service. The RT Service allows taxpayers to pay their tax
  preparer fees from their federal or state tax refund, rather than paying their
  tax preparer fees at the time of tax preparation.
  
  Civista Bank merely acts as the bank to
  which the refunds are sent. When a tax filer uses this service, the filer gives
  instructions to the preparation service and TPG concerning how the refund is to
  be paid out.  After Civista receives the
  refund from the IRS, TPG provides the filer’s instructions to Civista, and
  Civista pays it out as instructed. Since TPG runs the refund program, and
  Civista Bank merely distributes refunds as directed, it has limited information
  and relies upon the following information provided by TPG.    
  
  TPG apologizes for your experience in contacting their Customer
  Service. To keep you informed about the status of your refund payments, please
  log into your TPG account on TPG’s website, *************, to get up-to-date information about your Refund Transfer
  filing. 
  
  According to research conducted by TPG, on July 17, 2023, TPG
  received your electronic submittal from an online tax preparation software provider. This means the option to utilize a Refund Transfer to pay the software fees
  was elected in lieu of paying via credit card at the time of filing. 
  
  When TPG
  received your refunds from the IRS and state of Massachusetts, TPG deducted their fees for the tax preparation fees and Refund Transfer service
  fee.
  
  At TPG, there
  are systems in place to safeguard your personal information and maintain the
  integrity of your tax data. Because of these protective measures, TPG systems
  have identified your refunds as part of a group that required funds to be
  returned to the IRS and escheated to your state of residence.
  
  Your federal
  refund was wired to the IRS with the IRS External Lead
  Number (more specific information will be provided in the letter we are sending to you via UPS overnight). This lead number is used by the Return Integrity Verification
  Operations (RIVO) Department at the IRS. It may take the IRS several weeks to
  credit the funds to your account. Once TPG releases the funds to the IRS, they
  have no visibility over their status. As per the RT Service Agreement, TPG charged you a fee of $30.00
  to process the return to the IRS.
  
  Please
  contact the IRS at ***-***-****, go to *********** for further
  details, or seek assistance from a Taxpayer Advocate in your state. When
  contacting the IRS at the customer service number provided above, please advise
  the customer service agent that your refund has been sent back to the RIVO
  department. 
  
  Your state
  refund will be escheated to your state of residence per state guidelines. For
  more information about your state’s escheatment process, please contact the
  Unclaimed Property Division of the Massachusetts Office of the State Treasurer
  at (***) ***-**** or by emailing them at **********************************
  
  Additionally,
  you have voiced concerns regarding your tax refund and the associated fees.
  When filing, you requested the Refund Transfer (RT) service instead of paying
  the tax software fees with a credit card. While we understand your frustration,
  TPG provided the contracted services by deducting the tax software fees from
  the tax refund and paying the third party on your behalf.  Following industry standards, TPG identified
  your refunds as funds that must be returned to the IRS and escheated to your
  state of residence. TPG charges a reasonable amount to cover processing costs.
  The details are disclosed in the RT Agreement you consented to online. You may
  refer to your online agreement for additional information.
  
  Lastly, you
  contacted TPG on August 16, 2023, regarding the status of your federal refund.
  TPG advised you that their systems have identified your refund as part of a
  group that required funds to be returned to the IRS and to please allow 10-12
  weeks for the IRS to process the return. If you have any further questions or
  concerns, please contact TPG directly at (***) ***-****, Monday through Friday,
  7:00 am to 4:00 pm or by emailing ******************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/10/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I ‘ve submitted my 2022 return back in June , the funds were supposed to be deposited into my bank on July 19th. Due to mistakenly leaving a number off account number I spoke with my bank July 20th they rejected it. Then My Money went to civista bank I’m not understanding why been back and forth with the IRS since July 26th they have been saying that they do not have my money and civista still have my money. This is really frustrating that they are unlawfully just holding someone money . I can not speak with a live rep nor have anyone emailed me back ! Where is my money and why are they holding it I havent Gotten no information besides the IRS continuing to say they don’t have it , it was never sent back to them civista has it.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/13/2023

  This letter is in response to the complaint filed against Civista
  Bank (Bank) through the Better Business Bureau and received on October 10,
  2023.           
  
  Civista Bank provides banking services in connection with a tax
  refund program of Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG). TPG is a wholly owned
  subsidiary of Green Dot.  TPG’s program
  manages and pays out refunds for clients of many tax preparation franchises,
  independent tax professionals and online tax preparation services, to manage
  and payout refunds for clients of those firms.  The refund transfer service (the
  “RT Service” or “RT”) is offered and
  administered by TPG, with Civista Bank providing banking services for
  the RT Service. The RT Service allows taxpayers to pay their tax
  preparer fees from their federal or state tax refund, rather than paying their
  tax preparer fees at the time of tax preparation.
  
  Civista Bank merely acts as the bank to
  which the refunds are sent. When a tax filer uses this service, the filer gives
  instructions to the preparation service and TPG concerning how the refund is to
  be paid out.  After Civista receives the
  refund from the IRS, TPG provides the filer’s instructions to Civista, and
  Civista pays it out as instructed. Since TPG runs the refund program, and
  Civista Bank merely distributes refunds as directed, it has limited information
  and relies upon the following information provided by TPG.    

  According to research conducted by TPG, on May 24, 2023, TPG
  received your electronic submittal through an online do-it-yourself tax preparation software
  provider. This means that the option to utilize a Refund
  Transfer to pay the software fees was selected instead of paying via credit
  card at the time of filing. When TPG received your refund from the IRS, they deducted the fees for the tax preparation and Refund Transfer service.
  
  TPG has systems in place to safeguard your personal information and
  maintain the integrity of your tax data. Because of these protective measures,
  TPG systems had identified your refund as part of a group that required funds
  to be returned to the IRS. Your funds were returned to the IRS on July 26,
  2023, with an External Lead number (cannot provide online due to privacy reasons and since you did not provide a mailing address with this complaint, we are unable to mail the information to you). Once TPG releases the funds to the
  IRS, TPG has no visibility about the status.
  
  You mentioned the IRS states they do not have your funds, please be
  advised that it may take the IRS several weeks to credit the funds to your
  account once they are returned.  As a
  courtesy, TPG has requested a status update from the IRS. The IRS inquiries may
  take three weeks or longer before they provide TPG with an update on your
  refund status. Once TPG receives the update, TPG will notify you of this
  update.  In the meantime, the lead number
  is used by the Return Integrity Verification Operations (RIVO) department at
  the IRS. The IRS recommends you call ************ and inform the customer
  service agent that your refund went back to the RIVO department to get a status
  update on your refund.
  
  Please call TPG directly to obtain the IRS Lead number and if you have any further questions or concerns at (***) ***-****, Monday through Friday, 7:00 am to 4:00
  pm. PST

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/12/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I recently received my Tax Return deposit from the IRS this Bank Took my Money I’ve tried contacting them but it won’t go through IRS told me to contact them but they are no help at all. My refund amount was meant to be deposit towards my Bank Account I don’t know what went wrong I want my refund that was deposit from 9/7/23-9/12/23 I had no help at all I’ve tried contacting the bank and they still won’t fix this problem.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/14/2023

  This is
  in response to the complaint filed against Civista Bank (Bank) through the
  Better Business Bureau on September 12, 2023.
  
  Civista Bank provides banking services in connection with a tax
  refund program of Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG). TPG is a wholly owned
  subsidiary of Green Dot.  TPG’s program
  manages and pays out refunds for clients of many tax preparation franchises,
  independent tax professionals and online tax preparation services, to manage
  and payout refunds for clients of those firms.  The refund transfer service (the
  “RT Service” or “RT”) is offered and
  administered by TPG, with Civista Bank providing banking services for
  the RT Service. The RT Service allows taxpayers to pay their tax
  preparer fees from their federal or state tax refund, rather than paying their
  tax preparer fees at the time of tax preparation.
  
  Civista Bank merely acts as the bank to
  which the refunds are sent. When a tax filer uses this service, the filer gives
  instructions to the preparation service and TPG concerning how the refund is to
  be paid out.  After Civista receives the
  refund from the IRS, TPG provides the filer’s instructions to Civista, and
  Civista pays it out as instructed. Since TPG runs the refund program, and
  Civista Bank merely distributes refunds as directed, it has limited information
  and relies upon the following information provided by TPG.    
  
  TPG apologizes for your experience in contacting their Customer Service. The automated
  phone system is accessible for current-year accounts. For questions about prior
  year tax filings, please contact TPG at ****************************** and your
  request will be routed to the appropriate department. 
  
  According
  to research conducted by TPG, on March 16, 2021, TPG received your electronic submittal
  through a tax preparer’s office. This
  means that the option to utilize a Refund Transfer to pay the tax preparer’s
  fees was selected instead of paying via credit card at the time of filing.
  
  According
  to the IRS, taxpayers can generally expect refunds to be issued in less than 21
  days after the electronic return is accepted. Of course, certain factors can
  cause delays to taxpayer refunds which are out of the control of TPG. For
  example, delays are possible if your return contains an Earned Income Tax
  Credit (EITC) or Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC). In the case of your
  federal tax refund, TPG received it from the IRS on September 7, 2023. Due to
  the exceptional length of time that elapsed between your tax return filing and
  TPG’s receipt of your tax refund, your funds were returned to the IRS. If you
  have questions about the delay in the processing of your tax refund, please
  contact the IRS for more information. TPG has no visibility into the IRS
  approval process or timeline.
  
  Your funds were returned to the IRS on
  September 7, 2023, with an outgoing trace number (due to privacy concerns, we can publish the outgoing trace number in this response. Nor can we mail you the trace number in a letter due to an incomplete address provided in this complaint. TPG will contact you directly to provide the outgoing ACH trace number information). Please note
  that it may take the IRS several weeks to credit the funds to your account.
  Once TPG releases the funds to the IRS, we have no visibility over their
  status. For more information, please contact the IRS at 800-***-****, go to
  www.irs.gov for further details, or seek assistance from a Taxpayer Advocate in
  your state.
  
  If you have any further questions or
  concerns, please
  contact TPG at ****************************** and your request will be routed
  to the appropriate department.