Chase Accused of Wrongdoing in $12K Zelle Transfer Dispute

A Pennsylvania man is suing JPMorgan Chase after his bank account was frozen and $12,000 was withdrawn due to a mistaken claim of unauthorized transactions.

Jim Serena's friend Peter McNeal sent him four Zelle payments totaling around $12,000, but mistakenly told Chase the transfers were unauthorized. The bank subsequently froze Serena's account, returned the money to McNeal, and refused to put it back even after receiving notarized affidavits from both men stating the transfers were legitimate.

McNeal eventually closed his Chase accounts and took the $12,000 with him, leaving Serena, who relies on Social Security for income, without access to his funds. To avoid being left with nothing, he transferred those deposits to Citizens Bank.

Chase has asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing it followed its account agreement after McNeal initially claimed the transfers were unauthorized.