Canandaigua National Bank & Trust

I've been a customer for decades. I'm very unhappy that since I moved to Wayne co. The only ATMs available locally are for withdrawal only. Driving to Manchester is the closest available ATM for deposits, and for the last 2 years refuses my STAR tax check.so that I have to return another day. Costing me time and now expensive gas.ive told them.this issue exists and they've yet to even look into it. It's difficult to change banks buy im.thinking in the long run it will be easier.

I banked with CNB for approximately 7 years and consistently received fast, reliable, and professional banking services. I have been both surprised and impressed by the way CNB staff have made themselves available to help answer questions as well as with the way services are accessible and transparent. I highly recommend CNB to anyone looking for their next banking experience!

I almost feel bad leaving a one-star review. My grandmother was a longtime account holder and I can't remember her having any issues, including the last few years when I took over responsibility for her finances. What happened after her death, however, completely soured whatever good feelings I may have had for CNB.

My grandmother died peacefully in bed in the early morning of August 1,2021. At 94 years old, she had been collecting Social Security benefits for decades. Like clockwork, those benefits were deposited on the third of the month, and August was no different, with an account credit showing up a couple days after she had passed. As Social Security is sometimes slow on the uptake, benefits would continue to be deposited every month until around December despite them being notified of her passing. No big deal; those funds would stay where they were until Social Security asked for them back.

Not the August payment, however. Social Security payments paid out are for the previous month. A benefit paid in February is for the month of January, paid in August for the month of July. This is what we were told by our funeral director, our estate lawyer, and later by Social Security themselves. If my grandmother had passed a few hours earlier she would not have been entitled to those benefits deposited on August 3, but having died August 1, she was entitled to July's benefits. That deposit belonged to her estate.

CNB disagreed. I went to our local branch to inquire about what to do regarding the funds continuing to be deposited, and the banker was not immediately sure what the process would be. No big deal as I was sure at the time someone higher up was aware of what would need to be done. Someone higher up did in fact get involved, and arranged for all later funds to be returned to Social Security, but also those benefits paid in August. This was in spite of me pointing out to the CNB banker I spoke to of this passage directly quoted from Social Security:

-
"What happens if the deceased received monthly benefits?

If the deceased was receiving Social Security benefits, you must return the benefit received for the month of death and any later months.

For example, if the person died in July, you must return the benefits paid in August. "
-

It became very clear later on that this was incorrectly done, as the estate has since received correspondence and communication from the Social Security claims dept questioning why one of the benefits, the benefit paid in August, was returned. Social Security knows that this benefit should not have been returned and is in the process of once again disbursing it to the estate.

We are glad and fortunate enough to be able to move this process along and have the funds returned to us, but it still burns for CNB to have done this in the first place. Multiple avenues confirmed to the estate that this August benefit belonged to us, but CNB acted unilaterally to remove it from the estate despite explanations that it would not be proper to do so. That CNB acted incorrectly is confirmed by Social Security's initial and continued response to the matter.

Death is a part of everyone's life at some point, an everyday occurrence in one way or another, so it makes one wonder if such a thing has been done before to any number of bereaved persons. A grieving family has enough to deal with besides these sort of actions.

I would not recommend this bank to anyone. I am now four months into a vehicle loan and am still UNABLE to make an online payment. After many calls, visits to a branch and more emails than I can count I'm over it. If you make a payment by phone they charge you a fee. As a business I have multiple vehicle loans and none of the organizations I work with are as difficult as CNB.

DO NOT do business with this bank. Their system is something clearly implemented in the 90s and is not up to today's standards. If you like the old ways of banking, I'm sure you would be fine with their clunky out of date services.

I will never do business nor recommend anyone do business with them ever.