Why bank of america closed?

While it may come as a shock when your bank account is closed, you can take steps after it happens to safeguard your money. In addition, you can make some moves to help ensure the bank never closes your account.

Your bank may notify you that it has closed your account, but it normally isn’t required to do so. The bank is required, however, to return your money, minus any unpaid fees or charges. The returned money likely will come in the form of a check. In some cases, your bank may close an account and switch it to a different type of account.

Your bank may shut down your account for several reasons. Here are eight of them.

Let’s say you haven’t written a single check in the past two years or have made only two debit card transactions in the past three years. Your bank may decide that because of the lack of regular activity, it’s going to close your account. Typically, though, it takes several years of little to no activity for a bank to pull the plug on an account.

Generally, a bank considers an account “abandoned” if the account holder fails to initiate any activity over a three- to five-year period, or if the account holder hasn’t contacted the bank during that time. The bank is usually required to contact the account holder if it decides to close the account. If money in an abandoned account goes unclaimed by the account holder, the cash may be turned over to a state’s unclaimed property program.

If your account contains no money, the bank might close it. Simply because an account says there are no minimums, does not mean the account should remain empty for days or months. The time frame will vary based on your individual bank and its practices. Another risk you take is that any monthly fees could reduce your balance to below zero, so it’s important to keep tabs on your bank account balances.

If you’ve racked up too many bounced checks or too many overdrafts, your bank may close your account.

When you repeatedly bounce checks, your bank likely will shut down your account.

In the case of overdrafts—when your bank covers transactions, even though there’s not enough money in your account—your bank likely won’t close your account until there’s enough money in it to at least pay for the overdrafts and any overdraft fees. Once that happens, the bank might close your account. Overdrafts can happen when you write a check, make a debit card payment or carry out an ATM transaction that sends your account balance into negative territory.

Banks impose limits on how many transfers you can make between certain types of accounts, such as a checking account and savings account. If you exceed those limits, the bank might close at least one of the accounts. Or, in the case of a savings account where you repeatedly exceed the Regulation D transfer limits, it could be converted into a checking account instead.

If your bank thinks you’ve been the victim of identity theft, it may close your account to prevent further fraudulent activity.

The bank also might shut down your account if it suspects you’re committing suspicious or illegal activity, such as money laundering. Large and regular transfers or withdrawals of money are among the actions that may raise a red flag.

If you have a previous criminal conviction that you didn’t report to your bank, but the bank then finds out about it, the bank might close your account. Your account could also be closed if you’re convicted of a crime after opening your account.

A bank might close your account if you get into a business that’s deemed high risk. This may include gun sales, marijuana sales, online gambling or escort services.

If your bank stops doing business in your state, shuts down branches in your area or exits the banking business altogether, it may very well close your account.

Here are seven steps you should take when your bank has closed your account:

Fortunately, you can make moves to avoid having your bank close your account. Among them are:

READ THIS NEXT: Walgreens and CVS are Closing Even More Locations.

Bank of America and Wells Fargo aren't the only two financial services companies cutting back on branches. In July, PNC Financial Services Group announced that it would be closing a total of 135 locations inside grocery stores, Business Journals reported.

The Pittsburgh-based bank chain kicked off closures this fall, with plans to continue shuttering branches over the next year. The majority are located inside Giant Food and Stop&Shop supermarkets in New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, D.C., with a handful within ShopRite stores in Pennsylvania. According to Business Journals, this isn't too surprising, as the removal of bank branches from retail stores is part of a larger trend.

However, traditional branches aren't safe either, and closures are nothing new. According to Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) data cited by CNBC Select, roughly 8,000 banks were in operation in 2000, but 22 years later, just half survive. Recent waves have even created "banking deserts," leaving neighborhoods and communities without a bank or credit union in a 10-mile radius.

Both Wells Fargo and Bank of America were forced to temporarily close locations in late 2021 due to a labor shortage and a surge in COVID-19 infections, but now, they're shutting locations permanently.

When banks are closing branches, they are required to notify the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) at least 90 days ahead of the closing date via an Advance Branch Closing Notice, according to the Comptroller's Licensing Manual. These closures are documented in a weekly bulletin, the latest of which was published on Oct. 29.

According to the recent bulletin, Wells Fargo is closing a total of 14 branches across the country. Individual locations will be shut down in Chicago; San Francisco; Jersey City, New Jersey; Denver; Richmond, Virginia; Chandler, Arizona; Surfside Beach, South Carolina; Minneapolis; and Ponte Vedra, Florida. New York will lose two branches in New York City and Manhasset, while Texas will lose two branches in Austin.

Last year, Wells Fargo closed the most retail locations out of any other bank, according to CNBC, shutting down 267 branches. Numbers continued to fall this year, according to Winston-Salem Journal; at the end of June, the company operated a total of 4,660 locations, but that number was down to 4,612, as of Sept. 30.

RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter.

Bank of America has fewer closings on the docket, but they will be shutting down a location in Darien, Connecticut; two locations in San Francisco; and a location in West Newton, Massachusetts. According to Bank of America's store locator, the Darien location will close on March 3, 2023, but no additional information is listed for the three other branch closings.

Best Life reached out to both Wells Fargo and Bank of America for comment, but has not heard back yet.

Wells Fargo and Bank of America aren't alone in their closure plans, per the OCC bulletin. JPMorgan Chase Bank is closing seven locations in Michigan, New York, Texas, and California. Citizens Bank, a regional chain, has four closures reported, all in Pennsylvania; and another regional operation, First Financial Bank, is closing seven branches in Indiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Illinois.

Both Wells Fargo and Bank of America were forced to temporarily close locations in late 2021 due to a labor shortage and a surge in COVID-19 infections, but now, they're shutting locations permanently.

• Lloyds is closing 62 banks in 2023 ( PA)
• Halifax is shutting 32 banks in 2023 ( Liverpool Echo)
• NatWest is shutting 106 banks in 2023 ( .
• Santander is shutting five banks in 2023 ( .
• HSBC is shutting 114 banks in 2023 ( .
• Nationwide has two bank closures scheduled so far for 2023 ( .
• Barclays is shutting 122 banks in 2023 (