--- title: "Furious Customers Trash Bank of America and Zelle For Somehow Losing Their Money" description: "Bank of America and the Zelle money exchange app apparently lost a bunch of peoples' funds yesterday in a strange error between the institutions." date: "2023-01-20" modified: "2023-01-20" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/furious-customers-bofa-zelle" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "apps" - "Bank of America" - "fintech" - "the digest" --- # Furious Customers Trash Bank of America and Zelle For Somehow Losing Their Money ![Bank of America and the Zelle money exchange app apparently lost a bunch of peoples' funds yesterday in a strange error between the institutions.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Money Moving Bank of America and the Zelle money exchange app apparently goofed and misplaced a bunch of peoples' funds yesterday. As numerous [social media accounts]() and [local news reports]() have attested, folks were understandably irate on Wednesday when they discovered that some of their hard earned greenbacks were missing — and all the more so when they learned that other people were experiencing the same problem. "So cool how \[BofA\] magically disappeared a large Zelle transaction that HAD ALREADY POSTED and I had used to pay bills," [one user tweeted](). "Now I’m extremely in debt in my checking and I can’t get ahold of them. Unbelievable." ## New Years' Resolutions In statements to the press on Wednesday evening, Bank of America acknowledged the error, admitting that there had been "a delay in posting Zelle transactions" and claiming that it had been "resolved." A Zelle customer support account implied that the problem was on BofA's end. "We are aware of an issue that is impacting Bank Of America customers when sending & receiving payments," the [Zelle Support account tweeted]() in response to a user who said their payment had not been posted. "We recommend contacting Bank of America's customer support team for additional updates." ## BofA Deez Institutions While the issue was apparently fixed by morning, critics are rightfully pointing out that it's indicative of a larger problem, with some pointing out that the large bank has a history of [repeatedly fumbling its customers' funds](). Most recently, the bank was met with a [$225 million fine]() from the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau after it royally "botched" the disbursement of unemployment money during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when it scandalously flagged numerous customers' benefit payments, froze their accounts, and refused to unfreeze them, leaving those customers high and dry when they needed that money the most. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the onetime presidential candidate who helped found the CFPB during the Obama administration, called out both companies amid social media reports of the strange outage. "\[BofA\] and \[Zelle\] are apparently failing customers again, with money somehow disappearing from accounts," the [progressive senator tweeted](), adding that she's "called out serious [fraud issues on Zelle]()." It's a horrible look for the companies and apps we entrust with our money to lose it, even temporarily — but it's also a reminder that we don't have as much control over our funds as we think we do. **More on money:** [*Elon Musk Sets Guinness World Record for Losing the Most Money*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()