Company Response
8/22/2025
By way of background, Ms. Miazga opened a savings account at Ascend on June 13, 2025 and a checking account on June 18, 2025.
On July 7, 2025, Ms. Miazga attempted to use her debit card to make a large payment to a merchant in Florida. The amount of the payment well exceeded her debit card limit. She came into the branch requesting that we increase her card limit, during which time she was receiving instructions from "the merchant" via text messages. Having been a client of Ascend Bank for less than three weeks, we did not feel that it was appropriate to increase her limit. Ms. Miazga was evasive in stating the reason for the transaction causing further concerns. The instructions that she received from the merchant were typical of a scam, and the bank made her aware that we believed this to be such a scam.
In her complaint, she stated that she was put off by the fact that "they [Ascend] stick their noses in your business," but in fact we do have a regulatory requirement to understand whether the banking transactions are being conducted to facilitate any illegal or suspicious activities. In light of her evasiveness, it was unclear whether or not the transactions were legitimate, but we had reasonable cause to believe that they were not. Likewise, we have a moral responsibility to ensure that our clients are not being exploited.
Connecticut public act 23-161 section (d) (1) states that "If a financial institution or financial agent has reasonable cause to believe that a transaction or disbursement involving an eligible adult's account may involve, facilitate, result in or contribute to financial exploitation of such eligible adult, the financial institution or financial agent may suspend the transaction or disbursement."
The statute defines Eligible adult to be "any resident of the state who is sixty years of age or older." Ms. Miazga met the definition of being an eligible adult.
In accordance with Connecticut statutes, and for the reasons stated above, Ascend Bank declined to increase her debit card limit and suspended the transaction.
Ms. Miazga proceeded to make other smaller transactions via an alternate means, using Venmo.
On July 28, 2025, Ms. Miazga disputed some of those Venmo transactions as being unauthorized. Furthermore, she stated that she wished to send a wire overseas. Again, she was very evasive as to the reason for the wire.
In light of the request to increase her debit card limit for a questionable transaction to a merchant in Florida, as well as a disputed Venmo transaction and another questionable request to send an overseas wire, Ascend Bank made a business decision that Ms. Miazga's activities were a risk to the bank, and on July 28, 2025, Ascend Bank informed Ms. Miazga that we would be closing her accounts and remitting a check to her for the remaining balance.
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