CITI Cards
Refusal to Close Stroke Patient Father's Unused Card Account

My father suffered a severe stroke and was hospitalized on 06/28/09 in Sylmar, CA. This was sudden, and he has been diagnosed with severe dementia and is unable to make decisions on his own. He is not capable of appointing a Power of Attorney, and as his oldest child I assumed responsibility for his care. I had his address changed to mine (I live in WI) and have been receiving his mail.

I recently received a letter from Citi Card advising that as of 04/01/10 a $60 a year fee would be charged to his account unless he charged up to $2400 a year (an approximate $200/month spending). I sent them a kind letter along with a copy of the doctor's evaluation that he is incapable of making any decisions (he is almost comatose) and requested that the account be closed due to his condition and the inactivity on the card. This card has not even been activated.

I received a letter yesterday requesting that he (my father) sign a power of attorney or sign a document that would allow me to close this account. What don't they understand about the doctor's letter indicating that he is incapable of making any decisions? I have offered to return the non-activated credit card, which has been cut in half, and they still refuse to accept that this card is not in use and has had no action on it in more than 2 years. Citibank was one of the first banks to put their hands in the pocket of the US Gov't to accept bailout money and has issued huge bonuses to their corporate managers.

I am a single woman struggling to make ends meet in this economy and am unable to obtain conservatorship unless I can come up with a minimum of $5000 (quoted by 2 attorneys) as a retainer fee. I am a struggling taxpayer trying to make my own way and deal with the heartache and burden of trying to take care of an elderly, ill parent from a distance. I feel that Citibank is a greedy, unsympathetic conglomerate.

I did speak with an attorney (I had a half-hour free consult), and they advised me that I have done due diligence in notifying Citi Card of my father's situation. I have also advised Citi Card that there is no estate to attach for their charges. The attorney also advised me to tell Citi Bank to "pound sand." I know that there are other people out there going through the same situation, and hopefully by my addressing this problem there can be some resolution for all of us struggling through this same problem.

Company: CITI Cards
Country: USA

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