N** Steals from Expats

dear Yvonne,

sorry to hear about your calamity with N**.  I had a similar experience back in 07 when I came back to Kuwait (was born and raised - went home for uni then returned for work). i'd had a child account with N**, it had some cash in it, frugal. back then they had a 2KD penalty for every month the account is below 100KD, so after a few months, the account was 0. when i opened up a new account as an adult, I was surprised to find a deduction of around 20KD or so for fees, especially as I did not recognize the last digits of the card. I called and came ot know it was accrued charges on my old account. Whe ni went to close it, i was expected to sign the same signature i had when i was 12 years old (mind you i was 20 whe ni returned). long story short, it was all worked out, I had to visit the bank branch in Kuwait City, speak to a few people irately and presto, done.

Now, you seem bitter - not only at this experience but at Kuwait in general. So now, to put matters into perspective, you are responsible to close your accounts before you decide to leave for good. with all due respect, i know several expats that just "up and leave" with car installments, credit cards etc. so forgive me if i dont take your side without knowing the full story. maybe you had a loan, maybe you had an unpaid credit card.

if the amount in the bank was substantial, and that differs from person to person so in the end it depends on you, i would suggest you come to Kuwait and sort it out. Now ofcourse you would need to weigh the cost-benefit of such trip and the amount you would receive from the bank, but in Kuwait, causing a ruckus from abroad wont get you far.

Hello


Your info, the name of the Bank has been modified in your posts to avoid defamation.

Regards
Kenjee

I was not allowed to close my N.. account until I received a final check from my employer, a government university.  That check arrived a month or so after returning to the US.  I immediately began the process of closing the account and spent over $100 to send registered letters and appropriate forms to the bank.  None of them ever addressed.  I had friends go to the bank.  I called the New York branch.  I called the Kuwait branch....for years and years.

Now you know the details.

Bitter?  You are projecting my dear.

i'd have to be bitter to project deary, and i dont quite feel that way yet.

you were duped in that any final settlement, atleast nowadays, no wait, since 2012, HAS to be transferred to the bank. maybe it differs with govt. institutions. however, any assets in your account, i.e. cash, should remain there until such time you review them. given that the branch in NY is not able to help you, when i can open an account in a branch in Egypt and link it to my main account here, is quite bizarre.

accounts aren't closed; they are frozen.

in any event, i deal quite alot with the bank here, to the point that i have the number of a manager within responsible for customer accounts; i'll run the story by him and let u know what he says.

bear in mind i'm only trying to understand your story so as to offer assistance; if i were bitter my tune would be quite different.

Would be worth giving it a shot.  But it comes down to bank employees who don't do their jobs.  I phoned them, sent required/authorized documentations and had a friend in Kuwait, a Kuwaiti follow up.  No response.  So,then I go to the N. in New York and file paper work again and after months of going back and forth I call again and they tell me N bank in Kuwait closed my account in Dec. 2014, despite the fact I  had been trying to close it since 2010.  Only difference is they keep the money in the account which I could not even get a new password for after 2010.

  I played by all their rules.  I should have just drawn it down to a few KD when I left Kuwait.

Any help is appreciated. Good luck.