After the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency revealed that dozens of different banks may have opened unauthorized accounts in customers’ names, attorneys are investigating Bank of America checking account practices for possible wrongdoing.

In June 2018, Comptroller of the Currency Joseph Otting revealed to members of Congress that around 20,000 unauthorized accounts had been opened without consumer consent.

Following the Wells Fargo fake accounts scandal, the Office opened a review of 40 of the nation’s largest financial institutions. The review examined banks with assets of $10 billion or more, including Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase. Analysis of these banks’ information revealed that many accounts may have been opened without customer authorization.

The causes of these unauthorized accounts may vary, but a spokesman for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency pointed to “short-term sales promotions without adequate risk controls, deficient account opening and closing procedures, and isolated instances of employee misconduct,” in a statement to American Banker. Following the review, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has issued five industry wide warnings regarding bank practices as well as 250 items specific to individual banks.

Despite the thousands of accounts reportedly opened without consumer consent and hundreds of issued noted by regulators, the names of the banks which issued the unauthorized accounts have not been revealed. Democratic policy makers have voiced their concern over keeping the names private, calling for the office to hold the financial institutions publicly accountable.

“Your examiners found evidence that there were banks that had opened accounts for customers without their consent, and you decided not to take any public enforcement actions against them?” asked Carolyn Maloney, House Representative for New York, according to the Los Angeles Times. “I find that deeply disturbing.”

However, Otting says that 250 issues is a relatively small amount considering that his office tracks around 4,000 issues at any given time. Although Otting and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency have not revealed which banks opened unauthorized accounts on behalf of their customers, attorneys are investigating Bank of America checking account practices for potential wrongdoing.

Should Bank of America checking account practices be found unlawful, the financial institution may face similar regulatory action as was seen in the Wells Fargo scandal. Wells Fargo’s former practice of opening accounts without authorization was revealed in 2013. In 2016, Wells Fargo faced a $185 million fine for their sales-driven practices and has since reformed their practices. However, the scandal still remains a widely used example of unauthorized accounts.

If you had a Bank of America checking account or other account opened without your knowledge or consent, or if you were signed up for unauthorized additional services, you may qualify to participate in a fake bank account class action lawsuit investigation. Should the investigation show that Bank of America checking account practices are unlawful, consumers may be entitled to take legal action against the financial institution. An unauthorized Bank of America checking account class action could help recover compensation for bank fees, financial damages, and more.