Chase Bank class action alleges charges predatory fees on returned deposits

Chase Bank fees class action lawsuit overview: 

• Who: A group of consumers filed a class action lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association. 
• Why: The group of consumers claim Chase charges an unfair fee to consumers who are on the receiving end of a check that bounces. 
• Where: The Chase Bank returned deposit class action lawsuit was filed in New York federal court. 

A new Chase Bank class action accuses the financial institution of charging penalties to customers for bad checks that they had “no hand in issuing.”

The Chase Bank fees class action, which was filed by a group of customers, claims the bank charged so-called “Deposited Item Return Fees” to individuals who received a check that ended up bouncing. 

The customers argue Chase “all but acknowledged” the policy was predatory when, in March 2023, the bank allegedly “surreptitiously” removed a disclosure for the fee. 

“Because the depositor could not have reasonably known the check was bad, it is unfair to charge the depositor a fee for returning the check,” the Chase class action states. 

The group of plaintiffs want to represent a nationwide class of individuals who have been charged a deposited item return fee by Chase. The plaintiffs also want to represent subclasses of customers from New York, New Jersey, Illinois and California. 

Chase Bank penalized consumers who ‘did nothing wrong,’ class action claims

The plaintiffs claim they were “shocked” when they were charged the Deposited Item Return Fee by the bank, because they “did nothing wrong” but were penalized anyway. 

“There was nothing Plaintiffs could do to avoid — or even anticipate — a Deposited Item Returned Fee assessed by Chase at the time the deposit was returned,” the Chase class action states. 

The group of plaintiffs claims Chase is guilty of unjust enrichment and of violating business and consumer protection laws in California, Illinois, New Jersey and New York.

The plaintiffs are demanding a jury trial and requesting declaratory and injunctive relief along with an award of  actual, consequential, punitive, statutory and treble damages for themselves and all class members. 

A consumer filed a separate class action against Chase and Zellpay.com last year over claims the bank’s customers were double-debited for payments made on or around June 1, 2023 due to a service malfunction peer-to-peer payment network Zelle. 

Have you been charged a Deposited Item Return Fee by Chase Bank? Let us know in the comments.

The plaintiffs are represented by Lisa R. Considine, David J. DiSabato and Oren Faircloth of Siri & Glimstad LLP. 

The Chase Bank fees class action lawsuit is Maslowski, et al. v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association, Case No. 7:24-cv-01277, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

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