Jeniusbank Reviews

Jenius Bank would not let me transfer my own money and then when I called, they said they could not answer my questions about why I could not transfer and why my account was restricted. They then closed my account without my permission and would not tell me why even after I verified all of my information. I have no idea how I will get my money back or where it has gone because no one will answer my questions. Worst customer service I have ever experienced.

Date of experience: August 19, 2024

Criminal operation! After running my credit check, they demanded my tax returns. I file jointly with my wife and I will not understand any circumstances share my wife's personal information! Now they refuse to remove the inquiry form my credit score of 819!

Date of experience: May 13, 2024

I tried to change my phone number.I needed to do so because I Neto get into my online account.I gave them personal information upon request.However I barely use this savings account so I couldn’t re all the date of the last deposit.I told them I want my money.They said no because I couldn’t respond to the last deposit .
So they are keeping my money.I just filed a complaint with FDIC.Terrible customer service.

Date of experience: July 29, 2024

I tried to accept an offer that credit karma offered for a small loan. They kept asking me for proof of income and I provided all the information that you would use like paystubs, taxes! And they kept requesting more. Their system is a bit complicated. There were no email updates to check the status of the loan application. I had to log in and call in to find out what the issue was. I ended up going with another vendor for a small loan.

Date of experience: July 29, 2024

All good until you request a transfer of money to a verified linked account. I transferred money from verified linked accounts and received a call that they needed my bank statement in order to transfer money back out to the linked accounts. Upon requesting to close my account, the customer service rep stated she didn't know if they would do a paper check and can't electronically transfer the money unless they have a copy of the bank statement. They will not accept a statement redacted so transactions are not visible only the name on the account, account number and routing number. In speaking with representatives who VERIFIED who I was, they had no problem talking about my accounts with me, but not able to transfer money. BEWARE OF DIGITAL BANKING! BANK LOCAL!!!!!

Date of experience: July 30, 2024

Tried to move my money out from the account to my linked account. Had to request one off daily limit increase to 250k, which is standard. Told it will be "reviewed" and I will get an update in 1-3 business days. That is not standard. Unlike all other online banks, this one has NO option for wire transfer at all. Today is Day 7, no funds, multiple calls in, only to be told the same story. Had to extend my escrow closing because of these clowns. My other online banks, no issues, and great service. Wealthfront, My banking direct and Brio. Your call, if you like to be messed around a lot - bank with Jenius.

Date of experience: July 27, 2024

Stay clear of them if you are trying to get a loan. You won’t get one. You will waste your time. They will only approve income with a payroll check. If you have any other income which you can prove but it’s not a payroll check it won’t be accepted. No exceptions. If you have a small business. Nope. If you have clients who pay you. Nope. They have a weird format to check your documents and then you talk to a person who refuses to listen to anything you say. Just avoid them! Horrible experience!

Date of experience: July 08, 2024

Just opened an account a few days ago with a $1000 deposit to run a test. They reflected my transfer from my bank within 24 hours. It has now been 4 business days and my deposit is still not available for me to use. I tried calling and it has been over an hour with no call back. Was told by a recording there was 5 calls ahead of me. How in the world can it take that long! Maybe they only have 1 customer service rep.! Will close my account as soon as they release “my” money!

Date of experience: July 18, 2024

Awful company! Tried to apply for a loan and was called daily with a new task I had to complete (upload pay stubs, now upload 1040, now upload reference, etc.) and was still told my application expired after 2 weeks of working on it, and I even completed a required step the night before it expired because that was the day the step opened for me. They will do anything to not actually provide a loan or a secure account, but are fine with running a hard credit score and gaining an abundance of personal information. I was not denied based on credit score or anything else on my end, very frustrating to just have an application expire while waiting for Jenius to complete their steps.

Date of experience: July 01, 2024

Jenius bank should be reported to the federal comptroller for its banking practice .They obtain private and confidential information for a savings application and then without notice the application ends telling the customer that will be subject to approval. Later on they deny the application without a reason. What is the bank doing with the private confidential information? I called the bank and they put you on a waiting list. DO NOT APPLY OR TRUST THIS BANK. I will be filing a concern with the Comptroller.

Date of experience: June 09, 2024

I called their 24/7 line today as I am considering opening up a saving account due to the high yield. First, I wanted to see could I really talk with a live person and Lori answered in 2 rings. Noticeably absent on the website including FAQ's was how are withdrawals handled. So, verbally she told me max 50K daily Monday thru Friday prior to 7pm. No monthly limits eith $ amounts or # of withdrawals. I suggested to her that this information regarding withdrawals should be present on the website and I would still want to see it in writing before I deposit any funds. Lori was very helpful and pleasant!

Date of experience: March 31, 2024

Savings account application twice with no explanation either time. Calling the customer service number is useless as they can’t give you a specific reason. Also, be aware that daily withdrawal limits are in place and wire transfers are not allowed. This bank offers a seriously flawed experience for its applicants and customers.

Date of experience: June 29, 2024

I applied for a saving acct, they sent an automatic response in minutes stating the application is in review. Four weeks later I called for the status of my application. First, the rep couldn't find the application, then when he finally retrieved it, he said it was denied because they couldn't verify the information I provided. He also did not know the banks email address, but I now see an email at the bottom of this review! At this point, I would never do business with this company, they don't accept any emails, so you must call them. This company has very poor communication skills and leave the customer hanging. Their loss for not having me for a customer, bad decision on their end. I'll take my 6 figures and go elsewhere, to some other bank that treats their customers with more respect.

Date of experience: June 03, 2024

Trying to contact this bank with a problem or question is like riding on a slow boat to China without wifi and needing to make a Call for information . I have called them several times over the past week to see if a deposit check I mailed 2 weeks ago had been received. I called the Customer service number 3 different days and was told each time that there were at least 100 yes 100 people on hold every time so I hung up and tried signing into the CHAT line - Try # 1 - 44 People ahead of me and a 2 hour plus wait. Try 2 - much better only 35 people and just under 2 hours- and today only 10 people ahead of me and so far I'm now #3 in the queue after 40 minutes waiting. None of this is 1st Class Customer Service and not worth the time and effort to either Open or Fund an account to me PLUS my check - sent specifically to their deposit only address is STILL lost and has had a STOP PAYMENT PUT ON IT.

Date of experience: April 30, 2024

Genuinely horrible and concerning experience.

This is about the consumer lending side, not savings accounts and has nothing to do with being approved or declined.

Their front line customer service agents are friendly and encouraging, however the follow through on the other side i.e. application department or whomever aren't doing anything.

Twice I've applied for a loan, and twice the application expired through no fault of my own.

I called in to confirm they had everything they needed just to make sure since I was getting daily reminders that they are waiting on something.

The agents I spoke with each time, stated nothing was missing and they would open a ticket so that someone would look into it and reassured me they could see every document they needed.

I still got reminder emails something is missing and finally a notice saying my application would close.

Each time I called in, they said I owe them nothing and they would send a ticket to another team.

When the last agent looked into the tickets, they said there were no completion notes. Only closed tickets.

So someone isn't doing their job.

It's shady and unprofessional.

I never received an approval or a decline because the cases simply expired because of them, not me. This is all about their business process and lack of doing what they say they will do.

Date of experience: June 05, 2024

I have been trying to close my account with Jenuis, for 2 weeks now. My account has been under review for 2 weeks and they keep saying 2-3 business days to release it back to you. It takes 1 business day to send money in this day and age. They advertise that you can move money in and out with no hold! This is not true! I am still waiting for my money to go back to my bank. The advertisement of easy, quick withdrawals...ALL LIES!!!

Date of experience: May 14, 2024

I tried to open a savings account with Jenius Bank and received a quick response - "your application has been declined" with no explanation. I called the 844 number listed and spoke with a customer service representative. The person said that some of the information I input did not match my information and that maybe I made a typo and to try again. I reapplied and was very careful in inputting my information the second time. I received the same message - "your application has been declined" with no further explanation. I have been at my same address, phone number, etc for more than 25 years with good banking relationships. I don't understand why a bank would decline to open an account and give you no reason. Hopefully others do not have this same experience. I will see if there are other banks offering high yields that are interested in my business.

Date of experience: May 12, 2024

Jenius Bank advertises high interest rates for savings accounts, which is great. However, beware about slow times in getting your withdrawals! Jenius Bank advertises 1-3 business days to get your savings withdrawal delivered. On the same day/time, I initiated savings withdrawals--to the same location--from three online banks. Ally Bank delivered in 1 business day, and Capital One delivered in 2 business days. However, here it is day 3, and the funds are yet to be delivered by Jenius Bank. The customer service representative I dealt with yesterday was not helpful. It makes you wonder whether this bank is actually legitimate.

Date of experience: March 14, 2024

I can't even get answers as to why my application to OPEN the account is being held up. I have opened numerous savings accounts online, and they have all been almost-instant processes. You enter your info, arrange for an opening deposit to be transferred from an existing account, and boom, you're done.

I started the process to open an account with Jenius seven days ago. I submitted my info and I got one confirmation email saying I'd be receiving more information once my account was approved, within 24-48 hours. After 2 days, I called their live customer service line, and the rep simply told me that my account "was under review" and that she would "submit my application for further evaluation". But she couldn't explain why it wasn't just approved outright.

Now it has been a week, with no further communication or explanation from them, so I posted on their facebook page hoping for a response. No response (yet). But I have moved on. I found another online-only bank offering a High Yield Savings Account that I was able to open an account with instantly, and I've already begun depositing into it.

I did some digging and found other complaints about lack of customer service, including one commenter in an online forum complaining about not being able to even open the account, just like me. It's all automated, so if you have a hyphenated last name or maybe your street name has an apostrophe in it, that may throw the computers off, and then your application just gets stuck somewhere and no one can help you. Best to go with another bank.

Date of experience: April 15, 2024

The other negative reviews do not do justice, as I think Jenius Bank is the perfect savings account. Yes, Jenius Bank is new, but they are also under the SMBC group, the largest Japanese bank by deposit and the 12th largest bank worldwide with an excellent reputation. Their reputation, plus the FDIC insurance and excellent APY, gave me the confidence to open an account.

Compared to other digital banks, Jenius Bank lacks features such as a smartphone app with a nice UI and bucketing. But I do not see this as a drawback, as the whole purpose of having a savings account is to save money, and psychologically, a nice UI makes it too easy for me to check my balance and withdraw money. The limited web-based UI is perfect for me as I want to save my paycheck slowly for bigger future goals.

Similarly, while other banks offer nice bonuses, I do not find those perks appealing as they tend to involve complicated schemes. I just wanted an account that I could keep long-term and gain compounding interest as easily as depositing money in and out without thinking about achieving a certain minimum balance.

Opening an account was also very easy. It only took Jenius Bank one day to review my application. Once approved, linking my checking account and depositing some funds was very smooth.

Withdrawal to the external bank account, on the other hand, can be a little tricky. I wanted to withdraw some funds to my external checking account, but the transaction was not automatically transferred and instead had to be manually reviewed by a human. The fraud team then called me to clarify that they had to ensure the external checking account was mine.

They also assured me that this manual review was just a one-time thing as the external checking account was different than the checking account I used to deposit funds to the account. After the fraud team confirmed that the external checking account was mine, they approved the transaction, and I received my funds the next business day.

I think this is the part that the negative reviews on the savings account are about, as they may not feel comfortable sharing personal banking documents, which, as a result, leads to application rejection and inability to withdraw funds. Personally, I do not see this as a problem because I would rather share my documents than have the fraud team not do their job, which could risk scams/ fraudulent transactions going unchecked.

The withdrawal process does take 2-3 business days as Jenius Bank has to review transactions first. Indeed, this feels slow, but again, this is a good system in the greater scheme. If it is not easy to withdraw my funds anytime I want, it encourages me to save long-term.

A digital savings account backed by a reputable big Japanese bank and FDIC insured with simple web-based UI and high APY. If assurance, simplicity, and a high interest rate are what you are looking for, then Jenius Bank is perfect for you.

Date of experience: July 08, 2024