Bank didn't give provisional credit after 10 business days — what now?

This notice

A claim status screen, email, or phone update says your unauthorized electronic fund transfer claim is still under investigation, and no provisional (temporary) credit posted after 10 business days (or 20 if the account was new).

This is not LIVE wells-fargo-unauthorized-transaction-denied. That guide is about a denial letter—“your claim is denied” / “no error was found”—and a provisional credit being reversed. Keep this page when the claim is still open and the temporary credit was never issued.

This is not LIVE bank-account-restricted-fraud-review or LIVE check-deposit-hold-notice. Those guides are about a fraud-review freeze or a deposit-availability hold. Keep this page when the issue is a Regulation E error investigation without the temporary credit the CFPB clock generally requires.

This is not LIVE p2p-payment-app-scam-funds-not-recovered. That guide is about a payment-app scam when the bank or app will not return funds. Keep this page when you already opened a bank error / unauthorized EFT claim and the missing piece is provisional credit during an open investigation.

People often search after day 11 on a Navy Federal, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citibank, SoFi, or credit-union claim portal that still says “under investigation,” or after a representative says the bank “does not issue provisional credit” on large amounts.

The CFPB Ask page How do I get my money back after I discover an unauthorized transaction or money missing from my bank account? says that once you notify the bank, it generally has 10 business days to investigate (20 if the account has been open less than 30 days). If it cannot finish in that window, it must generally issue a temporary credit for the disputed amount (minus a maximum of $50 in some unauthorized-transfer cases) while it continues to investigate, then resolve the claim in 45 days—or up to 90 days in listed cases such as foreign transfers, new-account transfers, or debit-card point-of-sale purchases.

12 CFR § 1005.11 (Regulation E) is the rule behind those clocks. It also says the bank must inform you within two business days after provisional crediting of the amount and date, and give you full use of the funds during the investigation.

Official CFPB text wins any tip that says “ignore the missing temporary credit until the final denial letter.”

Official path

1. Save the claim file. Keep the claim number, the first statement that showed the unauthorized line, claim-status screenshots, and every email or letter. Note the date you first notified the bank by phone, app, or branch.

2. Confirm written confirmation if the bank required it. The CFPB Ask page says the bank can require written confirmation after an oral notice. If you were asked to follow up in writing and you did not do so within 10 business days, the bank is not required to temporarily credit your account. If you still need to send that writing, send it today with tracking or the bank’s secure upload, then keep the receipt.

3. Count the business-day clock. Start from the day the bank received your error notice (or the day it received your timely written confirmation, if that is what it required). Skip weekends and federal holidays. If more than 10 business days have passed (20 for a new account) and the claim is still open with no provisional credit, put those dates in one short timeline.

4. Ask for provisional credit in writing. Mail or secure-message the bank. Cite the CFPB Ask page and Regulation E § 1005.11. Ask whether the bank is extending the investigation, why no temporary credit posted, and which exact exception it claims (for example, missing written confirmation). Request the amount and date of any provisional credit and confirmation that you have full use of the funds.

5. Separate Reg E errors from other disputes. Unauthorized ATM, debit-card, and many automatic electronic withdrawals sit under Regulation E. Some merchant “goods not as described” fights, wire indemnity fights, or business accounts may follow different rules. Ask the bank in writing which regulation covers your claim number. Official Reg E text wins a phone tip that waves away temporary credit for every dispute type.

6. Watch for a later denial. If the bank later decides the transfer was authorized, the CFPB page says it must give you written notice before removing any temporary credit. If you get a denial / reverse letter, switch to LIVE wells-fargo-unauthorized-transaction-denied for that paper. Keep this page for the open-claim / no-credit stage.

7. Complain if the open claim still has no temporary credit. Submit a complaint at Submit a complaint. Attach your timeline, claim number, written confirmation proof, and the bank’s answers. If the unauthorized use looks like identity theft, also use IdentityTheft.gov.

People sometimes say provisional credit is optional whenever the bank wants more time. CFPB Ask en-1017 and § 1005.11 treat temporary credit as the usual price of extending past 10 business days, with listed exceptions—not a favor. Official steps win that conflict.

What people reported

Often helps

• Sending the written confirmation the bank requested within 10 business days, then emailing a one-page timeline that counts business days from the notice date and asks for provisional credit under Regulation E.
• Filing a CFPB complaint that attaches the claim-status screen showing “under investigation” with no temporary credit after the 10-business-day mark, plus proof the writing was already submitted.

Often fails

• Waiting for a final denial letter before asking why no provisional credit posted, then discovering the bank never started the temporary-credit path.
• Accepting a phone claim that “large dollar amounts never get provisional credit,” with no written citation to a Regulation E exception.

Template

[DATE]

[BANK NAME]
Claims / Error resolution
[ADDRESS FROM STATEMENT OR CLAIM LETTER]

Re: Regulation E provisional credit — claim [CLAIM NUMBER], account ending [LAST FOUR]

I notified you on [NOTICE DATE] about unauthorized electronic fund transfers totaling $[AMOUNT] that first appeared on the statement you sent on [STATEMENT DATE]. Claim number: [CLAIM NUMBER].

As of [TODAY’S DATE], more than 10 business days have passed (or 20 if this is a new account), the claim remains under investigation, and no provisional (temporary) credit has posted.

Under the CFPB’s guidance on unauthorized electronic transfers and Regulation E § 1005.11, if you cannot finish the investigation within 10 business days (20 for a new account), you must generally issue a temporary credit for the disputed amount and notify me within two business days, with full use of the funds, while you continue to investigate (subject to the written-confirmation and other listed exceptions).

Please confirm in writing:
1. The date you received my error notice and any written confirmation;
2. Whether you are extending the investigation beyond 10 (or 20) business days;
3. Why no provisional credit has been issued, citing the exact Regulation E exception if you claim one;
4. The amount and date of any provisional credit you will post, and confirmation that I have full use of those funds;
5. Your expected resolution date (45 or 90 days as applicable).

I did not authorize [MERCHANT OR TRANSFER DESCRIPTION]. Enclosed: statement page, claim-status screenshots, and copies of my written notice/confirmation.

Sincerely,
[FULL NAME]
[PHONE]
[EMAIL]
[MAILING ADDRESS]

Stop here if…

• You already received a denial letter that reverses a provisional credit—use LIVE wells-fargo-unauthorized-transaction-denied.
• The freeze is a fraud-review restriction with no Reg E claim number—use LIVE bank-account-restricted-fraud-review.
• The paper is a check deposit hold (NOTICE OF HOLD / funds availability)—use LIVE check-deposit-hold-notice.
• The problem is only a P2P / payment-app scam with no bank error claim opened—use LIVE p2p-payment-app-scam-funds-not-recovered.
• A court, IRS, or collector levy froze the account—that is a different paper from a Reg E provisional-credit gap.

FAQ

Is this the same as a fraud-claim denial that reverses provisional credit?

No. LIVE wells-fargo-unauthorized-transaction-denied covers a denial letter that says the claim is denied and a provisional credit will be reversed. Keep this page when the claim is still open (or the bank says it needs more time) and you never received the temporary credit the CFPB clock generally requires after 10 business days.

Does the bank always have to give provisional credit?

No. The CFPB Ask page says the bank can require written confirmation after an oral (phone) notice of error. If you do not send that writing within 10 business days, the bank is not required to temporarily credit your account during the investigation. Business accounts and some non-electronic disputes may also sit outside Regulation E. Ask the bank in writing which rule it is applying.

How long can the investigation run after provisional credit?

The CFPB page says the bank must generally resolve the issue in 45 days after your notice. It may take up to 90 days for listed cases such as a foreign transfer, a debit-card point-of-sale purchase, or a transfer within 30 days of account opening. Those longer clocks assume the bank followed the provisional-credit rules when it could not finish in 10 business days.

What if the bank says the dollar amount is too high for provisional credit?

Regulation E’s consumer text does not create a dollar-amount exception for provisional credit. Official CFPB Ask and § 1005.11 text win any tip that says “large claims never get temporary credit.” Ask the bank to cite the exact exception it is using (for example, missing written confirmation) and put that answer in writing.

Can they give provisional credit but block me from using it?

Regulation E says that when the bank provisionally credits your account, it must notify you within two business days of the amount and date and give you full use of the funds during the investigation. A temporary credit you cannot spend is not the access the rule describes. Document any hold on the credited amount and raise it in writing and in a CFPB complaint.