Business ProfileforColumbia Bank

I sold my home May 19, 2023. The title company and Columbia Bank are affiliated I just found out. A bank check was written to the State of NJ for NJ to hold during the sale and was listed on my settlement statement. My lawyer told me i should get that amount back on my taxes. My tax p***arer did my 2023 taxes and i expected a large refund to include this amount. State of NJ never received the check i found out 15 months later, mid-August 2024, and not by Columbia bank being proactive. I was in constant communication with the State of *********** of taxation. State of NJ wanted a copy of the back of the check to show that they indeed cashed so i reached out to Columbia Bank as they were the one that wrote the bank check. The *** called me back and told me she could see the check in her system, but not able to provide a copy. she would reach out to her supervisor. She didn't call me back so i reached out and was told on August 29 that someone had put a stop payment on that check last year. On August 30th the title company( affliated with Columbia Bank) got a new check and mailed to the ***********. Mine is a simple question. Who put the stop payment on the check? and why did Columbia sit on my monies for 15 months ?and never let me know that they in essence had an interest free loan for thousands of dollars from me! Four different ***resentatives of Columbia, including a supervisor at a branch and a supervisor at the corporate office, have yet to call me back. I spoke to the supervisor at the corporate office at 215 on Friday afternoon after waiting three days for a branch supervisor to call me back. I even gave the branch supervisor the benefit of a doubt and called him Friday morning and by 215 when i didn't hear back, called the corporate office.

*************** you know, First Jersey Title submitted a check with your estimated non-resident tax payment with the deed to the county clerk, which is required to be sent for deed recording. As the deed was properly recorded in May 2023, First Jersey Title reasonably believed the check was processed simultaneously, and have since learned that it was not processed. As a matter of course, a stop payment is issued on checks not cashed within one year, such that the stop payment was issued in or around August 2024. First Jersey subsequently re-issued the check and have confirmed that it was cashed on September 9, 2024. We appreciate the opportunity to resolve the matter for you.