Little update on my status. I've written a number of emails to the bank hq and heard from the outfit that handles "corporate" complaints. They are going to phone the bank and they said he'd give me a call.
Guessing this is all smoke and mirrors to deal with a problem. However, I would have felt much worse if I just complained and did absolutely nothing.
I must be related to don Quixote. Wasn't he a cyclist too?