Small business owner locked out of bank account after depositing $30,000 grant

SPRING, Texas (KTRK) -- A Spring woman said she was ready to take her small business to the next level after winning a $30,000 grant. Instead, one of her company vehicles was repossessed, and she's locked out of her account until the new year.

"I could pay my truck off, and I wanted to buy a trailer and buy commercial property so I could park my equipment on it," BB Fly Trucking owner Natasha Galloway said.

In May, Galloway applied for a $30,000 Greater Houston Community Foundation grant to invest in her business. She got the good news in an email on Sept. 29.

SEE THE UPDATE: Bank restores access to $30K grant money, Spring business owner says

"Out of all the people, I did win a $30,000 grant. Like - that's really good, so I was happy about that," Galloway said.

On Oct. 25, Galloway got the check and brought it to her local Regions Bank branch. She took out a couple hundred dollars that day, and the rest she was told would be available on Nov. 3. But that day, she was told the check was suspicious, and the bank would begin a three-month investigation and freeze the entire business account.

"I have the check in my hand, put it in the bank, and now they won't release the money to me," Galloway said.

A statement from The Greater Houston Community Foundation confirmed that Galloway was a recipient. The nonprofit said it confirmed with Regions Bank on Nov. 6 that the check was real, but Galloway said she's still unable to access any of the funds in that account.

"I asked them, 'Why are y'all freezing my account? What is the reason?' And they said, 'It's because of this check - it's suspicious,'" Galloway said.

She said she planned to use $10,000 from that check to pay off her third 18-wheeler, but instead, it was repossessed and is headed to auction.

"It's a struggling market, so that money would definitely help me a lot," Galloway said.

Region Bank told ABC13 they cannot discuss clients' banking information and are looking into the investigation.

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