SBTPG is the 3rd party that takes the Turbotax fees out of your refund if you decided to pay for them that way. IRS sends the money to Santa Barbara Bank & Trust and they send it to your bank.
People that pay the TT fees upfront - ot from their refund - the IRS sends the money straight to the person's bank. Turbotax isn't in any way involved with the refund. Turbotax doesn't send emails that a refund is on the way. The person that said TT sent emails regarding refunds probably meant SBTPG.
