Argent Federal Credit Union

This is the worst Bank that I have ever worked with. Take your money out before you find out

Review: My husband, [redacted] passed away 5/30/15. I notified the credit union of this regarding a credit card he had in his name only with them (with a balance of $4,000). They said there was no problem, it would be noted, and that I was not responsible for the debt on the card. I told them there was no estate at the time of the phone call. I also went to their office off [redacted] and took them a certified Death Certificate and again was told I was not responsible for the debt, and at that time I also told the employee that there was no estate. We had a joint savings account at the credit union with a balance of $3000. They told me they would have to take that money to use against the credit card debt, which they did and left a balance of $900 dollars or so. I have continuously received bills for that balance and now they have turned the debt over to a law firm for collection. How do I stop them from this action. I have repeatedly notified them that he left no estate so I am not responsible. I need your help with this. Please have someone contact me to get this matter cleared up. Thank you kindly.Desired Settlement: I need Argent to understand there is no estate and I am not responsible for this debt nor is there any money to pay this debt. I also need the law firm notified that there is no estate, and want them to drop this threatening action against me, as well as to stop them from further notifications and to stop sending the bill to collection agencies.

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted]:I am responding to your email to [redacted] dated October 21,

2015 regarding the above referenced complaint. As we discussed in our telephone conversation, the statement

provided by [redacted] is correct in some matters but incorrect in others. The following

is a synopsis of the circumstance related to [redacted] account.[redacted] passed away on May 30, 2015. Argent Credit Union

was not notified by [redacted] of [redacted] passing until July 8, 2015. Also on

July 8, 2015 at 11:39am contact was made with our credit card processer from someone

is possession of [redacted] card. The reason for the contact is unknown by the

individual failed to properly answer specific security questions related to **

[redacted] card. This failure to properly answer the security questions required the

credit card processor to status the card in such a way that it cannot be used. The

credit union was contacted later that day by phone by [redacted] informing is of

[redacted] passing. An e-mail from our Call Center dated 7/8/15 at 12:12pm was

sent to the Loan Department informing us of his death. This [redacted] account was in

the name of [redacted] only. [redacted] was not on the card and was not an

authorized user of the [redacted] card.[redacted] state that she was a joint owner of [redacted] saving

account with a balance of $3,000.00. Although [redacted] was joint primary

saving account (identified as an S-1 account), the balance in that account was

$5.00 [redacted] did have a secondary saving account (identified as an S-2

account) with a balance of $3,066.90 that [redacted] was not a joint owner. A review

of the history of the S-2 account shows that on June 15, 2015 (16 days after **

[redacted] death) a withdrawal in the mount of $1,000.00 was made at a credit union

service center located at [redacted] in [redacted]. The service

center is not an Argent credit Union Branch. This withdrawal should not have

been allowed as it was from the S-2 account. Unfortunately, I cannot speak to

the procedures that were or were not followed by the service center to identify

account ownership nor can I say who made that withdrawal.On September 8, 2015, the credit union did transfer

$3,066.90 to the [redacted] account which brought the balance of the S-2 saving

account to $0.00. the credit union also credited [redacted] account $25.46

representing the interest charged on his last billing cycle and another $25,00

representing the late fee charged on his last billing cycle. The remaining balance

of $978.66 was charged off as a loss to the credit union on 9/28/15.Argent credit Union’s procedures for all deceased accounts

where a loss is incurred is to forward the account to our attorney to pursue

any estate that might exist in an attempt to satisfy the loss to Argent. The statement

from [redacted] that there was no estate does not change the credit union

procedures. It is the responsibility of the attorney to determine what, if any,

assets might exist and pursue those assets to satisfy the credit union’s loss. If

it is determined that no estate is assets exist, the case is then closed. The credit

union understands that [redacted] is not responsible for the debt and all communication

from our attorney would be referencing the estate of William E Bolton. We are

not pursuing [redacted] for any payment but any correspondence would be going to

the address of record of [redacted], which is also [redacted] address.Please be advised that if needed Argent Credit Union can provide

any supporting documentation necessary to substantiate the statements made in

this correspondence in include Membership and Account Agreement, [redacted] Credit

Card line or Credit Agreement, signature card for the S-2 account signed by **

[redacted] opened 10.28.94, records collections comments, e-mail correspondence and

Death Claim Outline. As stated in several of these documents the member pledges

all shared or deposits in any joint or individual account as security of any

amounts owed to the credit union. Based on these documents, the credit union exercised

its rights to offset part of the balance of [redacted] VISA credit card account

by transferring funds from his S-2 account. The $5.00 in the S-1 account remains

in place as of this writing.Please let me know if there are any additional questions concerning

this matter. I can be reached during normal business hours at [redacted] extension

[redacted].

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the offer and/or response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

[Provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.]

Regards,

There is absolutely NO ESTATE and the attorney does not need to pursue this matter any further. I do not want to receive any more billings from Argent Federal Credit Union to the Estate of [redacted] nor any further correspondence from the attorney involved. There is no money to pay anything! Please have the Credit Union and attorney close out this case. Thank you.