Auto Recovery Service

As follto my communication of May 9, 2017, we have completed our research regarding our handling of [redacted] applications and offer the following in response to his complaint.Our records reflect we have received six {6} applications from [redacted] for membership in State Department Federal Credit Union and three (3) applications for a secured credit card, beginning in November, While applications for secured cards are generally considered "approved" because any risk involved in the extension of credit is mitigated by the funds held on deposit, our ability to issue a secured card is predicated upon membership being established and opening the share account into which to deposit those funds.The credit union's process and criteria for approving membership differs significantly from the process involved in issuing a loan productExtension of credit is typically based upon someone's credit worthiness, with significant weight given to an evaluation of their credit report.Approving an application for membership involves an evaluation of multiple factors unrelated to credit worthinessThese factors involve verification of an individual's identity (based upon information they provide in the application), validation of the responses to questions the applicant answered when applying, and utilizing [redacted] for risk scoring applications for savings accounts (aka "demand deposit accounts", or DDA's)Finally, we utilize fraud screening software to detect possible identity theft and/or other types of fraudThe evaluation of each factor carries weight in the ultimate decision to extend membership and open an account.As part of the denial of his most recent application, [redacted] has been made aware of the information we processed which led to that decisionWhile we can understand why he feels dissatisfied (in light of the "instant approved" aspect of his secured credit card application), the credit union must ensure that we are extending membership to individuals who meet the criteria we have established and that we are evaluating all applications in a consistent manner per the same criteria.Sincerely,Karen RM [redacted] ***

As follto my communication of July 19, wherein acknowledged receipt of the referenced complaint, we have concluded our research and offer the following response:1.Our records indicate our vehicle servicing email box received an email from [redacted] on the morning of Saturday, June 17, [redacted] indicated vehicle payments were incorrectly being taken from [redacted] ***'s account "twice every month" and that they "have made numerous efforts to try to correct this"Accompanying this email was a copy of a Power of Attorney document executed by [redacted] ***, naming T [redacted] as his attorney-in-factThe vehicle servicing area reviewed thë lo är and the pays femt historyBecause the vehicle loan was solely held in [redacted] ***'s name, they were unable to communicate with her directly and forwarded [redacted] ***'s email/POA document to our general SDFCU correspondence group on Monday morning, June 19, for handling and follow-upOur records then reflect that an email response was composed by one of our Electronic Communications Specialists that same Monday (6/19), with the intent to inform [redacted] about our requirements for establishing Power of Attorney on a member's account; namely, that we require an original POA document and an Affidavit which affirms that the Power of Attorney executed by the Principal remains in effect and has not been revoked or otherwise terminatedA blank Affidavit was attached to that emailRegrettably, I have discovered that the rep failed to complete the "To" field with [redacted] ***'s email address and only entered [redacted] ***'s email addresses (mil.gov and gmail.com) into the “Copy to” field of her emailAs a result of this oversight, [redacted] did not receive the email with instructions for how to proceed; the email was sent only to [redacted] as the person being copiedOur phone records reflect having received calls from [redacted] in our call center on June 27, wherein she verbally indicated she was POA for [redacted] ***, but was informed that the account did not bear that notationThe cai ended without [redacted] being informed of our requirements for original documentation to be mailed to usOur phore records also reflect receiving a call from [redacted] on July 3rd wherein she was transferred to our Lending department and provided with the vehicle payoff address.I have confirmed that the vehicle loan has been paid in full as of July 13, In addition, the member account history reflects an ACH credit of $to the savings account and a subsequent ACH debit of $from the savings account on July 21st, which left a residual balance of $1.01.We sincerely apologize for our handling of this matter and have taken measures to ensure we are providing an improved level of service for future such situationsWe regret the inconvenience [redacted] experienced and have re-focused our efforts on educating our staff about the specific difficulties our military families encounter when accounts are not held jointly, in order to ensure we routinely go the extra mile to provide the guidance and service every member has the right to expect.On the basis of the "desired outcome" stated in [redacted] ***'s complaint as being to close the account, I have taken the liberty to act on her request and am foregoing our need for an original POA document and Affidavit as the authority for doing soA check for the residual $remaining in the savings account has been issued and the account has been closed in its entirety.Sincerely,Karen *M [redacted] , MA, CIP, NCRMManager, Support Services On behalf of State DepartmentFederal Credit Union