Great Basin Federal Credit Union

In 2009 I lost my job due to economic downturn and could no longer afford to pay high car payments financed through Great Basin Credit Union. Several attempts were made to work out a deal with Great Basin to pay lower or deferred payments to avoid repossession. When all attempts failed, I had no choice but to voluntarily surrender the vehicle. At the time of the repossession I owed $21,499. The car had a fair market value of about $18,000 to $19,000. Great Basin sold the vehicle in 2010 at a huge discount of $11,000. I am being held accountable for the deficiency balance that is reported on my credit as $10,322. I am disputing this amount because this action is a violation of federal and local consumer protection laws.The Federal Trade Commission states; Any resale of a repossessed vehicle must be conducted in a commercially reasonable manner. A resale price that is below fair market value may indicate that the sale was not commercially reasonable. A creditors failure to resell your car in a commercially reasonable manner may give you a claim against that creditor for damages or a defense against a deficiency judgment. At a local jurisdiction level, the Nevada Revised Statutes section 482.5163 is very similar in the wording and also states that the sale must be done in a commercially reasonable manor. The complete content of the information cited above can be found on the internet using search key words NRS section 482.5163 and at: [redacted]I had attempted to resolve this matter directly with Great Basin Federal Credit Union. I made a sincere and fair effort to settle the account for $4,000 and was promptly declined. I then wrote a detailed dispute letter with supporting documentation in regards to this mater and sent it to Great Basin via certified mail on 8/6/14. Great Basin FCU has still not responded to my letter as of this date 9/24/14.Product_Or_Service: Car LoanAccount_Number: [redacted]Desired SettlementUltimately I would like the derogatory remarks removed from my [redacted], [redacted], and [redacted] credit reports.Business Response Member paid 13 out of 14 payments late. [redacted] contacted us in July 2009 with payment arrangements and also inquired about selling the vehicle for fair market value and us doing a signature loan for the difference. We also talked to him and [redacted] (joint) about LRR and also about an arrangement to get them current. We were told [redacted] and [redacted] were divorced, she could not pay and did not want to submit a LRR and [redacted] had been laid off so he surrendered the vehicle.The vehicle was originally placed with [redacted] and trucks on consignment to sell. The vehicle was in very rough condition and was moved to [redacted] Reno. I have the condition report and values from that time. [redacted] was $15600/$20020, not taking into consideration the actual condition of the vehicle. The auction values at that time were: Below ($7030) Average ($10,266) Above ($13502). All tires were poor and considered "extra rough".The vehicle ran three times with [redacted] and sold to [redacted] cars Net in [redacted]. [redacted] believes the vehicle was sold to [redacted] because that is who the sold check is from but that is not the case. It was sold in a reasonably commercial manner according to the law. It was not undersold based on the condition and value at the time. I have the condition reports and **'s opinion. The account was assigned to [redacted] in July 2010. They have been handling the account and responded to all disputes, as they have received some of them as well.Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)Like I said I made several attempts to work something out with Great Basin to avoid repossession. The whole entire first paragraph in the response by Great Basin I disagree with, and/or have little knowledge about. I do know that they offered my ex-wife a reduced payment deal, as low as $200 per month, but I was never offered the same deal. You can find that conversation on the last page of the packet provided by [redacted] ([redacted] file I uploaded). The vehicle that I surrendered to Great Basin Federal Credit Union is a 2006 Ford Explorer with a VIN: [redacted] and was in excellent condition. In fact it is still happily driving around today somewhere in [redacted] according to [redacted] vehicle history report. The vehicle that they are talking about that is in "very rough condition" is a 2001 Dodge Durango that I had nothing to do with. You can read all about that vehicle in the [redacted] file that I uploaded on pages 9, 10, & 11. Let me reiterate, my vehicle was a FORD EXPLORER, not a DODGE DURANGO. This in itself is a problem because it seriously erodes the value of the my vehicle. I also addressed this erroneous information in the dispute letter that I sent to Great Basin FCU on 8/6/14. It appears that they not only chose not to responded to my letter, but likely did not even read it. If there is a "conditions report and **'s opinion" that exists for the Ford Explorer, I have never seen it.Final Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)In this reply there are 5 points that I am going to make based on the replies given from Great Basin Federal Credit Union and all the supporting documentation I have uploaded to date: 1.) A "mix up with the condition report" is the first time Great Basin FCU has admitted to making a mistake. It appears from reading their replies that they themselves cannot seem to get their information sorted out from one condition report to the next. I have never received a corrected condition report and cannot comment on whether it is legitimate or not. 2.) I called [redacted] this morning 9/30/14, in attempt to acquire the corrected condition report for the 2006 Ford Explorer. It appears that [redacted] is also confused about the new condition report and cannot ascertain whether it exists or not. 3.) A mix up with the condition report is a big problem. It indicates that the sale of the vehicle was completely botched. This mix up has propagated to reporting incorrect information on all my credit reports. 4.) This mix up also reinforces the statement I made in my previous dispute letter, that the wrong vehicle listed in the condition report ultimately misrepresents the condition of the actual vehicle and drives down the sale price. The end result of this is that the vehicle sold for way less than market value. 5.) In conclusion, the balance owed reported on my credit reports is WRONG and should be removed immediately. A corrected balance is a resolution that can be taken into consideration, but should be negotiated separately. In the mean time, I urge Great Basin to please correct the negative information on my credit files. Final Business Response Further communications need to be with [redacted]. They will provide copies of the documents requested and will facilitate payment arrangements. Please contact [redacted], Manager at [redacted].

Unwilling to refund erroneous feesI am a proponent of local business, which is why, when I moved to Northern Nevada in 2012, I chose GBFCU to bank with over some of the bigger banks in the area. Twice now, I have had problems getting them to refund erroneous fees. The first issue happened in 2013 when there were some fraudulent charges on my bank account where someone using a fake name was able to get my routing number and charged an upwards of $1,000 to my checking account. When I reported the issue to Great Basin, instead of being greeted with sympathy and a willingness to resolve the problem, the first thing out of the teller's mouth was, "How do we know you're not lying." Initially they refused to refund the fees until I got a 3rd party involved. When I had my credit cards stolen as a [redacted] customer back in 2006, they refunded the charges right away. Needless to say, it took about a month of aggravation and strife with Great Basin to get my money back when any other bank would have believed the customer based on their transaction history and overturned those fees in an instant. That should have been my first warning sign, but I believe in second chances. The second issue with GBFCU happened roughly two months ago. Recently I had an issue with [redacted]'s processing department where they charged me an overdraft fee one too many times. The charge was an ACH fee in the amount of $29.00 and I contacted [redacted] on several occasions to get the money refunded. [redacted] admitted the mistake and, in looking at my bank account on September 8th, 2014 when the erroneous charge occurred, you can see that the charge was a mistake, yet the branch manager of Great Basin refused to overturn the fee without a tailored letter including the date and the error from [redacted]. [redacted] corresponded with me many times about these charges and sent me approximately 5 letters for me to forward to the bank. Every time I presented one of the letters to the branch manager, he found a reason to deny it. "Maybe [redacted] just isn't interested in helping you get a resolution," he wrote to me in an e-mail. EXCUSE ME?! [redacted] spent hours on the phone with me trying to get an exact bank statement for him to accept and even tried calling him at his desk, which - surprise, surprise - he was not sitting at during the time they reached out. It saddens me that keeping $29.00 of my money is more important to Great Basin than retaining a customer, but I operate on a 3 strike system, so if anything else unprofessional occurs between me and this institution, I will be leaving them forever.Desired SettlementI expect the $29.00 overdraft fee to be returned to my bank account in a prompt manner.Business Response Contact Name and Title: [redacted]Contact Email: [redacted]I remember speaking with [redacted] during the first incident that she references in May 2013 where ** credit debited her account for an auto payment erroneously. At that time, I agreed that Great Basin FCU did not handle the situation properly and we promptly offered to reverse fees and offered to convert the account number to prevent further issues. In March 2014 [redacted] disputed a charge from [redacted] on her account, which caused an NSF fee. We received written correspondence from [redacted] that the charge was NOT [redacted]'s, we promptly reversed the fee.In September 2014 [redacted] contacted us asking us to reverse a fee because of an error on the part of [redacted]. We asked her again to get written documentation from [redacted] accepting responsibility and although we did get a response from [redacted], the email indicated that the error was due to the following: "The NSF fee was charged after the customer unintentionally used their bank account, instead of their credit card, to fund an instant [redacted] payment of $$260.00 USD on Aug 29, 2014 08:56:42 PDT. Unless a customer tells us that they want to use a different payment method, instant payments are automatically funded by their bank account."So while it may have been a mistake on the part of [redacted], it was her responsibility nonetheless.Great Basin is willing to work with members on fees, and we take into consideration many factors when agreeing to reverse them. The reality is we do not always reverse them when a member is at fault. [redacted] was provided options to avoid future fees by the branch manager during their email correspondence.Great Basin FCU has reversed fees for [redacted] in the past, however this time based on the circumstances, we will not be reversing this one for her. Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)Oh, how soon we are to forget. The text from the letter from [redacted] cited above was from the *first* correspondence with them regarding the erroneous fee. This was one of FIVE letters sent to Great Basin, each one tailored to meet the specific need of reversing the fee. The final letter received by [redacted] and sent to Great Basin FCU was in regard to an EXTRA charge from them in the amount of $29.00 which was erroneous and occurred on September the 8th, 2014, which is CLEARLY STATED in my first letter to the Revdex.com. I am not asking Great Basin FCU to overturn ALL the charges from [redacted], just the additional $29.00 fee which occurred on September 8th.Additionally, I was NOT charged an overdraft fee by [redacted] in March, so that's bogus. The bank is using that as a ploy to get out of overturning this fee. I believe the overdraft that occurred in March was a result of an error on their banking system and was for something else - NOT [redacted].So sad that Great Basin FCU risks losing a customer over $29.00 but needless to say, I still expect to be refunded in full.Final Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)[redacted] doesn't issue bank letters stating that they are in error. They issue one STANDARD bank statement which works across the board at financial institutions in overturning fees. It shouldn't be a game of tug of war in getting an erroneous fee overturned. Additionally, overturning this fee should be a non-issue for Great Basin FCU since this fee was processed erroneously after the two overdraft fees (one on August 29th and one on September the 3rd) along with the amount of $260.00 were cleared at the time I was charged with this one. Looking at my bank account on September 8th, you can SEE that the payments ($260.00 plus the two $29.00 charges on the 29th of August and 3rd of September) were cleared at the time I was charged with this one, so I shouldn't even need a bank letter to dispute this.It's NOT like I'm asking for the $260.00 or the other two overdraft fees to be refunded because they were valid charges. This fee is not.Also, I apologize for my error about the March transaction. Looking back at my records, yes, it was a similar situation with [redacted], but that personal information should not have been used in referencing this scenario.As a Great Basin FCU customer, it's the principle of this situation that's alarming to me. $29.00 to some people means a tank of gas, so why would a bank want to deny someone a rightful refund if the ACH fee was clearly charged in error? Moreover, what happens at Great Basin FCU when someone experiences identity fraud to a greater extreme than I did in 2013? Does Great Basin FCU just deny the refund even though it could mean wiping out someone's retirement money? With the onset of new businesses coming to Reno and thus a population influx of people from various cultures and backgrounds, I hope Great Basin FCU will take their two experiences with me as a lesson in customer service and improve their business practices. The customer is not always right, but in these two instances, Great Basin acted in error. And I'm sad to say that after all I've been through with them, I've never once received an apology for my troubles. It seems that they are more interested in BEING right than doing what's right, and that is completely unethical.That said, I will *NOT* be closing my bank accounts with Great Basin FCU. I REPEAT: I am keeping my bank accounts open. So please don't close them without my knowledge. Closing them at this time will put me in a financial hardship since all of my bills and my direct deposit are routed through them, and I really don't want to have to deal with that anytime soon.However, I will not be using Great Basin FCU for any loans or products in the future.Here is the "5th Letter" from [redacted] below. I really hope you will do the right thing. It means a lot to me personally and to Great Basin FCU as a small business in a small city to act in honor, not error in this situation.Regards.To: GREAT BASIN FCUFrom: [redacted] Customer Solutions DepartmentRE: NSF feesI'm writing at your request in response to the non-sufficient funds (NSF) fee that our mutual customer, [redacted] , received on Sep 8, 2014.The NSF fee was charged after the customer unintentionally used their bank account, instead of their credit card, to fund an instant [redacted] payment of $260.00 on Sep 8, 2014.Unless a customer tells us that they want to use a different payment method, instant payments are automatically funded by their bank account. In this case, the customer intended to use their credit card, but their bank account was automatically used.When a payment is denied due to insufficient funds, [redacted] automatically re-presents it. This may have resulted in multiple NSF fees.I understand that [redacted] is requesting that you waive some or all of the NSF fees caused by this payment. This letter is to explain how instant payments are funded and why our customer paid with their bank account.Sincerely,[redacted] Customer Solutions Department____________Final Business Response Thank you for sending this letter, it is the same one we had on file. Based on this letter, [redacted] states that the error was because the "customer unintentionally used their bank account , instead of their credit card". While we think that [redacted] made an honest mistake, it is not a mistake that the credit union can pay for. Great Basin FCU is a credit union, not a bank. What that means is that we do not have wealthy investors to inject funds for profit. Rather, we are a not-for-profit credit union where our members own us and trust us to be great ambassadors of their funds. We are proud that we have one of the lowest fee structures in the state and we are able to do that because we take great care in charging fees where appropriate, and not overcharging for unnecessary things. In fact, $29 is just as big of a deal to us as it is to [redacted]. We both agree that this is the third time [redacted] has asked for a fee to be reversed, and two of the three times we DID reverse the fee for her. This was based on either the credit union being at fault or a third party. In this case, it is [redacted]'s mistake and one she needs to take responsibility for. If we reverse charges (fees or interest) for every member that asked, even if they file complaints with the Revdex.com, we would not be doing a service to our other members. Great Basin FCU has no intention of closing [redacted]'s account. We only close member's accounts when there is excessive fraud or if there are excessive insufficient funds. As long as there are neither of those things, we will attempt to provide her with the best service we can. Our fees are posted in the branches or available on our website and all members are subject to the fees listed on a fair and unbiased basis.

Denied the opening of a checking account based on [redacted] score. [redacted] report clear. No negatives. I tried to open account at two separate occasions at the Great Basin Federal Credit Union. Both times, I was denied based on a [redacted] Score. This surprised me as I have good credit and no negatives that I know of. However, when I ordered my [redacted] report, there was absolutely nothing negative on it. I ordered the report twice with all names and addresses. I showed it to Great Basin and they still said I had to be denied based on the [redacted] score. I can only receive this score if I pay [redacted] $10. So I am not entitled to free knowledge over why I was denied. I spoke with a branch manager ([redacted]). He was polite in his emails, but also said they will not open the account without a good [redacted] score. He said I can receive this score from [redacted] for free (not true). Desired SettlementI would like an explanation of the factors in the score that contribute to this score that I cannot see. I would like it explained to me that despite having excellent credit and nothing on my [redacted] report, why I cannot open an account. I would like this to be fixed so that someone else does not have to go through this. Business Response Contact Name and Title: [redacted]Contact Phone: [redacted]Contact Email: [redacted]We absolutely agree, and on July 9th we opened an investigation with our third party vendor, [redacted] to research the matter. We will follow up when we hear back from them, which should be the first of next week. Thank you for your patience.With the adverse action notice that should have been given at the time of the inquiry, [redacted] is entitled to a free report. If she is being told she has to pay after presenting that notice to [redacted], she needs to escalate the matter with [redacted]. Final Business Response We have researched this matter further and discovered that the criteria that our third party vendor uses includes a variety of information included (but not limited to) what is contained in a credit report, and does not exclusively reflect the credit score or repayment pattern of the applicant. After reviewing this criteria, we will be modifying how we use these reports in the future because we agree with [redacted], the results of the score in the [redacted] Qualifile report do not reflect her history with a checking or banking account. In addition, we appreciate the opportunity for this feedback so we could re-evaluate our processes. We would also extend the offer to [redacted] to open an account if she still would be willing to do so. Thank you again.

On August 16, 2013, I spoke with [redacted] regarding getting a home equity loan on my property. Some days later, on August 29th, I received a phone call from [redacted], who was supposed to appraise my property. I was never given a choice in appraisers, was not given any alternatives, just the phone call from him saying that we needed to set up an appointment and that his fee was $400. After this, and after I submitted all documentation that the bank requested from me, I was informed that they were not going to approve my loan request because my homeowners' association did not meet their requirements for owner/tenant ratio. Finally, on November 1st, when I came to Great Basin in order to pick up my documentation, I saw that the paperwork regarding their reasons for denying my loan were shockingly incomplete, and furthermore that the letter which they were supposed to send to me, but never did, explaining their reasons named my loan request as a "Fixed Second Mortgage" when it was a home equity line of credit on a free-and-clear property, and that the reason they did not accept my loan request was due to not offering the type of credit requested. [redacted] acted unprofessionally when she gave me no choice in the matter of appraiser, she acted unprofessionally when she ordered that appraisal for me without checking ahead of time whether the property was up to the standards of the credit union, and she acted unprofessionally when she gave me incorrect and incomplete paperwork regarding the credit union's reasons for denying my loan. I requested that I be reimbursed the $400 I had to pay for the appraisal, and that an investigation into [redacted]'s methods and activities be opened, and issue home equity credit what was promised. My request was deniedDesired SettlementI requested that I be reimbursed the $400 I had to pay for the appraisal or issue home equity credit what was promised,Business Response [redacted] and her mother did speak to [redacted] regarding her loan needs and had an extensive conversation regarding the different loan types offered by Great Basin i.e. Fixed Second Mortgage or Revolving Home Equity Line of Credit. [redacted] decided to do the fixed second mortgage due to the fixed rate. The credit union has a list of appraisers we use and we address the appraisal process upon loan inquiry. At no time did [redacted] ask us if a different appraiser could be used. We discussed the fees and explained they are up front and will be reimbursed upon the funding of the loan. The credit union does not make any money on the appraisal, we pass through all fees to the borrower. The reason this loan was not able to proceed has nothing to do with the appraiser, it is due to the fact that the condominium association where [redacted] lives was unable to provide us with the owner occupancy ratio. Our policy states it must be abot 70%. This was also explained to [redacted] before the appraisal was ordered, and she agreed to proceed. While the credit union is confident that all the terms and conditions and options were explained in detail to [redacted], as an act of good will, we will pay for 1/2 of the appraisal fee ($200). We will mail the check to the address we have on file.Final Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)I do not accept this response for the simple reason that Great Basin ordered the appraisal BEFORE verifying that the property was to their standards for a home equity loan. Yes, I was aware of the requirements, but I was NOT aware that it is standard financial industry practice to order appraisals for a property which they would not approve for a home equity loan in the first place.I demand that the second half of the appraisal fee be returned to me. That is my final response.Final Business Response As we previously stated, what [redacted] is suggesting is not standard practice in the financial industry. It is well documented that she was aware of the requirements for the condo association. As an act of good will, we have already refunded one half of the appraisal fee to [redacted]. This is our final response as there is nothing further to add to this case.