State Department Federal Credit Union

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved] Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: Let's review the information from the post office on this certified- insured package The branch manager should be aware of who has the check and my personal data from the applications from both department's (member services and loan department) If she can't find them them then we will need to proceed with other options to protect my identity Again, a firm and final resolution will need to reached to put my mind at ease If you have any questions please have the manager contact me by phone Regards, [redacted] ***

Re: Complaint ID: [redacted] Complainant; [redacted] :We have concluded our research into the referenced Complaint and offer the following in the response to, [redacted] ***' stated concerns: [redacted] ***' history with us began in April of when she opened a savings account at our FtMcNair branch on 4/4/On 4/8/2015, [redacted] applied for a secured credit card and one was issued to her on 4/9/The $credit limit was secured by placing a hold on existing funds in her savings accountIn her complaint, [redacted] has indicated that her attempt to process a credit card transaction in July, was declined and upon contacting us to determine why, found that her card was blocked and no explanation was provided to her, She then claims she received an email from us regarding a negative savings account balance of $and an outstanding balance of $2,on her credit card, but "had no knowledge” of these balancesShe further claims that she sent us a fraud claim and multiple disputes which we “ignored”Our records reflect our having frozen [redacted] ***' credit card on July 17, This action was taken, due to a repeated history throughout June and early july of payments being initiated from her savings account, then said payments being returned for non-sufficient funds (NSF) and the subsequent charge of NSF feesMore than such credit card payments were initiated via our online banking service during June and early JulyWhile [redacted] claims to have no knowledge of this activity, our records also reflect that she was provided with monthly statements for both her credit card and savings accounts; statements provided for June and July would have reflected the numerous payments, payment reversals, and NSF fees appliedFollowing our having blocked the credit card, our records reflect repeated contact attempts,commencing on July 17th, with subsequent contact attempts made on 7/24, 7/27, culminating in our Collections department sending a formal letter to her on 7/28, two additional attempts to contact her were made on 7/and 8/3, with a second fetter sent by our Collections department on 8/Following an additional email and phone call attempt on 8/7, [redacted] finally emailed us on 8/and we responded of that date, On 8/14/15, [redacted] indicated she anticipated receipt of a large income tax return which would resolve the matterShe had also engaged in a conversation with our Collections team regarding a payment planWhile [redacted] did complete a “Claim of Fraud and Forgery” form on 8/25/2015, claiming she did not authorize any payments to her credit card after the date of 5/30/15, said claim was determined to be unfounded once we determined that the payments had been originated via our online banking service, One must first use their unique credentials to log in to their online account and then separately access their credit card which must be pre-registered for payment originationAt no time, did [redacted] indicate that her online barking access had been compromised, leaving the logical assumption that [redacted] had logged into her SDFCU account, accessed her credit card, then initiated the payments from her savings accountIn conclusion, we believe that the foregoing information serves to substantiate the actions taken by State Department Federal Credit Union relative to our handling of [redacted] ***' account and that no "billing adjustment” is due her, We have been in the business of providing financial services to our global membership for over years and pride ourselves on our integrity and commitment to member serviceSincerely, Karen M., BS, MA, CIP Manager, Support Services On behalf of State Department Federal Credit Union CC: [redacted] ***

As follow up to my letter of August 11th, we have concluded our research and offer the following: [redacted] applied for credit union membership online on 7/8/The application process involves verification of an applicant's identity to satisfy the requirements set forth in the USA Patriot Act and multiple tools are used to verify information provided by the applicant in the application itself, coupled with information found on an applicant's credit reportAt the start of the application process, we do disclose, and require applicant's to acknowledge, that "accepting the terms and conditions of membership also serves as authorization for State Department Federal Credit Union to retrieve your consumer credit report".Establishing accounts for applicants who apply online (or who submit paper applications) carries significantly more risk than for those who apply in personTo verify the identity of those individuals who are not standing in front of us requires us to make risk based decisions based upon the use of the a fore-mentioned risk management database tools and information gleaned from an applicant's credit reportWhen we cannot immediately decision an application using the online process, we may ask for additional documentation to aid in our risk based decision process, as was the case with [redacted] ***Further evaluation resulted in the decision to deny his application on 7/18/and he was informed of this decision.In [redacted] ***'s complaint, he indicated a "desired outcome/settlement" as being our approval of his membership application, and for us to remove the inquiry from his credit reportAt this time, we will not be reversing our decision, having reached it after careful consideration of his online application; should we have the future opportunity to apply for membership in person, we would be willing to consider processing an in-person application at this timeIn addition, because our online application process includes a check box to acknowledge our full disclosure ("accepting the terms and conditions of membership also services as authorization for State Department Federal Credit Union to retrieve your consumer credit report"), it is not our practice to remove such credit report inquiries because that inquiry was not made in error.In summary, [redacted] ***'s online application was processed in the same manner as all of our online applications are processed and a rish-based decision made per the information providedState Department Federal Credit Union prides itself on an year history of fairness and equity in extending membership to those who meet current eligibility and regulatory requirements.Sincerely,Karen *M [redacted]

As follto fly letter of November 28, we have concluded our research of [redacted] ***' complaint and offer the following:Our records reflect that [redacted] opened his account of May 15, While we do understand that he claims to have "closed his account with SDFCU in 2015", our records do not reflect our having received a closure request from him, and his account has been an open account on our system with activity (as explained below) since May of 2015.In June of 2015, the account began receiving regular payroll deposits of $and said deposits continued through May of In September of 2015, the account history began reflecting significant debit card activity, which also continued through May of Since jure of 2016, the account history reflects only sporadic withdrawal activity and the cessation of payroll depositsA debit card transaction which occurred on 6/1.3/was the last such transaction and left a checking balance of $The debit card transaction which then occurred of 10/4/is the transaction which took the account negative, causing the series of collection letters to be nailed to him (as referenced in his complaint.) Our records reflect our Collections department engaged in two (2) telephone conversations with him, on 11/2/and 1/8/17, which then presumably ied to his complaint to your organization.To ensure that we were keeping [redacted] *** informed as to his account activity, we confirmed that regular of thy statements have been generated and mailed to him at his [redacted] address since May, 2015, Since we rely on members to review their statement information and contact us if they notice any errors, the absence of being contacted suggests member agreement with the activity reflectedWe have no record of having been contacted by [redacted] to question his open account nor any of the activity which has occurred on the account over the past yearsWhile we have not been able to substantiate [redacted] ***' claim that he closed his account years ago, we have proceeded to adjust the negative balance of $ [redacted] ***' account is now closed and we trust that this action is sufficient to bring this matter to closure.Sincerely,Karen ** M [redacted] , BS, MA, CIP, NCRMManager, Support Services On behalf of State Department Federal Credit Union

Re: Complaint ID: [redacted] Complainant; [redacted] :We have concluded our research into the referenced Complaint and offer the following in the response to, [redacted] ***' stated concerns: [redacted] ***' history with us began in April of when she opened a savings account at our FtMcNair branch on 4/4/On 4/8/2015, [redacted] applied for a secured credit card and one was issued to her on 4/9/The $credit limit was secured by placing a hold on existing funds in her savings account.In her complaint, [redacted] has indicated that her attempt to process a credit card transaction in July, was declined and upon contacting us to determine why, found that her card was blocked and no explanation was provided to her, She then claims she received an email from us regarding a negative savings account balance of $and an outstanding balance of $2,on her credit card, but "had no knowledge” of these balancesShe further claims that she sent us a fraud claim and multiple disputes which we “ignored”.Our records reflect our having frozen [redacted] ***' credit card on July 17, This action was taken, due to a repeated history throughout June and early july of payments being initiated from her savings account, then said payments being returned for non-sufficient funds (NSF) and the subsequent charge of NSF feesMore than such credit card payments were initiated via our online banking service during June and early July.While [redacted] claims to have no knowledge of this activity, our records also reflect that she was provided with monthly statements for both her credit card and savings accounts; statements provided for June and July would have reflected the numerous payments, payment reversals, and NSF fees applied.Following our having blocked the credit card, our records reflect repeated contact attempts,commencing on July 17th, with subsequent contact attempts made on 7/24, 7/27, culminating in our Collections department sending a formal letter to her on 7/28, two additional attempts to contact her were made on 7/and 8/3, with a second fetter sent by our Collections department on 8/Following an additional email and phone call attempt on 8/7, [redacted] finally emailed us on 8/and we responded of that date, On 8/14/15, [redacted] indicated she anticipated receipt of a large income tax return which would resolve the matterShe had also engaged in a conversation with our Collections team regarding a payment plan.While [redacted] did complete a “Claim of Fraud and Forgery” form on 8/25/2015, claiming she did not authorize any payments to her credit card after the date of 5/30/15, said claim was determined to be unfounded once we determined that the payments had been originated via our online banking service, One must first use their unique credentials to log in to their online account and then separately access their credit card which must be pre-registered for payment originationAt no time, did [redacted] indicate that her online barking access had been compromised, leaving the logical assumption that [redacted] had logged into her SDFCU account, accessed her credit card, then initiated the payments from her savings account.In conclusion, we believe that the foregoing information serves to substantiate the actions taken by State Department Federal Credit Union relative to our handling of [redacted] ***' account and that no "billing adjustment” is due her, We have been in the business of providing financial services to our global membership for over years and pride ourselves on our integrity and commitment to member service.Sincerely,Karen M., BS, MA, CIP Manager, Support ServicesOn behalf of State Department Federal Credit UnionCC: [redacted] ***

I applied to open a checking account with this Credit Union, they did a hard inquiry on my credit (which is not unheard of) and my application was "pending" for about a weekI kept calling back and eventually they said they needed proof of address to verify my identityThey requested my driver's license and a utility billI uploaded two utility bills, my driver's license, and my social security card, so there would be no question on anythingSeveral phone calls and several days later they said they were unable to approve my application because they could not verify my identityThey asked me to come into one of their branches (not even a "co-op" branch would be acceptable) >miles awayI am a military officer, born in the US, with a US passport and a security clearanceThere is no issue with my ID, and this credit union has put an inquiry on my credit for no reason as they won't let me join for even a checking account

October 27, This to acknowledge that I received the referenced complaint on October 29, and your letter indicates a written response is expected "within days”.Please note that we anticipate having the research completed and a response of our findings to you by November 20, 2015,Sincerely, Karen M, BS, MA, ClP Manager, Support Services

I am responding to your request of April 21, 2015 received on April 24, 2015 addressed to [redacted] . Ms. [redacted] is on extended leave due to a family emergency. We have been in contact with Mr. [redacted] many times regarding a package he sent us. We know wereceived a package from him on 2/11/2015. We are unable to locate the package and are unable toconfirmthe contents ofthe package. To do that, we have requested Mr. [redacted] provide us a copy ofthe cancelled check he claims was part of the package. Over the past several months we have askedfor this evidence and have yet to receive it. This is the same response we provided to you in your casenumber [redacted] sent by fax to your attention on March 18, 2015.We will provide Mr. [redacted] acknowledgment of a package, tracking number 95 [redacted] 45 [redacted] received 2/11/2015. We cannot confirm the package contents. If we need a form to do that, he has yetto provide it to us.Sincerely,Joan P [redacted] Managing Director of Operational Support ServicesState Department Federal Credit Union

August 25, 2014Dear [redacted] ; I have received the referenced complaint (your letter dated August 7, 2014), Having researched our handling of [redacted] 's applications, we offer the following in response: Membership in State Department Federal Credit Union is approved for those applicants who meet specific requirementsSaid requirements have been established as either Board approved (such as eligibility) or as required by our regulators (such as the need to verify an applicant's identity).Our online application process is constructed so that information input by the applicant serves to both verify and authenticate that individualThe information entered generates a "soft" credit inquiry of the data base housed by [redacted] which is then evaluated as follows: • The name, address, date of birth and social security number entered by the applicant are verified against what the [redacted] data base has on file for that personThis verification Component also includes a check against the US Postal Service's data base to determine if the address is a residential addressThis “matching" (verification) component will result in a numerical score; the higher the score, the greater the likelihood that the information input into the application is valid• The soft credit inquiry will also result in the generation of several multiple choice questions for the applicant to answer, said questions being based upon the information contained in the credit historyThe responses to these questions serve to authenticate that the person who is answering them is who he says he is, and also results in a numerical score, The higher the score, the greater the likelihood that it is the real person, responding to the questionsThe combined score that results from the verification and authentication components determineswhether an application is accepted (and membership extended) or denied (membership unable to be extended).In [redacted] 's situation, we received his first application on 7/12/14, His application did not automatically process through to completion, but immediately moved into a "referred” status for a staff member to reviewUpon review, the application reflected that the verification and authentication aspects of the process failed to run because the [redacted] information returned with a “security freeze” responseBecause the presence of the security freeze prevented the input data from being verified and the applicant was also not presented with the questions to authenticate him, our procedure in such cases is to decline the application and inform the applicant of the declineAt that time, we also suggest the applicant re-apply once the security freeze has been lifted from their credit file, or to apply in person at one of our branches [redacted] 's application comments reflect that he was informed of this informationThe four (4) subsequent applications submitted by [redacted] during the following weeks were all denied for the same reason and all reflect similar commentsI am unable to determine if [redacted] was specifically informed of his need to contact [redacted] directly regarding the security freezeFor those applicants wishing to re-apply, we typically advise waiting a period of days from the time [redacted] confirms a security freeze has been lifted, because the reporting of credit bureau information is typically done on day cycles, so that length of time may be needed in order for the lifting of a security freeze to be validated by software applications used for automated processingIn conclusion, State Department Federal Credit Union does not arbitrarily deny membership, but rather, does so only when our application process has not resulted in the membership requirements being metAll applicants are evaluated against the criteria of eligibility and passing the identity verification and authentication componentsWe regret [redacted] 's application experience did not have the desired outcome of our being able to extend membership to himSincerely, Karen M Manager, Branch Services

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:I will waight for the response on or before November 20th I will also forward a written response after SDFCU responds to my complaint the response made was a letter stating they received the Complaint.ID ***, and find that this resolution is not completed Regards, *** ***
Regards,
Candy Jones

March 18, The referenced complaint was received by me on March 11th and I am sending this notification because additional information is needed from the complainant*** *** has indicated that he sent us documents and a check in the amount of $and his "desired
settlement” is indicated as being “refund".To further investigate this matter, we will need to be provided with a copy of *** ***' cancelled check so we can ascertain the endorsement and determine where the funds might have been
Based upon the information provided in the complaint, we have evidence of having received a package from *** ***, but we have no evidence to support our having processed the contents of that package (ie, depositing the check), in the absence of the check having been negotiated by the credit union, *** *** is due no refund.Your acknowledgement of receipt of this communication and subsequent follwith the complainant would be appreciatedSincerely,
Karen MManager, Branch Services

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:
I will waight for the response on or before November 20th I will also forward a written response after SDFCU responds to my complaint the response made was a letter stating they received the Complaint.ID ***, and find that this resolution is not completed Regards, *** ***
Regards,
Candy Jones

The referenced letter was received by us on June 1, Mr*** submitted a package to us which was signed for by an employee of our organization on February 11, We are unable to locate the package and have been working with Mr*** to attempt to discern what happened to it.It is extremely concerning some identity information may have been included in the package as well as a checkIt would go a long way to assist us in determining what happened to the package if Mr*** would acknowledge whether or not the check he says was in the package was negotiatedIf it was, we would need a copy of the check to do any further researchIf it was not, he must stop payment on itWe have been communicating this to him, he has acknowledged our communication, however, since we started requesting this on April 6, 2015, we still do not have a copy of his cancelled checkAs far as his identity, having the check could tell us how his package was handled and possibly what happened to his paperworkIn the meantime, we have already suggested Mr*** purchase an identity protection service, provide us with his receipt and we would cover the charges for a yearHe has confirmed in writing he would do that and we have yet to receive his receiptsAgain, we have acknowledged a package was receivedWe are unable to confirm its contentsAs stated in our last conversation, if he needs us to complete a "declaration statement” we will do so as soon as he supplies it to usRegards,
Joan P***

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
I stand by my original statements but recognize that it was Carolyn I spoke with at the branch originally who refused to help me, not Bridgette who was actually very nice.
Regards,
[redacted]

July 16, 2014
[redacted]:The referenced complaint was received by me on July 15th and I am sending this notification because your letter states a written response is expected within 10 days. Because the letter was already 12 days old when I received it, we would expect that...

there will be no negative consequences relative ot our Revdex.com Reliability Report.I anticipate being able to provide a written response within 10 days of my receipt of the cbmplaint, which would be by July 25th.Your acknowledgement of receipt of this communication would be appreciated.Sincerely,Karen *. M[redacted], BS, MA, CIP
Manager, Branch ServicesOn behalf of State Department Federal Credit Union

I applied to open a checking account with this Credit Union, they did a hard inquiry on my credit (which is not unheard of) and my application was "pending" for about a week. I kept calling back and eventually they said they needed proof of address to verify my identity. They requested my driver's license and a utility bill. I uploaded two utility bills, my driver's license, and my social security card, so there would be no question on anything.
Several phone calls and several days later they said they were unable to approve my application because they could not verify my identity. They asked me to come into one of their branches (not even a "co-op" branch would be acceptable) >1000 miles away. I am a military officer, born in the US, with a US passport and a security clearance. There is no issue with my ID, and this credit union has put an inquiry on my credit for no reason as they won't let me join for even a checking account.

October 27, 2015This to acknowledge that I received the referenced complaint on October 29, 2015 and your letter indicates a written response is expected "within 10 days”.Please note that we anticipate having the research completed and a response of our findings to you by November 20,...

2015,Sincerely,Karen M, BS, MA, ClP Manager, Support Services

As follow up to my letter of August 11th, we have concluded our research and offer the following:[redacted] applied for credit union membership online on 7/8/16. The application process involves verification of an applicant's identity to satisfy the requirements set forth in the USA Patriot Act and...

multiple tools are used to verify information provided by the applicant in the application itself, coupled with information found on an applicant's credit report. At the start of the application process, we do disclose, and require applicant's to acknowledge, that "accepting the terms and conditions of membership also serves as authorization for State Department Federal Credit Union to retrieve your consumer credit report".Establishing accounts for applicants who apply online (or who submit paper applications) carries significantly more risk than for those who apply in person. To verify the identity of those individuals who are not standing in front of us requires us to make risk based decisions based upon the use of the a fore-mentioned risk management database tools and information gleaned from an applicant's credit report. When we cannot immediately decision an application using the online process, we may ask for additional documentation to aid in our risk based decision process, as was the case with [redacted]. Further evaluation resulted in the decision to deny his application on 7/18/16 and he was informed of this decision.In [redacted]'s complaint, he indicated a "desired outcome/settlement" as being our approval of his membership application, and for us to remove the inquiry from his credit report. At this time, we will not be reversing our decision, having reached it after careful consideration of his online application; should we have the future opportunity to apply for membership in person, we would be willing to consider processing an in-person application at this time. In addition, because our online application process includes a check box to acknowledge our full disclosure ("accepting the terms and conditions of membership also services as authorization for State Department Federal Credit Union to retrieve your consumer credit report"), it is not our practice to remove such credit report inquiries because that inquiry was not made in error.In summary, [redacted]'s online application was processed in the same manner as all of our online applications are processed and a rish-based decision made per the information provided. State Department Federal Credit Union prides itself on an 81 year history of fairness and equity in extending membership to those who meet current eligibility and regulatory requirements.Sincerely,Karen *. M[redacted]

August 25, 2014Dear [redacted];
I have received the referenced complaint (your letter dated August 7, 2014), Having researched our handling of [redacted]'s applications, we offer the following in response:
Membership in State Department Federal Credit Union is approved for...

those applicants who meet specific requirements. Said requirements have been established as either Board approved (such as eligibility) or as required by our regulators (such as the need to verify an applicant's identity).Our online application process is constructed so that information input by the applicant serves to both verify and authenticate that individual. The information entered generates a "soft" credit inquiry of the data base housed by [redacted] which is then evaluated as follows:
• The name, address, date of birth and social security number entered by the applicant are verified against what the [redacted] data base has on file for that person. This verification Component also includes a check against the US Postal Service's data base to determine if the address is a residential address. This “matching" (verification) component will result in a numerical score; the higher the score, the greater the likelihood that the information input into the application is valid.
• The soft credit inquiry will also result in the generation of several multiple choice questions for the applicant to answer, said questions being based upon the information contained in the credit history. The responses to these questions serve to authenticate that the person who is answering them is who he says he is, and also results in a numerical score, The higher the score, the greater the likelihood that it is the real person, responding to the questions.
The combined score that results from the verification and authentication components determineswhether an application is accepted (and membership extended) or denied (membership unable to be extended).In [redacted]'s situation, we received his first application on 7/12/14, His application did not automatically process through to completion, but immediately moved into a "referred” status for a staff member to review. Upon review, the application reflected that the verification and authentication aspects of the process failed to run because the [redacted] information returned with a “security freeze” response.
Because the presence of the security freeze prevented the input data from being verified and the applicant was also not presented with the questions to authenticate him, our procedure in such cases is to decline the application and inform the applicant of the decline. At that time, we also suggest the applicant re-apply once the security freeze has been lifted from their credit file, or to apply in person at one of our branches. [redacted]'s application comments reflect that he was informed of this information. The four (4) subsequent applications submitted by [redacted] during the following 3 weeks were all denied for the same reason and all reflect similar comments.
I am unable to determine if [redacted] was specifically informed of his need to contact [redacted] directly regarding the security freeze. For those applicants wishing to re-apply, we typically advise waiting a period of 30 days from the time [redacted] confirms a security freeze has been lifted, because the reporting of credit bureau information is typically done on 30 day cycles, so that length of time may be needed in order for the lifting of a security freeze to be validated by software applications used for automated processing.
In conclusion, State Department Federal Credit Union does not arbitrarily deny membership, but rather, does so only when our application process has not resulted in the membership requirements being met. All applicants are evaluated against the criteria of eligibility and passing the identity verification and authentication components. We regret [redacted]'s application experience did not have the desired outcome of our being able to extend membership to him.
Sincerely,
Karen M
Manager, Branch Services

As follow-up to fly letter of November 28, we have concluded our research of [redacted]' complaint and offer the following:Our records reflect that [redacted] opened his account of May 15, 2015. While we do understand that he claims to have "closed his account with SDFCU in 2015", our records do not...

reflect our having received a closure request from him, and his account has been an open account on our system with activity (as explained below) since May of 2015.In June of 2015, the account began receiving regular payroll deposits of $100.00 and said deposits continued through May of 2016. In September of 2015, the account history began reflecting significant debit card activity, which also continued through May of 2016. Since jure of 2016, the account history reflects only sporadic withdrawal activity and the cessation of payroll deposits. A debit card transaction which occurred on 6/1.3/17 was the last such transaction and left a checking balance of $0.41. The debit card transaction which then occurred of 10/4/7 is the transaction which took the account negative, causing the series of collection letters to be nailed to him (as referenced in his complaint.) Our records reflect our Collections department engaged in two (2) telephone conversations with him, on 11/2/17 and 1 1/8/17, which then presumably ied to his complaint to your organization.To ensure that we were keeping [redacted] informed as to his account activity, we confirmed that regular of thy statements have been generated and mailed to him at his [redacted] address since May, 2015, Since we rely on members to review their statement information and contact us if they notice any errors, the absence of being contacted suggests member agreement with the activity reflected. We have no record of having been contacted by [redacted] to question his open account nor any of the activity which has occurred on the account over the past 2 years. While we have not been able to substantiate [redacted]' claim that he closed his account 2 years ago, we have proceeded to adjust the negative balance of $1.19. [redacted]' account is now closed and we trust that this action is sufficient to bring this matter to closure.Sincerely,Karen ** M[redacted], BS, MA, CIP, NCRMManager, Support Services On behalf of State Department Federal Credit Union