Consumer complaint received 2023-09-24
Company: UNITED SERVICES AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION
State: CA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Closing an account
Sub-issue: Company closed your account

Complaint:
Someone got into my account... they did NOT take anything, they just " snooped around '' and left - bank calls THIS incident " fraud. '' Either in XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, a " friend '' sent me a check for {$40000.00}. I assumed that the check was legitiment - as a CITIZEN and NOT a MERCHANT, there was NO WAY that I could check the issuing bank to see if there was funds behind the check. I deposited and the bank " fronted me '' approximately {$800.00} until the check officially cleared. Unfortunately, the check was NOT viable, and it bounced, it was RETURNED. I paid back EVERY DIME of the money that was fronted, INCLUDING any and all bank fees. The bank called THIS incident " fraud. '' Because of these two incidents, the bank closed BOTH my savings ( balance less than XXXX dollars, AND my checking account. balance {$1300.00} PLUS. The bank USAA, then declared that they will HOLD and REFUSE any and ALL access to MY money - INCLUDING any SUBSEQUENT DEPOSITS for 60 ( SIXTY ) DAYS!!! In the meantime, I have bills that MUST be paid, including but not limited to - RENT, UTILITES, CREDIT CARDS, CAR PAYMENT, GROCERIES, and GAS!!! 

They " claim '' that they can LEGALLY hold MY money for 60 days - that it's written to their bylaws... but in the meantime, I NOW face a potential 3 day EVICTION NOTICE because I will NOT be able to pay MY RENT, I also face the potential of my CAR being REPOSSESSED because I can not make my CAR PAYMENT. I also face the very REAL POSSIBILITY of ALL UTILITIES being SHUT OFF because I will have absolutely NO INCOME - ( direct deposits of both my Social Security XXXX check as well as my Postal Pension for the month of XXXX ). They gleefully told me that " we welcome ALL deposits, but YOU can't have a SINGLE XXXX for 60 days, after which we'll send you a check. '' When I've asked to speak to someone about this travisty, I'm told " oh I understand '' or " I'm sorry '' - in other words, I'm being placated - and mocked! Yet they have REFUSED to honor any and all bill pay obligations, resulting me now MISSING a CAR PAYMENT and any other payments that I had scheduled! 

XXXX, I am XXXX XXXX XXXX!!! I believe that I am being UNJUSTLY PUNISHED for the actions of others of whch I was not responsible for! I can understand a bank holding my money for TEN BUSINESS DAYS - but SIXTY DAYS is HUGELY excessive and creates a HARDSHIP THAT I MAY NEVER RECOVER FROM!!! I worked HARD to get my credit rating up from a " low '' of XXXX to where it DID stand at XXXX prior to the bank STEALING MY MONEY!!! 

What I want is for this bank to RELEASE MY MONEY, and to REMOVE ME for their MAILING LIST SOLITATIONS - that under THIS SITUATION is nothing more than CORPORATE BEGGING for MORE of my MONEY!!! 

At one time, I had trusted USAA to have MY INTERESTS at HEART ... Now, the ONLY THING that they have at heart are THEIR OWN INTERESTS! They tell me that they are PROTECTING my money .... XXXX.. the ONLY THING that they are protecting is the BANK!!!

Company public response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation