Consumer complaint received 2018-01-24
Company: PENTAGON FEDERAL CREDIT UNION
State: MD
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem
Sub-issue: Their investigation did not fix an error on your report

Complaint:
Pentagon Federal Credit Union ( PENFED ) has damaged my FICO score by over 100 points due to their own apparent incompetence. Apparently, this is nothing new since I see there have already been 788 complaints filed against PENFED. 

I had been a member for over 15 years, but as my circumstances have changed, it is no longer convenient to keep an account with PENFED. I typically only use online banking and pay off the full statement balance each month. I now do all my banking with XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, MD. 

On the XX/XX/XXXX, in anticipation of closing my accounts with PENFED, I paid the full monthly statement balance of {$1900.00}. Then on XX/XX/XXXX, I went to the PENFED Branch at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, MD XXXX and closed my accounts. The agent gave me the cash balance in my share account and told me I was done and needed do nothing else. A few days later I tried to log on to check my PENFED credit card, but could not access the account. With online access closed to me and the guidance provided by the agent a few days before, I believed that my accounts with PENFED were closed and there was nothing more for me to do. 

In XXXX I received a letter from PENFED dated XX/XX/XXXX notifying me that my account was delinquent. XX/XX/XXXX, when I received the letter, I called the number indicated in the letter. The agent told me there was an outstanding balance of {$2100.00} on the account I thought had been closed in XXXX. When I asked why the account was allowing charges to accrue, I was told that it should have been closed in XXXX, but as a convenience to me was still accepting charges. It was not a convenience for me since I thought the account was closed and had no visibility of the activity. I could not access it online and I was not receiving paper statements. At this point I authorized the agent to transfer money from my XXXX XXXX XXXX  account to pay the full account balance. The agent assured me the account would be closed at this point and I had nothing more to worry about. 

Then in XXXX, I received another letter from PENFED. This one, dated XX/XX/XXXX, said my account was delinquent yet again. On XX/XX/XXXX I called the number indicated. The agent explained that the account was still open and accepting charges and now had a balance of {$420.00}. This time it included some charges I would not have authorized had I known about them in a timely fashion. As before, I had no visibility or knowledge of this activity since I had no online access and was not receiving paper statements. The agent agreed to place some charges in dispute and I authorized her to transfer {$270.00} from my XXXX XXXX XXXX account to settle the rest. The agent assured me the account would be closed and this was the end of the issue In XXXX, I received two letters from PENFED. One dated XX/XX/XXXX stating that my account still carried a small balance of {$160.00} and " if you feel there is a discrepancy in this account, please contact us immediately. '' The second letter, dated XX/XX/XXXX notified me that the account was again delinquent. Both letters arrived at my home on the same day just after XXXX. On the XX/XX/XXXX I went back to the PENFED Branch at XXXX XXXX XXXX and talked to the Branch Manager, XXXX XXXX XXXX. After discussing with him the problem and my frustration, he acknowledged that the account should have been closed in XXXX and could not explain why it remained open. He sent an email to XXXX XXXX XXXX and promised ( three times ) I would be contacted and the issue would be resolved and that someone would be contacting me. 

On XX/XX/XXXX I found that my FICO score had dropped over 100 points because PENFED reported me 30 days delinquent ( twice ). I went back to XXXX XXXX later that day. I again voiced my frustration that the problem was not being addressed and that the problem was now affecting my credit score. He apologized and sent an email to XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX, and assured me the issue and my credit score would be fixed and that someone would be contacting me. 

Due to a data breach in the Federal Government, XXXX provides credit monitoring for me through XXXX. I received a notice from XXXX alerting me of changes to my credit information. When I followed up with XXXX, I found that on XX/XX/XXXX, PENFED reported me 30 days past due, on XX/XX/XXXX PENFED again reported me 30 days past due, and on XX/XX/XXXX PENFED reported me 60 days past due. PENFED was making these reports to the Credit Bureaus while I was working with them to get their mistake fixed and getting no response. 

Throughout this no one from PENFED has contacted me other than the delinquency letters listed above. PENFED 's incompetence has impacted my credit score which harms me financially. On XX/XX/XXXX I was speaking to an agent of XXXX in order to get their internet service. He told me that because of my new, lower, credit score, I 'd have to pay a {$250.00} deposit before I could get their service. Prior to PENFED 's reporting, my FICO score was excellent at over XXXX. 

I request your help to get this resolved and my credit score fixed. Thank you.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief