Consumer complaint received 2019-11-28
Company: NAVY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION
State: WA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: CD (Certificate of Deposit)
Issue: Closing an account
Sub-issue: Company closed your account

Complaint:
I was a member of Navy Federal Credit Union from approximately XX/XX/XXXX until approximately XX/XX/XXXX, I believe. I am only guessing because I do not recall the exact dates of termination, but my best guess is by XX/XX/XXXX ... I was no longer a member of the Credit Union. 

I was a family member of a veteran, who'd applied for membership, first inquiring before they officially made the public announcement to serve Veterans. Once I had applied, the credit union had began ensuring " Security Policies '' under internal departments without any feedback or direct link to a point of contact regarding Member Security, until the application was approved for membership. 

I was approved for Membership with a Checking and Savings account at first. Around this time, I had still been receiving XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ... due to low-income and other conditions. 

Along the first six months, membership was working out so far. During the months of XX/XX/XXXX, trouble had began : I was almost broke, and my credit had began to tarnish. I remember there were suggestions by my local Payees about moving forward with services provided by the local DDD/DSHS governmental agencies, and how important it was to them that I remained on State & Federal Benefits. 

I also remember requesting and receiving a refund check from a web hosting provider, that had designed a basic website and a marketing plan for me. The amount of that refund was between $ XXXX {$2500.00}. 

Navy Federal Credit Union was consistently charging overdraft fees to my account. At times, they were a bit excessive, while claiming to protect me as a member. Anyways, on the brink of going into poverty, I decided ( upon the advice of Member Services at my local branch ) take about {$2000.00} of that, and invest in a Certificate of Deposit. 

The {$400.00} prior to that was deposited into my checking account to cover over {$200.00} of overdraft fees, and a little over {$120.00}, I asked to be disbursed to me as cash. I can't remember if I paid my credit card ( s ) that month, but I believe I may have paid one. 

At that time, it was a few days before a meeting with a former XXXX Case Manager. I remember not putting {$2000.00} directly into my checking account, because other parties like XXXX and my Payees were concerned about losing benefits. Taking these things into account, I decided to put the {$2000.00} into a CD. 

Almost a week later, the Social Security Administration became involved. Even though, I was receiving Supplemental Security Income, it was clear to me that they were pressuring my relatives ( who were/are also my payees ) that SSA didn't want me to make additional income ... contrary to the purpose of Supplemental Security Income now. 

Our local Social Security Administration office - located in XXXX, WA ... was quite famous for being infamous with their accommodations and willingness to help understand how people could manage at the time. 

The manager of the office decided to threaten one of my family members with a XXXX  one day, towards the middle of XX/XX/XXXX ( right before my birthday ). I was on a grocery shopping trip, and I received several phone conversations about it ... 

I told them later that it was already deposited, and I couldn't release the funds. They didn't take it well, and by the next morning, they had filed legal proof of themselves as guardians/payees to the bank. 

As a result, not only did Navy Federal Credit Union breach my account security information, by allowing this action by fax and thereby closed all of my accounts without my consent ... but the Credit Union customer service members from then on, told me that they would only speak to the payees ( for consideration of re-instatement or account information ). 

According to my payees, ( which I do not know whether it was credible or not ), they had a check of my funds disbursed to them, as a result of the bank 's decision ... and they referenced several times that I had misused the funds. This was clearly a lie, because much later after they deposited the remaining funds of close to {$1800.00}, into a Special Needs Trust Account ( located at XXXX  XXXX XXXX ), almost as a spiteful action after various arguments ... I confronted them about this over time, and their story had changed. 

I talked to them about why they deposited the money, and believing the reasons they had given me ( which was inexcusable to begin with ), the payees said they had other reasons for doing so ... which was never disclosed to me. 

The bottom line is besides Navy Federal Credit Union closing my accounts without my consent, they also did so in a way that breached my security. Additionally, it is my belief that the Social Security Administration influenced my relatives, and the bank to do so. Finally, when the funds were given to the payee ( if they ever were ), they were free to do with it what they wished ... 

I never saw neither my refund, nor the ability to communicate with XXXX XXXX since. However, I do know that since then, my poverty has became worse and what chances I had at income and/or credit opportunities were never the same. 

As it stands presently, I am barely getting by ... and as debts pile up, without so much as a credit card or sufficient income ( though I work far beyond OT still ), I am having to make a choice between 2 needed services : keeping my job as an XXXX, and paying for my XXXX XXXX bills.

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