Consumer complaint received 2020-01-08
Company: GREAT WESTERN BANCORP, INC.
State: CO
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Funds not handled or disbursed as instructed

Complaint:
This complaint, against Great Western Bank, is part of a money laundering ring that is the subject of five other currently active CFPB complaints. ( For your reference, those claim numbers are XXXX-XXXX, XXXX-XXXX, XXXX-XXXX, XXXX-XXXX, XXXX-XXXX. ) Im also in the process of submitting two additional complaints ( against XXXX XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX   ) but dont have claim numbers yet. 

The money laundering scheme took place over many decades and involved operators at multiple banks using check endorsements to transfer money to numerous different accounts either to conceal the location of the money with bogus account numbers or to monetize the checks with each stamp allowing for double, triple or quadruple the value of the checks written amount. Many of these checks were forged duplicates of legitimate checks I had written and were put to use for money laundering by criminal operators at the banks where I held my checking and savings accounts. The role of Great Western Bank in the criminal conspiracy is unique and is evident in two separate circumstances : 1 ) A loan I had at XXXX XXXX XXXX  was evidently sold to Great Western Bank despite the fact that this appears to be a violation of the Note & Security Agreement on the loan contract. HOWEVER, even before Great Western Bank bought my debt, Great Western Banks FEIN number not XXXX XXXX XXXX was appearing on certain transactions in my bank statements. ( One of the tactics money laundering operators at my bank was using was setting up duplicate payments and then diverting the ACH Return Entry to a different account. It was on these return entries that Great Western Banks FEIN number was appearing. ) 2 ) I was forced into bankruptcy two different times by this criminal operation and was ordered to make payments to the Federal Bankruptcy Trustee for District XXXX ( Nebraska ) XXXX XXXX. Duplicated/forged checks made out to XXXX were often moved through Great Western Bank, XXXX XXXX SD, into account # XXXX. Bankruptcy Court is required by Federal regulations to use a XXXX XXXX XXXX, and Great Western Bank is not a XXXX XXXX XXXX. So, was Trustee XXXX illegally using a non-XXXX XXXX XXXX or are these examples simply forged duplicates of the payments I made to XXXX that someone at Great Western Bank was transferring to accounts set up to receive laundered money? 

Evidence : Please see attached documents for the evidence referred to in the following descriptions. 

p. 1 : On XX/XX/XXXX I made a payment to XXXX XXXX XXXX of {$500.00}. This was a loan payment on a truck I bought. Duplicate payments were made ( by the conspirators ), and I received a return receipt ( though I have no idea where the refund actually went ). It says the return went to account # XXXX, though someone handwrote my account number on the return. But the return statement said it was being returned from FEIN # XXXX. That FEIN number does not belong to XXXX XXXX XXXX. It belongs to 7 Nebraska branches of Great Western Bank. 
The original truck loan was later transferred on XX/XX/XXXX to Great Western Bank, and the FEIN # stayed the same. 

p. 2-3 : Note and Security Agreement with XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX for the purchase of the truck dated XX/XX/XXXX. Loan # XXXX. On the bottom of the note, the disclosure statement says that the loan is between XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX , XXXX and XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and the debtor ( me ). 

p. 4 : First payment to Great Western Bank on XXXX shows FEIN # XXXX as note owner. 

p. 5 : Letter notifying of full payment of loan # XXXX and cancelled note from Great Western Bank XXXX. 

So, who owns this note? XXXX XXXX XXXX? Great Western Bank XXXX? All the branches of Great Western Bank tied to this routing number? If the security agreement specifically states that the loan is between XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX  and me, why is Great Western Bank involved at all? Or, what if both banks actually own the complete amount of debt probably with a different note number? I made my standard payment of {$500.00} every month, and the money launderers created a forged check for each of those debts. Quite possibly, both payments would be used for money laundering every month, each monetized multiple times allowing $ XXXX {$45000.00} in dirty money to be cleaned each month. I know that the money laundering operation had created at least 5 sets of unauthorized checks for my accounts. They may have used checks from any or all these accounts to make payments every month toward the debt in my name. Since those payments were redundant, they would have been returned but they were diverted to a different account, not mine. 

How is Great Western Bank involved in the money laundering and who is benefiting? Are they legally allowed to buy my debt anyway? 

When I made bankruptcy payments in XXXX, they went into an account that already listed a minimum balance of {>= $1,000,000}, according to Bankruptcy Court paperwork. I think the criminal operation had been laundering money through me into this account beginning as early as XXXX. By XXXX, when they put the bankruptcy process to use for money laundering, the account already contained XXXX XXXX less than {$10.00} XXXX. Multiple truck payments could be just one explanation for how money was ending up in this account. Or they may have used other businesses as unwitting mules like me for additional money laundering. Im not certain Great Western Bank XXXX XXXX, SD account # XXXX is the account that received this {$10.00} XXXX but its a good guess and worth investigating. Who owns this account? Where did the {>= $1,000,000} come from and where did it go? 

According to Great Western Bank, this account is a trust with XXXX XXXX listed as a trustee of this account, but I dont know the holder of the trust. 

p. 6 : My account statement at US Bankruptcy Court listing account minimum balance as {>= $1,000,000}. I dont know if this money was in GWB account # XXXX, but it is a good possibility. 

p. 7 : Check # XXXX PAY TO THE ORDER OF : XXXX XXXX XXXX Trustee {$2000.00}. XX/XX/XXXX Stamp endorsement PAY TO THE ORDER OF GREAT WESTERN BANK, Routing # XXXX account # XXXX. 
The signature is a very blatant and obvious forgery, a duplicate of a bonafide payment I had made. 

p. 8 : Check # XXXX PAY TO THE ORDER OF : XXXX XXXX XXXX {$2000.00} 1. Endorsed at Great Western Bank XXXX XXXX, S.D. ( Routing # XXXX ). Additional # XXXX ( not sure what it refers to ) on XX/XX/XXXX on back 2. Endorsed at Great Western Bank XXXX XXXX, S.D. ( Routing #  XXXX ) Additional # XXXX ( not sure what it refers to ) on XX/XX/XXXX - on front 3.  Endorsed at Great Western Bank XXXX XXXX, S.D. ( Routing # XXXX ). Additional number # XXXX ( not sure what it refers to ) on XX/XX/XXXX 2nd time on back 4. Endorsed at XXXX   XXXX XXXX Mn. ( Routing # XXXX ). Additional number # XXXX ( not sure what it refers to ) on XX/XX/XXXX 5. Endorsed at XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, Ga./XXXX, IL ( Routing # XXXX ). Additional number # XXXX ( not sure what it refers to ) on XX/XX/XXXX on back 6. Endorsed at XXXX   XXXX XXXX, XXXX, Ga./XXXX, IL ( Routing # XXXX ). Additional # XXXX ( not sure what it refers to ) on XX/XX/XXXX on back Why was this check stamped on the front and the back, 6 times total? Was it endorsed for each stamp? How many of those transactions deposited money? Is it possible to endorse a check from XXXX, Ne. to XXXX XXXX S.D. to XXXX, Mn. to XXXX, Ga. in 2 days? Perhaps its possible with XXXX but whats the purpose of moving the money to so many different banks and different accounts? 

p. 9 : Check # XXXX PAY TO THE ORDER OF : XXXX XXXX XXXX Trustee {$2000.00}. XX/XX/XXXX This check is endorsed twice at Great Western Bank ( routing # XXXX ) XXXX XXXX, SD. It supposedly goes into account # XXXX. Is it just stamped twice or was it monetized twice? This is not a XXXX   XXXX XXXX. US Bankruptcy Courts are required to use a XXXX XXXX XXXX. So, either XXXX is breaking Federal regulations by using a non-XXXX XXXX XXXX for US Bankruptcy Court transactions or she or an employee of Great Western Bank is using this account ( and my Bankruptcy payments ) in a way that is totally unrelated to her legal Bankruptcy Court responsibilities. 

p. 10 : Check # XXXX PAY TO THE ORDER OF : XXXX XXXX XXXX Trustee {$2000.00}. XX/XX/XXXX. It supposedly goes into account # XXXX. 
p. 11 : XXXX XXXX Check # XXXX PAY TO THE ORDER OF : XXXX XXXX XXXX Trustee {$2000.00}. XX/XX/XXXX 1. Endorsed at Great Western Bank ( stamp virtually illegible ). Its hard to read, but I believe it specifies Account # XXXX. 
2. Endorsed at Routing # XXXX ( Great Western Bank XXXX XXXX, SD ) on XX/XX/XXXX - front 3.  Endorsed at Routing # XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX ( Great Western Bank XXXX XXXX, SD ) 2nd time on back 4.  Endorsed at Routing # XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX ( Great Western Bank XXXX XXXX, SD ) 3rd time on back 5.  Endorsed at Routing # XXXX ( XXXX XXXX XXXX ACH Ga. ) with additional number XXXX not sure what it refers to ) # XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX front 6. Endorsed at Routing # XXXX ( I can no longer find this number in routing search tools but previous research indicated it was XXXX XXXX XXXX at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, Ga XXXX. Additional number listed # XXXX ( not sure what it refers to ) on XX/XX/XXXX 7. Endorsed at Routing # XXXX ( can no longer find this number in routing search tools but previous research indicated it was a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX in Atlanta, Ga XXXX ). Additional number XXXX ( not sure what it refers to ) on XX/XX/XXXX 8. Endorsed again at Routing # XXXX ( can no longer find this number in routing search tools but previous research indicated it was a XXXX  XXXX XXXX ACH in XXXX, Ga XXXX ). Additional number XXXX ( not sure what it refers to ) on  XX/XX/XXXX One check. Eight endorsements. Is this possible? It was endorsed 4 times just at Great Western Bank! What legitimate purpose could there be for moving it so many times? How many of these are actual transactions? Thats 8 opportunities for corrupt bankers to hide dirty money. If each stamp does in fact represent monetization, this check alone is worth {$16000.00} in laundered money. Finally, why is XXXX XXXX, the Federal Bankruptcy Court Trustee for the state of Nebraska, doing most of her banking in the state of South Dakota? 

Notice there are different routing numbers supposedly going to Great Western Bank XXXX XXXX ( according to the stamps ) : XXXX and XXXX. Whats the difference? Where is the money actually going? 

The money XXXX XXXX Ive documented with hundreds of checks ( described in this claim and my other claims ) demonstrates collusion at a minimum between XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX  XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX and XXXX XXXX, Ne., Great Western Bank , XXXX , Great Western Bank , XXXX XXXX , SD and US Bankruptcy Court Trustee XXXX XXXX .

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 explanation