Consumer complaint received 2022-02-25
Product: Checking or savings account — Savings account
Issue: Closing an account — Can't close your account
Company: RANDOLPH-BROOKS FEDERAL CREDIT UNION (TX)

I am the independent administrator for my father 's account. In XXXX, I went into the credit union to close my father 's personal savings account and open an estate account. At this time, I was told I could not close my father 's savings account because he had money owed on the credit card that was open at the same credit union. I then requested statement balances, and I found the XXXX XXXX had automatically transferred {$520.00} to the credit card with the title " Descriptive Withdrawal '' on XX/XX/XXXX ( my father passed away on XX/XX/XXXX ). No one gave them permission to do this, and I think it was in violation of the law as a credit card in an unsecured debt and I needed to know what was available to pay secure debts first. There is an order to debts owed on estates, and the credit union flagrantly violated this law. I took home the account statement to think about it further, and called the credit union on XX/XX/XXXX to find out more about setting up an estate account and was assured on the phone that I could set up an account and they would not pull money from it without my permission, so I proceeded to the bank in good faith believing they would honor this. An estate is considered a different entity from the person. When I went into the branch on XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX, I was told by the estate department that " we would have to pay a monthly payment on the credit card. '' They then lectured me and told me I had an obligation to them to pay the credit card debt and not to give the money to the beneficiaries instead. I explained that my father had a lot of debt, included secured loans, and I had to be confident they would not pull money out without my permission while I figured out all that was owed. They said they couldn't give me any such assurance and again suggested I wanted to take all the money for myself. I was offended. My father had been a member of the credit union since XXXX, and I have been one since the XXXX. Neither of us deserved to be treated with such disrespect. I left and set up the estate account at a different bank. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I reached out to the estate department, and we reached a settlement agreement ( which is attached ). I sent the check certified mail, and the check was delivered on XX/XX/XXXX. They cashed it on XX/XX/XXXX. Today, XX/XX/XXXX, I went into the credit union at XXXX to close the account. I was there for almost an hour and a half and they still have not closed the account. First, I had to video with the estate department, who told me that the collections department would not allow the account to be closed. Then I had to listed as the collections department spoke to the branch representative and not to me. The collections department said they could not do anything without the branch manager 's approval of the letters of administration and the death certificate that were already approved and in the system from a previous visit as well as having showed them to the estate department again today. Then we re-called the collections department and they did not want to speak to me, but finally they did. I read the settlement letter. They told me that the account couldn't be closed because " they were taking a loss on the amount we didn't pay. '' I argued about what a settlement means and only when I asked point blank, " Are you saying you will not close my father 's account? '' did they tell the branch representative to " just close it '' and hung up. The branch representative is not able to close the account of a dead person. Only the estate department has that authority. She tried to video link back to the estate department and tried calling the manager 's office of the estate department, and we waited for over twenty minutes, and no one would answer our calls. I was at the credit union for almost an hour and a half and accomplished nothing. They told me I had to come back and be there in person to do this all over again because the estate department had to " see my face. '' It is unacceptable and unethical that the credit union has behaved this way.