Consumer complaint received 2025-03-21 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Problem accessing account
Company: UNITED SERVICES AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION
State: GA

Complaint narrative:
In the fall, from the dates between XXXX XXXX XXXX I updated all of the security questions in my USAA account which had been dormant for several years. I was required to submit my government ID and complete all of the current contact information updates and pins and passwords. I have been a member of USAA for 27 years and had auto insurance and brokerage accounts there in the past. I was attempting to open a checking account. Their website did not correctly recognize the same personal id information that I gave the agents over the phone. I was constantly required to contact the bank by phone rather than successfully being able to use the website. 
Fast forward to XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX. Beginning on XX/XX/year> I tried to open a checking account online, and experienced the same problem. I was forced to call customer service. Instead of using the personal security questions I have provided for USAA and verified that only I ( or potentially close family members ) would be the only person to know the answers to those questions, I was asked publically available information about me. In the past, as a customer of XXXX XXXX XXXX, I had also experienced this problem. I wrote a letter to the CEO of XXXX XXXX XXXX and they stopped. Customer service agents tried to make excuses why it was the right move " because many banks do it. '' Despite my repeated statement that I denied consent for information about me publicly, which could be obtained by anyone on websites that charge to obtain a personal detail profile of individuals. I escalated this internally with a manger who agreed with me that it was a data security risk she considered unacceptable, and was pleased to have me provide her the argument as a member why it was an insecure risk. And for a financial institution, security should be their top priority. 
On XX/XX/XXXX, I wrote a letter to XXXX XXXX XXXX citing my discussions with former XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX, and XXXX insider who is a family friend. I requested a formal written description of XXXX XXXX 's plan to rectify this data security mismanagement within XXXX days. On XX/XX/XXXX, I received a form email from someone in membership services falsely claiming that she had made any attempt to reach me by phone in regard to my complaint. I received nothing in writing from XXXX XXXX describing how the bank would rectify mismanagement of personal data security and expose me and other members to unacceptable risk for fraud or identity theft by using " security questions '' which could be obtained through accessing publicly accessible data rather than verified questions provided by the members that have answers only known privately. 
On XX/XX/XXXX, again the banking website did not work, and I could not do normal account set up functions online, and was required to call the bank personnel. Only to find that yet again, they had created more problems about my security details. As a result, I am filing this complaint about USAA which is putting the consumers at unacceptable risk for fraud and identity theft by mismanaging security of personal data. I have also filed complaints with the XXXX and the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. In addition, I have sent the details to XXXX XXXX, a personal friend, and editor of 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