Consumer complaint received 2026-05-06 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Deposits and withdrawals
Company: UNITED SERVICES AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION
State: FL

Complaint narrative:
I am submitting this complaint regarding USAA Federal Savings Banks handling of an extended fraud review and account restriction involving legitimate XXXX XXXX money orders that I deposited into my checking account while traveling abroad in XXXX. I reside in XXXX, Florida, and was visiting family in XXXX, Florida, where I sold my vehicle and purchased the XXXX XXXX money orders that are the subject of this complaint. Following the sale of my vehicle in Florida, for which I received a cash payment, on XX/XX/2026, I purchased XXXX XXXX money orders at the XXXX XXXX desk inside a XXXX store in XXXX, Florida. Because there was no USAA location or affiliated physical cash deposit facility within more than three hours of my location ( the nearest option being XXXX, Florida ), I converted the cash into XXXX XXXX money orders for deposit into my USAA accounts. I deposited 18 consecutively numbered {$500.00} XXXX XXXX money orders into my USAA account using two separate deposit slips, for a total of approximately {$9000.00}. The deposits were sent on XX/XX/2026, to USAA via XXXX XXXX from XXXX, FL, so that the shipment could be tracked and delivery confirmed. I had expected there to be a partial hold on the checks as per standard processing practices, but I also expected access to some of the funds immediately for travel expenses. My wife and I departed on a planned trip to XXXX on XX/XX/2026. That evening / early morning of XX/XX/2026, local time in XXXX, I logged into my account via the USAA app and saw that my account had been restricted. I immediately called USAA and was transferred to someone in their Fraud Team. During my initial conversation with the USAA Fraud Team, I answered all questions regarding the source of funds, the purchase of the money orders, and the related account activity. No concerns were raised during that conversation regarding my explanations, the legitimacy of the transactions, or any other activity on my account. I have been a USAA member for approximately 12 years and have no history of fraud, suspicious activity, or similar concerns associated with my accounts. However, the Fraud representative told me on this call that there was a high likelihood that the money orders were " altered '' and that he would need to send the case to a special Fraud Investigation Unit for investigation. I was told that this would take 1-3 days and that I would receive a call from USAA if they needed more information and/or to discuss next steps. I was told that the money orders would likely be returned unpaid because they appeared altered. However, no one has been able to clearly explain the nature of the alleged alteration. During my initial conversation with the USAA Fraud Team, I also informed the representative that the vehicle which had been sold was insured through USAA and that USAAs own records would show that the associated insurance policy had recently been cancelled, further corroborating the source of the funds used to purchase the money orders. During a follow-up conversation with a USAA Member Support representative the next day, I was advised to provide copies of the purchase receipts for the eighteen deposited money orders in order to assist with the review and verification process. I promptly provided the money order receipts, demonstrating that I had purchased them myself, and fully cooperated with every request for information throughout the investigation. After the items were posted to my account several days later, I observed handwritten {$500.00} markings on the money orders that I did not add, and that they appeared to have been made during bank processing. I repeatedly informed USAA that the only markings I personally added to the money orders were my name, USAA account number details, and signature on the front of each money order, and on the back, I endorsed each item and wrote For Deposit Only along with my USAA account number, consistent with standard deposit practices. Despite repeated requests for clarification, I was never provided with any specific information regarding the nature of the alleged alterations. This reinforced my concern that the handwritten markings may have been added during USAA processing rather than representing customer alterations to the instruments. Nonetheless, I was told again by USAA that there was a " high likelihood '' that the money orders would be returned unpaid due to these alleged alterations. I subsequently checked the status of the money orders directly through XXXX XXXX online tracking system and was informed that the money orders had been cashed, indicating that the instruments were ultimately honored rather than rejected as counterfeit or altered. Over the course of more than a week, I spent approximately eight hours on the phone with the USAA Fraud, Servicing, and Member Resolution team members, attempting to obtain information and resolution. Each call typically involved multiple internal transfers between departments and frequently lasted approximately one hour or more. Throughout this process, I received repeated inconsistent and conflicting explanations regarding the status of my account and the deposited items. Each time I spoke with USAA personnel, I was informed that they were unable to directly communicate with the specialized Fraud Investigation Unit that was supposedly handling my case. Instead, I was told they could only submit internal work orders or escalation requests and wait for responses from the investigating unit. As a result, no one I spoke with was able to provide substantive information regarding what was actually occurring with the investigation, what the alleged alterations were, or what specific steps remained outstanding. During nearly every interaction, I was told that I would need to wait 13 business days and that I would receive a callback from the Fraud Team with additional information or next steps within that timeframe. Despite these repeated assurances, I never received a single callback from USAA at any point during the entire process. When I requested to speak with a supervisor or manager, I was repeatedly told that I could not be directly transferred and that a manager callback request would also require an additional 13 business days. Ironically, the only call I received from USAA during this period was regarding a past-due credit card payment that I was unable to make because my access to funds had been restricted. At various times, I was told : * there was a high likelihood the money orders would be returned unpaid due to alleged alterations ; * the funds had posted, but the account remained restricted due to a Fraud Investigation code that only the Fraud Investigation Unit could remove ; * on a subsequent call with another representative, I was affirmatively told that the money orders were in fact being returned unpaid ; * and during another subsequent call, I was told that XX/XX/XXXX was the latest date by which the items would have to be either paid or returned and that I might need to wait until then for resolution. During a call on XX/XX/2026, while following up because I had not received the promised callback from the Advocacy Team by XX/XX/XXXX, a USAA Member Resolution representative confirmed that : * the deposits had been submitted through normal processing for payment ; * they did not know whether the Fraud Investigation Unit had proactively contacted XXXX XXXX directly; * and that the Advocacy Team callback timeline I had previously been given of 12 business days was incorrect and should actually have been 34 business days. I was repeatedly promised callbacks from the Fraud Team within 13 business days. Separately, I was told that I would receive a callback from the Advocacy Team within 12 business days. Neither callback commitment was honored. On XX/XX/2026, I finally received an email from a person in USAAs Member Advocacy department stating that my concern had been escalated and that the Advocacy Team, which works in conjunction with the CEOs office, was researching what had occurred and would contact me shortly to discuss the matter further. I received no call, so I proactively attempted to contact the Member Advocacy representative using the extension she provided in her email, and left multiple voicemail messages requesting a callback. I have still received no return calls or substantive follow-up communication from the Advocacy representative, nor anyone else from USAA regarding this matter. During one of the many calls with USAA, I raised a formal complaint by phone with USAA Member Resolution regarding the manner in which this matter was handled, which should be reflected in USAAs internal records. Despite doing so, I have received no substantive response or resolution to that complaint. On Sunday, XX/XX/2026, I noticed when logging into my USAA account that the account restriction appeared to have been lifted. However, despite the restriction apparently being removed, I still had not received any substantive explanation regarding the alleged alterations, the conflicting information I had repeatedly been given throughout the process, or any direct follow-up communication from the Advocacy Team regarding what had occurred. USAA was aware from the outset that I was overseas in XXXX on an extended trip and dependent on access to these funds for normal living and travel expenses. Despite repeatedly communicating this hardship and fully cooperating with the investigation, the restriction remained unresolved for an extended period while I remained unable to reliably access approximately {$9000.00} of my own funds. At no point during the investigation was I offered any accommodation to make at least a portion of the funds available, nor was I provided with any limited or conditional access to my account funds while the investigation remained pending, despite USAA being aware of my overseas circumstances and financial hardship. As a direct result : * I was unable to proceed with my trip through XXXX as planned; * I incurred substantial additional costs, including banking fees, communications expenses, and other direct out-of-pocket costs associated with the restriction and prolonged uncertainty; * I was unable to make a payment to my mortgage company, which created delays affecting the processing of the sale of my property, which is currently under contract; * several bill payments could not be made through normal channels, resulting in additional charges, fees, and complications; * I was unable to put down a deposit for a significant purchase I intended to make for our travels; * I was unable to independently arrange accommodations and continue my planned travels as intended; * I had to rely on friends for emergency housing and support, and was forced to remain with them in another part of XXXX because I had nowhere else to go while the restriction remained unresolved; * I effectively lost approximately two weeks of a major overseas trip ; * and the entire experience was extremely stressful and emotionally taxing. Because my travel plans were intentionally flexible and not heavily prepaid beyond the initial portion of the trip, the impact can not be measured solely through canceled reservations. The primary harm was the prolonged loss of use of approximately {$9000.00} of my funds while abroad, the inability to independently continue my planned travels, the substantial disruption of my trip, the resulting financial consequences, and the significant stress and uncertainty caused by the prolonged unresolved restriction and repeated inconsistent information. I fully understand and respect a banks obligation to investigate suspicious transactions. However, I believe USAAs handling of this matter became unreasonable given : * my prompt cooperation and immediate submission of supporting documentation ; * the apparent legitimacy and successful cashing of the money orders ; * the repeated conflicting explanations and missed callback commitments; * the inability of frontline representatives to obtain or provide meaningful information from the investigating unit ; * the lack of clear ownership or accountability within the escalation process ; * the failure to provide even limited access to funds despite the known hardship situation ; * and the known overseas hardship communicated to USAA from the outset.

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 non-monetary relief