I am writing this review to share a very serious and disappointing experience I had with County Credit Union, specifically with branch manager Carlton Aldridge. I was a loyal customer for more than two years and had two direct deposits going into my account. I trusted this institution to handle my finances responsibly, but the way my account was handled caused real financial and emotional harm to my family.
My account was repeatedly restricted and interfered with without proper explanation. One of the most serious incidents happened when I had to travel to Dallas for a family medical emergency while traveling with my newborn twins, who were only about four months old. Before leaving, I went to the branch and spoke directly with Carlton and told him I would need access to $10,000 from my own account. He told me the bank could only release about $3,000 per day and referred me to a shared branch to withdraw additional funds. I followed his instructions and was able to withdraw $5,000 that same day.
When I arrived in Dallas and attempted to access the remaining funds through another shared branch, I was told my account was not showing properly and that I needed to contact my home branch. I called and specifically asked to speak with Carlton because I was told he was the only person who could fix the issue. I was placed on hold for nearly an hour while traveling with two infants. After calling and emailing multiple times, he finally answered and raised his voice at me instead of helping.
He told me my account was under review for "fraudulent activity," but refused to explain what the alleged activity was. This was my only bank account at the time. I had no access to my money and had to borrow money from a friend just to get through that week.
When I returned to St. Louis, I asked to speak with his supervisor, who I was told was the CEO. After reviewing the situation, the CEO informed me that the issue was actually related to my identification showing Texas and that it was a mistake. He apologized and admitted there had been an error. This directly contradicted what I had been told about a fraud investigation. The bank already knew I had moved from Texas to Missouri.
The second major issue, which is still unresolved, involves my auto loan. I fully paid off my Mercedes-Benz vehicle loan through County Credit Union. Despite several emails and requests to Carlton, the loan has never been properly reported as paid to the credit bureaus.
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. §1681s-2), lenders that furnish information to credit bureaus are required to ensure the information they report is accurate and to correct or update inaccurate or incomplete information after being notified. My paid-off loan has still not been corrected.
Another repeated problem was constant and unexplained card declines. I would be at a gas station trying to buy fuel and my card would suddenly be declined. When I called the branch, if Carlton recognized it was me, I was often told he was unavailable. When I went into the branch in person, he would be sitting there and still treat me with an attitude and lack of professionalism.
I repeatedly asked him to stop interfering with my account. I have a wife and children, and in case of an emergency I must be able to rely on my bank and access my own money.
I also want to clearly state that I felt discriminated against. As a Black customer, I noticed a repeated pattern in how I was spoken to, how quickly restrictions were placed on my account, and how dismissive and aggressive the communication toward me was. I cannot say what was in his mind, but based on repeated interactions over time, I genuinely felt I was treated differently and unfairly.
Later, I lost my job and was involved in a car accident. I took out a $7,000 loan with County Credit Union, paid $3,000, and had about $4,000 remaining. I explained that I was dealing with job loss and started driving Uber, and I made partial payments while trying to recover financially. Instead of working with me, my account was again restricted and eventually closed. The remaining balance was reported as late to the credit bureaus, while my fully paid auto loan was still never reported as paid.
It is extremely troubling that negative information was reported, but accurate and positive information was ignored.
I was also told by a former teller that Carlton regularly spoke to staff in a disrespectful manner and that the branch had frequent employee turnover.
This experience caused unnecessary stress, financial harm, and emotional distress to my family, especially during a medical and family emergency involving my children. Based on my experience, I cannot recommend County Credit Union and strongly encourage others to proceed with caution. read more
