@Anonymous wrote:@Horseshoez @How long after your BK 13 did you wait before applying to Pen Fed? I have a checking and savings with them
I applied after about 11 months, I have been told I could have gotten approved after as few as six.
@morethan20yaks wrote:Think twice. I was eying that card. Applied for a SDFCU savings account and they hard pulled my experian (noting it was for an installment loan - false). My membership was ultimately denied for "lack of proof of ID".
That's after I had provided: Valid DL, US passport, bank statements, credit card statements, check stubs, voter registration card, vehicle insurance policy, medical insurance policy, phone bills...
Their reps ignored emails for days and weeks, danced around my questions, and lied/fabricated laws and policies at every turn. And EVERY one of them refused to identify themselves, even by first name. I have no idea who I ever talked to. Weeks worth of anonymous emails, full of typos and misinformation... Just garbage all around. Had I done my research, I would have known this type of foolery is common at State Department FCU...
YMMV, but IMO - Not worth it for a secured card, that, even IF you get it and IF it graduates, leaves you with a HP and a lackluster card that will never grow. Big 'Meh'. Buyer beware. 0 stars.
I can confirm: DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME APPLYING TO SDFCU or NASAFCU, unless you are willing to make a trip to the Washington, D.C., area to present your documents in person. It's an HP just to apply for membership, and I understand it's additional HPs to apply for CLIs at SDFCU, along with requirements to verify your income every step of the way. I applied for membership at SDFCU and received an HP on my EX CR and a web link to monitor the status of my application.
[12/23/2020 6:06:37 AM]State Department FCU: Dear Applicant Name,
Thank you for applying for a new account with SDFCU. In compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act, we are required to verify the identities of all individuals with whom we conduct business.
We have determined that we need to obtain a color copy of your driver’s license, a color copy of your signed social security card and current full utility bill (gas bill, water bill, landline phone bill or electric bill ONLY) to finalize the process. We do not accept cell phone bills, paystubs or bank statements. We also do not accept screen shots of any document. Please note that current means 60 days or less. You may upload the documents directly into your online application.
If the requested documents are not received within 14 days of this notice, you will need to resubmit a new online application including the requested documents.
I uploaded photos of my drivers license and social security card, but I don't pay for utilities separately from my monthly rent, so I told them I had no utility bills to show them and asked what other document I could upload to verify my address. They ignored me for 8 days of my 14-day deadline.
[12/31/2020 8:48:55 AM]State Department FCU: Thank you for your response. Since you state that you are renting, we can accept a copy of your signed lease agreement.
After a few replies back and forth (they danced around my questions, too), I uploaded a copy of my signed apartment lease agreement.
[1/5/2021 7:42:36 AM]State Department FCU: Good Morning,
Thank you for your online membership application. We are unable to open an account for you due to our inability to electronically verify your identity as is required by Bank Secrecy Act regulations. If we are unable to verify someone’s identity based upon the information provided, we are unable to maintain an account for that individual.
***Please do not reply to this web message. All future messages are not monitored. If you have any further questions, please email us at sdfcu@sdfcu.org or call 703 706-5000.
I emailed them and received a response from Ashley Walker, a representative of the Lending Solutions Department. Ashley's response:
Fri, Jan 8, 2021 at 7:19 AM: When an applicant is declined membership due to not being able to be electronically verified, we are not able to proceed with membership online. You must appear in person at a local SDFCU branch with your driver's license, social security card, and proof of address to reapply for membership. At this time, we will not be able to proceed with membership.
Since it's way more than 3,000 miles round-trip for me to show them the exact same documentation I had already uploaded and they rejected, I suspected an excercise in futility. I offered to show my documentation in person to employees at one of their Co-op branches near me, and they could verify my identity, convey that info to a SDFCU branch, and the SDFCU branch could open my membership. Ashley danced around my request several times. Ashley's final response:
Tue, Jan 12, 2021 at 7:37 AM: Unfortunately, you would not be able to go to any other financial institution to provide verifying documentation. The documents must be verified at a local SDFCU branch for membership.
SDFCU didn't reply to any further messages. Last month, I applied to DCU and NASAFCU as a member to get my monthly FICO mortgage scores. DCU worked perfectly after I uploaded a copy of my drivers license and social security card. NASAFCU was an exercise in futility again. After uploading a photo of my drivers license, accepting all their online agreements, and setting up a username and password, I was informed that my application was under review, and I was provided a web link to monitor my application status. The web link was to the EXACT SAME ONLINE FORM AS SDFCU's APPLICATION, except it had the NASAFCU name and logo, instead of SDFCU's!
So, I underwent another excercise in futility with the same uncooperative contractor who screens online applicants of credit unions located in the Washington, D.C., area. When requested, I uploaded a picture of my social security card and a copy of my signed apartment lease. They told me:
[4/7/2021 5:52:20 AM]NASA FEDERAL CREDIT ...: Dear Applicant,
We are not able to accept the lease agreement because it is dated 2018-2019. The following items may be accepted as proof of residence:
-Recent Utility Bill (Gas, water, or electric)
-DMV change of address card
-Valid Vehicle registration.
My lease is still current and valid, because it explicitly states that the one year lease, which started in 2018, continues after the first 12 months as a month-by-month lease. But their checklist doesn't explicitly spell that out as acceptable, so I'm out of luck until I can get my apartment management to give me an updated lease agreement. (I'm not holding my breath. They owe me money, so my phone calls, emails, and knocks on their door go unanswered.) I uploaded a copy of my current vehicle registration, which shows the exact same address as my drivers license and apartment lease. The next day my application was marked as declined. I asked why.
[4/8/2021 2:38:22 PM]NASA FEDERAL CREDIT ...: The application was declined because we were unable to authenticate the information provided. A letter will arrive via mail with details as well.
My EQ CR received an HP, when everyone else has recently reported that membership applications to NASAFCU are SPs. Again, I was invited to visit Washington, D.C., to a NASAFCU branch with my same documentation that they had rejected to apply for membership in person. Again, I offered to bring my documentation to a nearby Co-op branch. Nope. Must come to an NASAFCU branch. I requested an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act, as travelling such a long distance presents an undue burden on me. I asked what documentation they require to process my request for accommodation.
Crickets.
I'm pretty sure if I showed up to an SDFCU or NASAFCU branch in person, they'd say, "Sorry. We already told you we can't authenticate your documentation. No soup for you!"
@USMC_Winger wrote:
Crickets.
I'm pretty sure if I showed up to an SDFCU or NASAFCU branch in person, they'd say, "Sorry. We already told you we can't authenticate your documentation. No soup for you!"
I suspect you're right. Seems like once they "bad list" you, they will just run you in circles until you collapse, or the clock runs out, whichever comes first. You can find this story all over the internet... Wish I would have looked harder.
My experience was quite similar - All I received were nonsensical rantings about how they can't authenticate my ID becuase I'm in violation of Banking Secrecy and Patriot Acts. Despite that same ID being valid to: Purchase firearms, board international flights, vote in a federal election (just not at the same time lol)
And all my data matches. Credit reports match ID matches passport matches original birth certificate matches income tax records - you name it. No discrepancies. The real reason for denial, we'll never know. But I don't believe for a second that a trip to DC would change that. Bottom line - SDFCU doesn't care.
Sorry to hijack, OP, but I felt morally obligated to share. I'm in a similar boat as you (have Cap1 and Discover) and I'm currently shopping for a third card before gardening a while. I don't have anything to offer that's not already here. Personally, I'm about to spring for one or two of three options:
1) NFCU Secured (HP, will graduate)
2) Local CU Secured (no HP, no graduation, no AF)
3) Secured Product w/ AF (no HP, no graduation)
You could almost certainly find #2 at a small CU offering a secured visa with no HP to join/app. Three out of four CUs I shopped offered me exactly that. Only one required a HP so I dusted off my boots and dipped, no problem.
I chose a tiny local CU with a convenient branch location, real human employees with names, saturday hours, and shared branch membership. They even offered me $1000 line of credit with no HP, just 30 days proof of employment. Plus I avoid an AF and build my relationship with a legitimate local insitution (rather than a subprime CC lender). Best luck!