DENVER (KKTV) - A lawsuit filed this week accuses one of Colorado's largest credit unions of assessing millions in overdraft fees on debit card transactions that didn't overdraw accounts.
The lawsuit, filed Monday by Franklin D. Azar & Associates along with Kaliel PLLC on behalf of named plaintiffs in Colorado and Texas, claims Ent Credit Union was "socking its members with multiple 'insufficient funds' charges on a single transaction."
"Typically, a charge on a debit card results in an immediate reduction in the balance of the user?s checking account; if the consumer has enough funds in the account to cover the transaction, no overdraft charges are warranted," the office of Franklin D. Azar & Associates wrote in a press release. "According to the lawsuit, Ent sequesters the funds needed to pay a debit transaction, subtracting the dollar amount from the customer?s available balance, just as other banks do. But if the account is then subject to an ?intervening transaction? ? for example, a check drawn on the account subsequent to the debit charge that exceeds the available balance ? then Ent allegedly assesses $25 overdraft fees not only on the overdrawn check but on the debit charge as well."
The lawsuit goes on to state the credit union uses a "secret batch posing process" to submit the same debit card transaction twice for payment.
?This secret step allows it to charge overdraft fees on transactions that never should have gotten them,? the complaint states.
One plaintiff claims she was charged three times for a single electronic payment of her cable bill.
11 News is reaching out to Ent Credit Union for a response. This is a developing story and this article will be updated as more information becomes available.