BOISE, Idaho — Idaho Central Credit Union has issued a clarification regarding its terms and conditions for using its eBranch after a member raised concerns.
Rather than just click “agree” on the terms and conditions, as nearly all consumers do, member Karla Patterson told KTVB that because she has nearly all her funds with Idaho Central, she chose to “scroll through it” before agreeing.
"I came to section 13 and when I saw that, it was very sketchy, it was very questionable," Patterson told the news outlet. "There were a lot of things that I have used money on."
In particular, the report noted Section 13 states the prohibited uses, where users would agree not to request, send, or receive money for several things.
"Obviously, some I get," Patterson told KTVB. "The illegal drugs and controlled substances make sense, but firearms, ammunition, and other weapons, or materials that promote intolerance, violence or hate, in whose definition and what does that mean, a Ponzi scheme or pyramid scheme? Again, I don't know what that means."
Additional Prohibitions
Patterson said the agreement document also initially prohibited traveler's checks, money orders, and cryptocurrencies, and that members could not send money outside of the United States or use their money for court-ordered payments, alimony, or child support fines.
Patterson said a branch representative told her her only options were to agree or not agree, at which point she began to close her accounts.
Idaho Central told KTVB it has since moved to amend its eBranch agreement, using broader language to state users agree to not use eBranch to request, send, or receive money for any unlawful or illicit purpose.
ICCU also said it reserves the right to monitor, block, or cancel any payment made for those reasons and to suspend or terminate an account, while maintaining the policy of not allowing people to send money for things like court-ordered amounts for alimony or child support.
Updated Statement Issued
KTVB said that when asked what it means for members about being prohibited from sending eBranch money for things like tax payments, alimony or child support, ICCU said in a statement, "We want to reiterate that nothing has changed in the way we process transactions or how members are able to utilize their accounts. These provisions will not stop a member from using their ICCU accounts for the purposes described in the prohibited use section of the eBranch agreement. The use restrictions serve as a safeguard to facilitate ICCU’s risk management and regulatory compliance efforts.
“For official payments pursuant to court orders or taxes, we recommend members utilize government agency-approved payment methods to ensure the payments are processed correctly by their systems,” the statement continued. “The language in the eBranch agreement is common industry verbiage regarding these types of transactions."
Patterson told KTVB she will keep her accounts closed.