Randolph-Brooks Federal Credit Union (RBFCU) is the largest credit union in Texas — and it is bound by the Electronic Fund Transfer Act and Regulation E just like any bank. If RBFCU denied your claim for an unauthorized electronic transfer, that denial may violate federal law. Clanton Law Office is a San Antonio consumer-protection firm that helps members hold their credit union accountable.
A local credit union, a federal obligation
RBFCU, headquartered in Live Oak in the San Antonio metro, serves more than 1.2 million members and holds roughly $19.6 billion in assets. Its size and local roots don’t change one thing: under Regulation E (12 C.F.R. § 1005), RBFCU has the same duty as a national bank to investigate and reimburse unauthorized transfers.
Did a scammer get into your RBFCU account and have you “approve” a transfer?
We are hearing from a growing number of RBFCU members who were hit by the same scheme:
- A fraudster already had access to the RBFCU account.
- The fraudster called the member, posing as RBFCU, and warned about “suspicious activity.”
- The fraudster told the member to type “yes” — or read back a code from a text.
- The fraudster pressed send on the transfer; the member only responded to the bank’s prompt.
- A text from RBFCU arrived, the member approved it, and the money was gone.
If that happened to you, you did not “authorize” a payment — you answered a security prompt while a criminal moved your money. That distinction matters. Regulation E protects transfers that are initiated by someone other than you. In this scheme, the person who initiated the transfer was the fraudster who had taken over your account — not you. Approving a verification prompt that a scammer obtained by impersonating RBFCU is not the same as authorizing the transfer, and RBFCU cannot deny your claim simply because you were deceived into it.
RBFCU may tell you that typing “yes” or entering a code means you approved the transfer. We disagree, and so does the structure of the law: the transfer was originated by the intruder, you received no benefit, and Regulation E bars a credit union from denying an unauthorized-transfer claim based on your alleged negligence. One important detail we’ll check for you: whether the money left by Zelle, ACH, or debit card (protected by Regulation E) or by wire transfer (which follows different rules). Bring your denial letter and transaction record and we’ll sort out exactly what happened.
This is exactly the kind of claim federal law was built for. If a hacker was already inside your RBFCU account when the money moved, don’t let the denial letter be the last word. Send us your RBFCU denial for a free review » — no cost, no obligation, and we’ll tell you whether your transfer was unauthorized under the Electronic Fund Transfer Act.
When an RBFCU denial is worth challenging
Contact us if RBFCU:
- Denied an unauthorized charge by calling you “negligent” or assuming you shared your PIN or login
- Closed the claim quickly without explaining what it investigated
- Refused to provide the documents it used to deny you
- Suggested Regulation E doesn’t apply because it is a credit union
- Held you responsible for a transfer you never made
What Regulation E requires of RBFCU
- 10-business-day investigation. After you report an unauthorized transfer, RBFCU generally must resolve the claim within 10 business days, or provisionally credit your account and take up to 45 days (12 C.F.R. § 1005.11).
- Capped liability. Report a lost or stolen device within two business days and your maximum liability is $50; report an unauthorized transfer on your statement within 60 days and you generally owe nothing (12 C.F.R. § 1005.6).
- No negligence defense. RBFCU may not cut your protections because it thinks you were careless, and its membership agreement can’t impose more liability than Regulation E allows.
Unauthorized vs. authorized. Regulation E protects transfers made without your authorization. If you were tricked into sending money yourself, that is often outside the rule — but the details decide it. See how the line works »
What you can recover
If RBFCU denied a valid unauthorized-transfer claim without a reasonable investigation, the Electronic Fund Transfer Act allows actual damages, statutory damages of $100 to $1,000, and court costs plus reasonable attorney’s fees (15 U.S.C. § 1693m) — so enforcing your rights generally costs you nothing out of pocket in fees. If that describes your situation, have us review the denial for free before the deadline to act runs out.
Frequently asked questions
Is RBFCU covered by Regulation E? Yes. Regulation E applies to credit unions the same as banks. RBFCU must follow the same error-resolution and reimbursement rules, with NCUA oversight for federal credit unions.
RBFCU said the transaction was authorized and denied my claim. What now? If you did not authorize the transfer, RBFCU generally must investigate before denying and cannot rely on your alleged negligence. Have a lawyer review the denial letter — it’s free.
Can I sue RBFCU over a denied fraud claim? If the transfer was unauthorized and denied without a reasonable investigation, you may have an Electronic Fund Transfer Act claim for your losses, statutory damages, and attorney’s fees.
A scammer got into my RBFCU account and had me approve a code — is that “unauthorized”? Likely yes. If the intruder initiated the transfer and you only responded to a verification prompt, the payment was initiated by someone other than you — the core of an unauthorized transfer under Regulation E. Being tricked into approving a code the scammer triggered is not the same as authorizing the payment yourself.
RBFCU says I authorized it because I typed “yes.” Are they right? Not necessarily. A credit union will often equate a one-time code or “yes” with authorization, but responding to an authentication challenge that a fraudster obtained by impersonating the bank is a weaker basis than they suggest — especially when the fraudster, not you, initiated the transfer. This is worth challenging.
Does it matter whether the money left by Zelle or by wire? Yes, a great deal. Zelle, ACH, and debit-card transfers are governed by Regulation E. Wire transfers generally are not, and follow separate rules. Confirming how the money moved is one of the first things we check.
Do you handle RBFCU cases in San Antonio? Yes. Clanton Law Office is based in San Antonio and represents Texas consumers against RBFCU and other credit unions.
Send us your RBFCU denial letter — the review is free
RBFCU is betting you’ll accept the denial and move on. You don’t have to. Bring us the denial letter and your transaction record, and a San Antonio consumer-protection attorney will tell you — at no cost and no obligation — whether your transfer was unauthorized under federal law, what your claim may be worth, and the next step. If we take your case, you pay no attorney’s fees out of pocket — the Electronic Fund Transfer Act makes RBFCU cover them when you win.
Federal deadlines apply, so don’t wait.
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Prefer to read more first? See how Regulation E protects credit-union members »