Elderly couple says van repossessed without warning

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- These days Clifford and Bertha York have time to lay out their long history with their bank.

It goes way back to when Cliff was among the Brazos Valley Schools Credit Union's first customers.

They've used the credit union for car loans and home loans for decades.

"I don't understand why they did it," Bertha said.

The elderly couple fell behind on a few of their car loan payments. They don't think it was severe but they admit hospitalizations and health emergencies shuffled priorities. But on a recent Friday they say they were eager to make the loan current.

"We stop there to make the payment and he said we had to go out and come in," Bertha said.

They told us they went to the credit union drive-through to make a payment but the credit union wouldn't take it at the drive-through from the elderly couple.

"They couldn't come out of the bank to help you out to make this payment?" ABC13 investigative reporter Ted Oberg asked.

"At that particular time they could not," Cliff said.

Unable to go in due to mobility issues, they left without making a payment. A few days later a scrape in the driveway was all that was left of their 2014 Town and Country minivan.

The couple says it happened without warning. No calls, no letters, and no inquiries about what the couple was planning. And the couple says they got no answers when they called the credit union.

"I said I want to make payments on it. He said no it's just gone," Cliff said.

We asked the credit union for an explanation repeatedly. Once we got hung up on.

When we emailed, the CEO told us "this is a confidential matter between our member and Brazos Valley Schools Credit Union; therefore, we have no further comment."

And when we went there, the Brazos Valley Schools Credit Union threw us out.

Since their van was repossessed the Yorks have decided maybe it's a good time to rely on friends and family to get them places.

Having a car they could loan to someone else that could drive them was easier - they're not sure how they'll get around now.