Glenwood woman locked out of bank account needed for cousin's care for months

A woman became her cousin's legal guardian, but couldn't get access to his bank account.

She needed the $95,000 in the bank to pay for his care. When the bank wasn't helping, she called the I-Team.

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Barbra Schranz of south suburban Glenwood suddenly became the legal guardian to her cousin.

In February, a stroke left him cognitively impaired. She needed access to his Chase Bank account to pay for his move from a hospital to assisted living.

The account had more than $95,000 in it, so she went to the bank with all the legal paperwork in hand.

"I need guardianship; here's the papers, state of Indiana, magistrate stamped and everything. They said, 'OK, but we're sending it to the legal department,'" Schranz said.

Three months passed, but no results.

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Schranz said she submitted her paperwork three times. She continued calling and emailing to find out why there was a delay,

"They had my IDs, the paperwork from the Valparaiso courts, the magistrate stamped and sealed. It wasn't good enough. They investigated for months. So, we started calling the executive offices. I thought, 'This is nuts,'" Schranz said.

Meanwhile, her cousin's debts were piling up.

"He has bills. He has three cars, two houses. He has insurance; all of that has to be paid for," Schranz said. "So, I had to dig into my own money to pay. I paid about $10,000. Someone said, 'Call Channel 7,' and I did. And things started moving."

The I-Team contacted Chase Bank, and, within days, Schranz was told that a check for more than $95,000, would be sent to her.

Chase told the I-Team: "We are glad to have resolved Ms. Schranz's case. The transactions were complex, and we prioritize account security, so the process took some time. We regret the delay and share our condolences."

Schranz is now able to help her cousin.

"Extremely excited to get the check to pay for his life. It's $95,908.78. Now I can move him to a different environment. I can maybe reinvest some of the funds I had to pull out of his accounts. We want to make a better life for him. He deserves it," she said.

In this case, the consumer had all her documents, but she said the bank was not getting her answers as fast as she wanted.

But this is a reminder to make sure you have a will or living trust and all your banking documents in order for your loved ones, in case they need access.