AG Announces Bank Settlement

Attorney General Patrick Morrisey says 323 West Virginia consumers are entitled to $1.5 million in a debt collection settlement with a Virginia bank. Morrisey says the settlement resolves allegations that First Sentinel Bank of Richlands, Virginia, engaged in unfair, deceptive or abusive practices. First Sentinel representatives allegedly visited customers at their homes or businesses to collect debts and had third-party vendors without a state license repossess vehicles. Under the settlement, the bank must close accounts with a zero balance for consumers whose vehicles were illegally repossessed. The bank also must pay the state $27,400, along with $2,500 to a Mercer County resident who brought the initial complaint.