“Good evening, Fayetteville Community Bank. How can I help you?”
“My name is Edith Wembley,” I said. “I need to speak with someone about suspending recurring payments and removing an authorized user from my accounts.”
“Of course, Mrs. Wembley. Let me verify your identity first.”
I answered the security questions one by one. My mother’s maiden name. The last four digits of my Social Security number. The amount of my most recent deposit. I could hear keyboard clicks on the other end while I kept my voice calm.
“Thank you,” the woman said. “How can I help?”
“I want every automatic payment, recurring transfer, and scheduled bill-pay instruction from my personal accounts suspended tonight. All of them. I also want Garrett Wembley removed as an authorized signer and agent on every account where he appears.”
There was a pause long enough for me to picture her sitting up straighter.
“All of them, Mrs. Wembley?”
“Yes.”
“You do have quite a few active authorizations.”
“I’m aware.”
Another pause. More clicking.
“We can place temporary holds on the outgoing items immediately,” she said carefully. “For permanent cancellation and revocation of account authority, we’ll need signed forms in person.”