"We identified four hundred twelve accounts with enrollment patterns that require review," Miriam began. "The initial sample includes cases in which optional products appear to have been described as mandatory or added without adequately documented customer choice. We also identified forty-three relevant complaints, thirty-four of which were no longer visible in the normal active complaint queue."
A murmur moved through the employees. Oliver stared at the screen, recognizing the package he had been taught to sell. June's face had gone pale, and Grace could see Anita Bell standing near the wall; she had transferred away months earlier but had returned to give a statement. Bradley folded his arms and began shaking his head before Miriam finished speaking.
"This is ridiculous," he said. "You're taking normal sales activity and making it sound criminal. Our customers want protection."
"Some customers may have chosen these products knowingly," Miriam replied. "That is why the review is account by account. But it is not normal for complaints to be closed without documented resolutions, or for employees to be told to misstate the terms of an account."
"That's simply not true," Bradley said. "I've never instructed anyone to lie."
Grace stepped forward. Her hands were trembling, but she kept her voice steady. "You told me personally in your office. You told me to say the products were mandatory, and you threatened my job when I said they weren't."
Bradley looked at Nathan. "She was a performance problem. That's what this is. She wants her job back, and she's blaming me."
"Three employees submitted a concern about these practices months ago," Lena Ortiz said. "We have the original message and the routing history. This is not solely Ms. Holloway's account, and it isn't a dispute we can resolve by insulting her."
Nathan looked at Bradley across the table. "Yesterday you told me, in front of a customer-service employee, that I could lose account approval if I refused optional products. Would you like to explain how that statement fits our written policies?"
Bradley opened his mouth, then closed it. "That was sales language," he said finally. "I was motivating a decision. We all know how customers are."
"Our policies do not authorize employees to misrepresent a customer's choices," Nathan replied. "And your job did not authorize you to terminate somebody for declining to do it."
Douglas raised a hand. "Nathan, I oversee dozens of branches. Twelve was our strongest because it delivered. You're treating aggressive targets as if they were instructions to deceive."
"Targets aren't instructions to deceive," Nathan said. "That's true. But what happens when the regional office sees how those targets are being met and rewards the conduct anyway?"
Miriam brought up a second chart. "Three hundred eleven of the flagged accounts have approval or complaint events linked to the regional executive access path. Those events are being reviewed individually, and not all are necessarily improper. However, a narrower set includes complaint closures performed through executive verification that required credentials assigned specifically to Mr. Crane."
"Credentials can be delegated," Douglas replied.
"Not under this bank's information security policy," Marcus Bell said from the back of the room. "And the specific transactions we are discussing required secondary verification on the executive device. We have the corresponding audit events. You can explain how the access was used in your interview."