A charge labeled “UCE” on your bank statement almost always traces back to Financial Education Services, a credit repair operation that billed customers roughly $89 a month and was permanently shut down by the Federal Trade Commission in 2024. If you didn’t authorize the charge, or you signed up and want out, you have a narrow window to dispute it through your bank and stop any future withdrawals.
What UCE Means on Your Statement
UCE is tied to the network of companies operating under or alongside Financial Education Services, known as FES. The FTC identified several business names used by this operation, including United Wealth Services and United Wealth Education.1Federal Trade Commission. Financial Education Services Settlement The recurring charge typically reflects a monthly subscription for credit repair, credit monitoring, or identity theft protection. Monthly fees around $89 were common.
One thing to rule out before you dispute: if the descriptor actually reads “United First” rather than UCE, the charge may come from United First Financial, an unrelated company that sold mortgage debt acceleration software. That company is no longer actively operating, but legacy charges can still appear.
The FTC Shut Down the Operation and Is Refunding Customers
In August 2024, the FTC permanently banned the people behind FES after finding the companies falsely claimed to clean up consumers’ credit, failed to deliver, and charged customers upfront in violation of federal law.2Federal Trade Commission. FTC Action Leads to Permanent Bans for Scammers Behind Sprawling Credit Repair Pyramid Scheme
As of March 2026, the FTC has mailed checks totaling more than $10.9 million to 443,048 customers who paid for FES services between May 2019 and May 2022.3Federal Trade Commission. FTC Sends More Than $10.9 Million to Consumers Harmed by Credit Repair Pyramid Scheme If a check arrives, cash it within 90 days of the date on it. The FTC will never ask you to pay money or hand over account information to receive a refund, so treat any such request as a separate scam. For questions about a payment, the refund administrator is Analytics, at 833-699-7995 or FES@refundadministrator.com.
If your charges fall outside that May 2019 to May 2022 window, you aren’t part of this refund distribution, and your path to recovering money runs through your bank.
How to Stop the Charges
Pull your statement and write down the exact dollar amount, the date of the charge, and the full descriptor text, including any phone number or reference code. If you have a welcome email or enrollment confirmation, grab that too. Then work three steps in parallel.
Cancel With the Company If You Can Reach It
If a working portal or email address still exists for the merchant, request cancellation in writing and ask for written confirmation that no further charges will be billed. With the core FES operation shut down, you may get no response. If nothing comes back within a few business days, move on.
Dispute the Charges Through Your Bank
Federal law requires that any recurring electronic withdrawal from your checking account be authorized by your written or electronic signature.4Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 12 CFR 1005.10 – Preauthorized Transfers If you never authorized the charge, or the company kept billing after you cancelled, you can dispute it through your bank’s error resolution process under Regulation E.
You have 60 days from the date your bank sends the statement containing the charge to report the error. Your notice must include your name, account number, and enough detail to explain why the charge is wrong.5Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 12 CFR 1005.11 – Procedures for Resolving Errors Call or visit your bank to start the process, then follow up in writing if they ask.
Once your bank has the notice, it has 10 business days to investigate. If it needs more time, it can extend the investigation to 45 days, but only if it provisionally credits your account within those first 10 business days, and you get full use of that money while the investigation continues. The bank must report its findings within three business days of finishing.6eCFR. 12 CFR 1005.11 – Procedures for Resolving Errors
That 60-day clock is the piece most people miss. If UCE charges have been sitting on old statements for months, review them now. Charges on statements older than 60 days may fall outside the Regulation E protection window, leaving you with fewer options to recover the money. Some banks will still reverse older charges as a courtesy, but they are not required to.
You also have a separate argument on the underlying charge itself: the Credit Repair Organizations Act prohibits credit repair companies from collecting fees before they perform the promised service, and the FTC specifically found that FES violated this rule.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1679b – Prohibited Practices Mentioning that in your dispute strengthens it.
Place a Stop Payment on Future Withdrawals
A dispute addresses charges that already hit. To block the next one, ask your bank for a stop payment order on the merchant. Most banks will set this up through their online portal or over the phone. Do this even if you’ve already cancelled with the company, because a stop payment is what actually keeps your account from being debited again.
Where to Report It
File a report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The FTC does not resolve individual complaints, but complaints feed a database used by law enforcement, and this is how the FES case gained traction in the first place.
Also file with your state attorney general. Many states require credit repair companies to register and post a surety bond before doing business, and operating without one is an additional violation your state can act on.