“You enjoy helping convicted rapists become debt-free?” another asked.

Under one of the credit union's posts about a visit from a local college mascot, one commenter posted Turner's photo and wrote, “This business supports rapists.”

Accounts intended to collect donations are common at credit unions and other financial institutions, and they can help credit unions engage with their communities and strengthen their brands.

“By and large, credit unions' hearts collectively are always in the right place, and when it comes to something like this, I'm sure the intentions are strong,” former Marketing Association of Credit Unions Chair Scott Coe told CU Times.

Credit unions often can't deny accounts easily, current MAC Board Chair Jennifer D'Amico added.

“We must avoid taking action that may seem discriminatory in any way and we must remain in compliance with our state and federal regulations,” she noted. “With that being said, some credit unions might have policies in place regarding the types of accounts that they are unable to open.”

Those accounts can sometimes be controversial and backfire on the brand, however.

“The old saying that any publicity is good publicity sounds great, but you get bad publicity and it often morphs into damage control,” Coe said.

Wright-Patt, which has $3.3 billion in assets and 321,000 members, had no comment for CU Times but did scrub most of the angry comments from its Facebook page on Wednesday afternoon, posting a message in its wake that read in part: “Wright-Patt Credit Union is aware of the account in question that was established as a legal support fund by the father of an individual convicted of sexual assault in California. When opening a new account, we confirm the membership eligibility and qualifications of the account owner in adherence with our bylaws and applicable law. Beyond that, we respect the privacy of our members and their intended use of the account.”

The credit union encouraged users to make donations to Artemis Center, YWCA Dayton or a similar organization that helps victims of sexual assault.

That post also appeared to receive little support from commenters.

“Diffusing social media is a tactic we all have to have now. You have to react quickly and honestly and deal with things,” Coe said. “Sometimes you have to say, 'This is what the situation is. You may not interpret it the same way we do. Our intentions are this, and please understand that this is where we're coming from.'”