Consumer complaint received 2019-10-06
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
State: CO
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Getting a credit card
Sub-issue: Application denied

Complaint:
To whom it may concern, I would like to request your assistance in resolving a decision by JPMorgan Chase Bank that I feel unfairly discriminates against recently XXXX military   veterans. Chase has an unwritten policy, called 5/24. Chase uses this policy to deny credit to applicants for certain credit cards who have opened or closed 5 or more credit card accounts in the preceding 24 months. This policy has a discriminatory effect on XXXX veterans who have been forced to restructure their finances as a result of ending XXXX XXXX Military service. 

I XXXX from XXXX XXXX on XXXX XX/XX/XXXX. In the months preceding my XXXX, I restructured credit accounts to prepare for civilian life. As an example, I was ordered to have a US Government Travel Credit Card during my military service which was one account I needed to replace as I XXXX   from the military. Additionally, as a member of the XXXX XXXX, I was required to have another credit card which I also needed to replace as I XXXX. As you can imagine, other credit card providers stopped military exclusions of fees or other features ( as an example, my XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ) which also led to credit card changes. 

As part of my effort to transition my credit for civilian life and post-military employment, I applied for a Chase credit card ( the Chase Sapphire Visa Signature Card ) in XX/XX/XXXX. I was denied credit and received the letter in Tab 1 on XXXX XX/XX/XXXX. I called and spoke to customer service, where I was told that I had too many credit cards opened in the last 24 months, and this is why I was denied credit. 

I sent a letter in Tab 2 to request an exception to policy and a reconsideration of their decision. I pointed out in my letter that a denial of credit is a fairly serious event for someone who still holds a US Government Security Clearance and who was attempting to seek employment using those credentials. They responded with the letter in Tab 3 which was another refusal and did not address my concerns about the negative impact of a credit denial. I sent another letter to Tab 4, attempting to clearly describe why I feel their policy is unfairly discriminatory and potentially damaging to the future employment of veterans with a security clearance. Their final response is in Tab 5 which again demonstrates their lack of empathy for veterans and their refusal to grant a reasonable accommodation to me. 

I see this situation as analogous to the shop owner who does not have a wheelchair ramp at their storefront. The shop-owner can certainly claim that everyone is welcome into the store, as long as they climb the stairs so there is no discrimination. The other way to see the situation is that there is a barrier to entry to the business to someone who can not simply walk the stairs, and the lack of reasonable accommodation to those who have disabilities is obvious discrimination. Military veterans, due to the nature of the transition to civilian life, have barriers to entry that come primarily from the nature of their military service. Chases 5/24 rule discriminates against those veterans. 
As a recently XXXX  military veteran, I need assistance gaining access to Chases credit card store. Restructuring my credit, uniquely necessary due to my transition to civilian life, has made me ineligible to fairly access their business because of their 5/24 policy. 

I am asking you to advocate for me, and other veterans in a similar situation, to convince Chase to allow exceptions to their 5/24 policy. In other words, I am asking for reasonable accommodation for the unique issues I face as a recently XXXX veteran. I believe strongly that their policy disproportionately impacts/discriminates against the recently XXXX veteran demographic. 

Thank you for your consideration. Please contact me if I can provide additional information. I look forward to hearing from you soon on the pathway forward on this issue.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation