Consumer complaint received 2020-05-29
Company: BANK OF THE WEST
State: NE
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Incorrect information on your report
Sub-issue: Information belongs to someone else

Complaint:
On or around XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX and XXXX XXXX went into the Bank Of the West branch on XXXX and XXXX to help our son XXXX open up a checking account before we went off to his first year of college. The Bank of the West employee suggested XXXX should have a credit card for college to HELP BUILD HIS CREDIT. My wife thought that could be a good thing. Bank Of the West determined XXXX was not qualified to have a credit card and they would need my wife to be on the card, which she was denied. At this point the banker asked XXXX XXXX for XXXX XXXX information. No interest rate or credit card limit was discussed. 
At no point did the banker ever contact me ( XXXX XXXX ) in regards to this credit card for my approval. I am convinced the Bank Of The West employee was not motivated to help XXXX establish credit. If that was the case, the limit would have been set at {$500.00}. A reasonable amount for a XXXX  in college. Instead, the limit was set at {$8000.00} and I am assuming they were incented to do that. This credit card limit was increased to {$9200.00} without me ever being notified. I became aware of the credit card when a fellow employee called me at home and told me Bank Of the West called him asking about me and said I needed to call them back. Bank Of The West recommended I sign something indicating I had my identity stolen to stop further damage to my credit. Bank Of the West asked if XXXX opened the account and signed my name without my permission. This caused great tension in our home, XXXX strongly denied ever signing my name. I began requesting a copy of the loan application to see if the signature was mine. This was another incredibly long and painful process to get any help from Bank Of the West. After hours on the phone, I finally got so frustrated I walked into the branch by my home and asked for help. I finally got someone to give me the time to explain my situation and would get me a copy of the application with my signature. I was later informed that there was no application with my signature on file. 
In college XXXX developed a problem with gambling, which he is trying to take responsibility for. He is in treatment for this problem. Bank Of The West played a role in this disaster, by giving him a credit of {$8000.00} and then increasing it to {$9200.00} without my knowledge. This XXXX  problem would have never gotten to the point it did, if the credit limit was set at a limit that was appropriate and if I would have been aware of the credit card. In his desperation to get the card current, he went online for help with a credit counseling company to try and get the interest rate dropped and lower the payment. This only made his situation worse. He paid them money and Bank Of The West denied the credit counseling request. I was asked more than once, did XXXX use the credit card and answered yes. Then was told he is responsible which I can understand. XXXX when into the back and was trying to pay an interest payment and they offered him another card for {$3000.00} which is hard to understand. 

Is this a Bank Of The West - company wide, single branch or individual employee practice to give out credit cards under individuals without proper consent? 
Proposal- Its my view, The Bank Of The West made this loan without any regard for the original purpose of helping XXXX establish credit. It was more about a bank employee pushing credit without taking the proper steps of making me aware of a credit card with an {$8000.00} limit. This has caused our family great pain. My entire life, I have always had perfect credit. I am not someone who does not pay my debts. The lack of anyone other then XXXX willing to hear my out, has made this very frustrating. I am requesting a phone call with my lawyer to hopefully quickly put this behind us. 
Credit card need to be forgiven. Payments, interest and late fees minus the credit limit Bank Of The West would have given under normal practices. This needs to be settled by Friday, XX/XX/XXXX. 
My next move is : Contact the Nebraska Department Of Banking Contact : CFPB Begin lawsuit seeking damages with several claims. 


Below is the email from the Branch Manager who is trying to help me get some kind of resolution. 

XXXX, XXXX XXXX Wed, XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX to me Hey XXXX, Her is my write-up about what happened. Can you please take a look at this before I submit it over to the investigator. 





XXXX called me back in XXXX saying he had an issue with a credit card that he did not know he had. He told me his son maxed out a credit card and they have been paying on it but he had no idea he had the card until our bank called his work phone. One of his fellow co-workers told him bank of the west was trying to reach him. When he called our back office number they told him about his credit card. He told them he didnt have one and reached out to me in XXXX. 
I then got in touch with XXXX XXXX and with her help I told XXXX of the next steps and gave him some paperwork to sign. The communication ended there until I he contacted me earlier this month. He told me he had some stuff come up and that he got in touch with his attorney about the situation and now would like to start to figure out what can be done about the card again. Until this point he has been making XXXX make cash payments on the card in order for it to be paid. 
When looking at everything that XXXX XXXX has provided and what I see in the system. It appears his son XXXX originally came into the XXXX and XXXX branch. From the notes it seems the banker XXXX XXXX talked to him and his mom about a credit card. From what we see they put an app in and it was declined. There then was another app with XXXX and XXXX as an authorized user. This was approved and XXXX and XXXX were sent out cards. XXXX got a card and started to use it. XXXX says he never got a card and was never informed about getting one. He had no clue the application was even submitted. 
At this point XXXX is saying that the bank is at fault for submitting an application without him knowing and then issuing his XXXX year old son a credit card with a XXXX limit. He is not saying his son did not use the card, but he is saying he had no notice an application was being submitted. According to XXXX he would of never let his son have a credit card. 
Right now is has been advised not to make any more payments on the card and he would like to get his attorney involved with the bank in this situation. 




Thanks, XXXX XXXX Branch Manager, AVP NMLS # XXXX XXXX Bank of the West XXXX XXXX XXXX. 

XXXX, XXXX XXXX T XXXX F XXXX XXXX cid : XXXX XXXX

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation