Consumer complaint received 2021-01-29
Company: M&T BANK CORPORATION
State: MD
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Incorrect information on your report
Sub-issue: Account information incorrect

Complaint:
In XXXX of XXXX, I opened a revolving line of credit with M & T Bank at a local branch office location in XXXX, Maryland. I provided all requisite contact information to the M & T Bank employee. The M & T Employee was XXXX XXXX. The account was officially activated on XX/XX/XXXX. The credit card was subject to a 12 month promotional offer which offered 0 % APR for the 12 month period following account activation date. I exchanged emails with XXXX XXXX and requested credit documentation for the credit card and he responded saying that no such credit documentation existed and he said that M & T Bank did not have any documentation that would allow me to understand the terms of the credit card. I opened the credit card to refinance a credit line I had with M & T Bank with principal outstanding of approximately {$2200.00}. Thus, M & T Bank initiated a transfer balance to repay obligations to the existing creditor, XXXX  XXXX XXXX, in an amount equal to {$2200.00}. This transaction was completed on XXXX XX/XX/XXXX. 

The line of credit was advertised as having no minimum payments within the first 12 months in addition to 0 % APR without limitation during the aforementioned 12-month period which was slated to begin starting in XX/XX/XXXX and extending to the billing period ending in XX/XX/XXXX. I had relocated to my parents domicile beginning in XX/XX/XXXX and thus was not at my apartment which was the address provided to M & T for physical credit statement delivery. Nevertheless, the physical statements were delivered to my apartment located at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, Maryland XXXX each month up to XX/XX/XXXX. In the first week of XX/XX/XXXX, I visited my apartment to check my mail and I found numerous statements and letters from M & T Bank regarding the line of credit which I had opened in XX/XX/XXXX. The letters were hostile in nature, and i received 8 letters between XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX which stated that i was delinquent and that they were going to close the account. 

I was also charged late fees in addition to a balance transfer fee which i believe to be excessive. Two of the late fees were rescinded upon request and credited against the principal balance of the credit obligation. Upon reading the 8 letters, i called M & T at the number listed on the letters and submitted a check by phone for {$230.00} which was the amount currently due. I submitted a dispute with M & T Bank and received an email confirmation that the dispute was under investigation on XX/XX/XXXX. I also submitted online disputes with XXXX, XXXX  and XXXX in XX/XX/XXXX as my credit statements included derogatory information regarding my credit profile due to information submitted by M & T Bank. My credit report stated that M & T had closed my account and that i never repaid the debt that was due, which is incorrect as i did pay the balance of the account once i was aware that M & T was demanding minimum payments and my account was never closed by M & T Bank and remains open. I currently have availability under the line of credit in excess of {$1000.00} with all payments completed. Nevertheless, my disputes with all three credit reporting agencies were deemed resolved with no changes to the information on the credit report. The credit reports still show the account as being closed at the request of the creditor and the incorrect information has severely affected my credit score. 

At no time did M & T make a commercially reasonable effort to contact me regarding overdue payments on the Revolving Line of Credit, notwithstanding the physical statements delivered to my apartment address which represents only one ( 1 ) of the various methods of contact I had provided in good faith to M & T Bank. At the time of opening the credit account with M & T Bank in XX/XX/XXXX, I provided the following information to the relationship manager at the branch office located at XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, Maryland XXXX : 1. XXXX XXXX XXXX : XXXX XXXX. Email Address : XXXX XXXX. Primary Home Address : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX  XXXX, XXXX, Maryland XXXX XXXX. Alternate Physical Address : XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, Maryland XXXX I have digital evidence of correspondence between myself and the relationship banker, whose name is XXXX XXXX, which was conducted via the email address listed above. Included as an exhibit to this statement is email correspondence between me and XXXX XXXX, the relationship banker at M & T Bank who was responsible for opening the new account for me in XX/XX/XXXX, which is clear evidence that my email address was readily available, therefore if my account was overdue or needed urgent attention, it would have been easy to contact me via email. I also have phone records of calls with XXXX XXXX which is evidence that my cell phone was also readily available and provided in good faith upon account opening. 

Despite all of this, M & T Bank submitted information to all 3 major credit reporting agencies making a false allegation that I was delinquent and had not made minimum payments on the revolving line of credit opened in XX/XX/XXXX. 

There are two principal reasons I believe these allegations are false and in bad faith : 1. M & T Bank did not make clear to me at time of opening the credit card that the account would be subject to minimum monthly payments of principal during the introductory 12 month period. 
2. M & T Bank did not take any actions or make a commercially reasonable effort to contact me via cell phone, alternate home address, or email, all of which were readily available and would have resulted in quick responses from me. However, M & T Bank only relied on physical mail delivery to my primary address which I was not staying at during the aforementioned three month period where Lender had accused me of defaulting on the credit obligations.

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