Consumer complaint received 2018-12-31
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: TX
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Closing your account
Sub-issue: Company closed your account

Complaint:
On XXXX I submitted CFPB complaint : XXXX-XXXX for the following concerns : 1. ) American Express closed my account without notice. 2. ) All Reward Points were confiscated with no notice. 3. ) The account had active billing disputes. 4. ) 1666. Correction of billing errors prohibits creditors from 4a. ) attempting to collect a debt in dispute. 4b. ) prevents a creditor from restricting or closing an account with active billing disputes.

Now in response, 1. ) American Express states my account was closed due to A. ) FICO score despite being aware changed due to identity theft and fraudulent reporting. B. ) My revolving balances, which were not out of the ordinary as my accounts had never been delinquent and paid off in full every month. In fact, they had just increased my line of credit on my personal card. Additionally, a large majority of my revolving credit balance was in dispute. Which prevents American Express from restricting, closing, trying to collect or taking adverse action for enforcing my consumer rights. C. ) A Returned payment due to complications from the identity theft I was having to correct. This returned payment would never have occurred if the American Express Agent I spoke with had not told me to allow it to go through even though there wasn't money and just to pay the correct amount from the correct account. This advice was given to me as I contacted American Express right after initiating the payment and realizing it defaulted to the wrong account. I called to cancel the payment to prevent the returned payment but was advised not to. I made the correct payment from the correct account prior to the first payment being returned to keep the account from being late or delinquent in any way. 

Taking this all into account it appears my accounts which to that point been paid in full and never delinquent were closed by American Express because the majority of my billing statement was in dispute and I was the victim of identity theft followed the instructions they provided to me, I was the victim of identity theft and followed the instructions provided by American Express customer support agents. Still American Express has yet to reply to the reasoning they closed my accounts violation 1666. Correction of billing errors took adverse action due to fraudulent information resulting from proven identity theft, closed my accounts despite having paid my cards in full every month having a XXXX revolving balance every month which was not in dispute, or why they closed my account despite following their instructions when I notified them of the error in payment account prior to the payment being returned. 

Furthermore had American Express followed 1666. Correction of billing errors and provided me notice prior to closing my accounts and confiscating my reward points, I would have been able to cash in those reward points for a statement credit drastically eliminating the remaining balance, not in dispute on my platinum card.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation