Consumer complaint received 2020-04-29
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: CA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Incorrect information on your report
Sub-issue: Account information incorrect

Complaint:
Last year I settled an old charged-off credit card with Bank of America. It took me over a month to be able to do so. On XX/XX/2019 I spoke with a representative and paid them using a XXXX XXXX routing and account number. I was told by XX/XX/XXXX the account would be fixed from my credit report. 

After a few months the account did not get fixed. I tried calling bank of America but they would never speak to me again. Something about they couldn't verify who I was. In XXXX, I disputed the balance with the credit bureaus but they are still showing it as owed. I tried calling Bank of America but again they refused to speak with me. Several more months passed but I still had the balance showing on my credit report and now I am getting desperate. I am trying to buy a house but I can't because this account still affects my credit report. 

Today, as a last ditch effort, I call Bank of America to try one last time to have this fixed. I called XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. Before I can even speak to someone I have to type in my entire social security number. Once I do reach a person, I spoke with a representative named XXXX. I told him what was going on but he asked me some security questions first. He asked for my drivers license number and I gave it to him. He asked for my employer and I gave it to him. He then asked for a phone number to send me a code and I gave it to him. After all the information I had given him he said the phone number I gave him was not a good one. I told him it was my current number. He asked if I had any other numbers to which I replied I did but I no longer had those numbers. He then said he couldn't speak to me because he couldn't " authenticate me. '' After that I just lost my cool and I told him straight up that my credit report has been harmed for nearly a year due to Bank of America 's negligence and if I didn't speak to a supervisor I would file this very complaint. He did finally get a XXXX on the phone with employee ID number XXXX. I explained to her how I settled this debt back in XX/XX/2019 and its still showing as owed. I explained to her how I'm sick of B of A not doing their job and now not wanting to speak with me. I explained how this is preventing me from buying a house and she didn't seem to care. She just said that because they couldn't " authenticate me '' they couldn't access my file. 

I got even more fed up with her and told her that was bull. I provided my social security number in full and IT IS the right one. I gave her my driver 's license and IT IS the right one. I gave her the name of my employer and THEY ARE the right one. and I even gave her my phone number and IT IS the right one. I told her the information I gave them was correct because I only have one license so I know what I'm giving them is correct. She actually had the gall to say " well sir what if someone stole your wallet and was using your information to access your accounts? '' At this point I knew they weren't going to be helping me anymore and were just going to use whatever pretense to not help me. I finally replied that I don't answer hypothetical questions and that I didn't buy her analogy. I even explained to her that a thief would not steal my info and call about a charged-off credit card that was settled last year ... They would call about my open and current bank accounts or my current and open credit cards. I told her if she wasn't going to help me that I would file this very complaint and then even sue. She said top go ahead and do so if I felt that was what I needed to do. Well here I am. 

To summarize this complaint here is what is going on from my point of view. Bank of America has been settled for 10 months. They have not updated my credit report to show a {$0.00} balance which is a violation of so many laws its not funny. It's coercion, bait and switch, malice, multiple violations of the F.C.R.A., multiple violations of the California Rosenthal F.D.C.P.A. They verified a balance that can't be verified with the credit bureaus because it's been paid which is further violation of the F.C.R.A. They now refuse to speak with me under the pretense of not being able to confirm my identity when they know they have. 

The bottom line is if they don't fix this I will sue.

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