Consumer complaint received 2018-10-14
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
State: IL
Product: Mortgage
Sub-product: Home equity loan or line of credit (HELOC)
Issue: Applying for a mortgage or refinancing an existing mortgage

Complaint:
On Saturday, XX/XX/2018 I received a letter from Chase indicating I had been turned down for a loan. I have not applied for a loan with Chase. 



On Monday, XX/XX/2018, at XXXXXXXX XXXX. I called the number cited on the letter. At this time I spoke with XXXX XXXX, who advised that my husband had applied for a home equity credit line and been denied. On further review he advised that my husband had, without my knowledge or consent provided my social security number and other information in furtherance of having a HELOC granted in my name when he was denied. I asked how it could be that my information would be used without my knowledge or consent and after further discussion he asked if I wanted to speak with his supervisor. I said YES. He then connected me to his manager, XXXX XXXX. 



On inquiry with Ms. XXXX, I was advised that Chase invokes spousal privilege to make loans in the names of spouses. Invoking spousal privilege is outrageous. The application of spousal privilege is widely known to be applicable in criminal cases and is used to prevent one spouse from testifying against another. I have found no application to do with credit or credit granting and the invoking of same is a clear and quick path to loan fraud. Ms. XXXX advised that a XXXX XXXX was the person who entered the application in my name, without my knowledge or consent. She further advised that she would have XXXX manager XXXX XXXX call me on Tuesday, XX/XX/2018. I have received no such call. 

XXXX XXXX never asked to speak with me regarding this loan application. She did not know if I was in agreement, if we were divorced, if we were living in the same household, if I were physically incapacitated, or just bat XXXX crazy on a corner someplace. Yet, my social security number was used by Ms. XXXX, to submit a loan application in my name without my knowledge or consent. My husband indicates she told him I would qualify and merely asked our household income. He denies having given her my social security number. Whether he provided on request or not is really irrelevant. Whats relevant is allowing my identity to be used to make a loan application without my consent. It further begs the question on whether this application had to be signed. 

Had we been living separately, which we have been discussing, and this loan been granted, I surely would not have known because any written communication would have come to our current address. Had this loan been granted, Chase would be looking at a write off if he chose not to pay because I would have had no knowledge of its existence. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I spoke with XXXX XXXX, I believe his name was, from the Chase executive office. At that time I was told that they would not take the inquiry off my credit report as requested. That indeed it is within their guidelines to allow spouses to apply for credit in one another 's names. That, in my mind, is the allowance of identity theft. As I'd said, my husband and I have been speaking of living separately. That said, if this loan had been granted I would have known nothing about it. If it was a scant 6 weeks later I would have known nothing about it as I am planning to be out of town. 

I spoke with XXXX  and they advised that a joint account was applied for over a hold I had on my credit report. No matter the loan title it strikes me as positively insane that a company could have a policy of allowing a loan to be applied for and possibly granted in somone 's name without their knowledge or consent. 

Further, what is the point in having a hold on my credit when by virtue of having an account with someone my credit can be acccessed? Which is what XXXX said. Because we had a relationship with Chase they were allowed to access my credit.

In my case, I would like Chase to remediate this matter by granting me identity theft protection for three years and by having the hard inquiry removed from my credit report at all three bureaus. I would also like them to amend their policy and at least SPEAK with all parties to a loan application. 

Further I would like the credit bureaus to not allow credit access just because a joint account is held someplace. I previously had a mortgage with my niece. According to the policies at Chase and XXXX, she can now apply for credit in my name. HOW do I protect myself from credit being accssed in my name given those policies?????

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation