Consumer complaint received 2016-09-15
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: WA
Product: Credit card
Issue: Late fee

Complaint:
I am a trans* person who had a credit card with BofA. My BofA checking/savings ( c/s ) acccount had overdraft protection on it, linked to this card. I had my name and gender legally changed prior to a move in early 2014 and I closed my BofA ( c/s ) account shortly after moving to the new address. I then zeroed out my credit card ( cc ) by paying it down in XXXX lump sum, then cut it up. I opened another c/s account at a credit union before closing my BofA c/s account. 
A few months later, I get a forwarded letter from my old address from the BofA cc account and it has accrued late charges totaling something like XXXX dollars. I called them to ask what the charges were for and they would not speak to me because I told them my legal name, despite telling them that I have a legal document that would prove my identity. Not only that, the c/s account was grandfathered and referred to me by a nickname, not my birth name, so there was yet another name in the mix. I then tried the website to see if I could bring up the account, but did not ever set up online account access with them and could not now do so without falsifying information. 
I wrote a message from within the website help and they told me that I would have to call. I called again, only to be told that I am not the account holder, so I may not access the account. Two years later, I can not open a bank account now, thanks to this outstanding debt. I called BofA again last week and they told me that it is out of their hands because they already sold the debt to a collection agency and settlement is not possible, even though they are now willing to admit that I am the original account holder. 
I do n't believe that this debt is justified in the first place, since it is, according to BofA, stemming from an overdraft protection service charge. That 's what? {$10.00} - XXXX a month? And they informed me that the debt sold was over {$600.00}. 
I believe that BofA should allow me to settle for the original debt of {$10.00} - XXXX as my original creditor and waive the insane fees they tacked on. I tried to close everything properly, but perhaps should have closed the account before changing my name. The hard part is that I would n't have been able to open a new account until the name and gender change process was complete and I would have been without direct deposit, checks, debit, PayPal, and credit until I had my official papers in-hand. Even so, my paperwork from my grandfathered account from the BofA in Texas, that has a nickname instead of my then-legal name, would have made the process difficult, as it would have required someone who is American* or knows about American nicknames to think. 

*I say American, because people from XXXX are more likely to understand that nicknames like " XXXX '' are derived from " XXXX '' or " XXXX '' or " XXXX '' from " XXXX '' or even more obscure nicknames that are given to children by their parents and stick, like " XXXX '' instead of " 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