Consumer complaint received 2025-08-27 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Getting a credit card — Application denied
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
I file this formal complaint against Bank of America , N.A . regarding systematic misconduct in the processing of my credit card application, including providing materially contradictory information, engaging in deceptive practices, and violating principles of good faith and fair dealing under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. 
CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS : On XX/XX/year> : Submitted online application for Bank of America XXXX XXXX XXXX credit card ( Application ID : XXXX ). Application status indicated " under review. '' On XX/XX/year>, I received a notice from the bank requesting that I unlock my credit report. I complied immediately and contacted the credit department by phone. A representative confirmed my credit report was unlocked and reviewed my application. She clearly stated that my application had been approved, with a credit limit of approximately {$2300.00}, and that the card would be sent via expedited mail. 
On XX/XX/year> : The card had not arrived. Upon checking the online application portal, I discovered the status was listed as " denied on XX/XX/XXXX. '' This directly contradicted the verbal approval I received on the same date. I immediately called the credit department for clarification. The agent I spoke with asserted that the application was not formally denied but was pending additional verification. I was instructed to await a request for documentation via postal mail and to return the requested information. 
On XX/XX/year> : I received the requested letter from Bank of America. In compliance with their instructions, I mailed the required documents ( including my SSA -89 and tax return ) to the provided address via USPS on the same day. 
On XX/XX/year>, I took the extra step of visiting a Bank of America branch in person to update my identity information. During this visit, my status was updated to reflect my XXXXXXXX XXXX. With the assistance of a banker, I also contacted the credit department to inform them that I had mistakenly entered an incorrect income amount on my application. The representative assured me that this discrepancy would not affect my application and was not a cause for concern. 
On XX/XX/year> : I contacted Bank of America to check the status of my supplemental documentation. I was informed the documents had not yet been received and was advised to allow ten ( 10 ) business days for processing. I was instructed to call back after that period. 
On XX/XX/year> : I called again, and a representative explicitly assured me that my application had not been denied and that the bank was simply awaiting my documents. I repeatedly asked if submitting the required documents would guarantee approval. The representative assured me that once BOA received the documents, my card would be issued without issue. 
On XX/XX/year> : I received an email stating that my application had been denied. This was a complete contradiction to the assurances I had been given just days prior. 
On XX/XX/year> : I called the credit department to address the contradiction between the XX/XX/XXXX promise and the XX/XX/XXXX denial email. A representative now provided a new and previously undisclosed reason for the rejection. They claimed that while my SSA document was acceptable, my tax return was " not valid '' because it was not a signed copy. I was instructed to submit a signed copy at a local branch. Despite the representative 's dismissive demeanor, I complied and submitted the requested document at a branch that same day. 
On XX/XX/year> : I received a formal adverse action letter from Bank of America, which was dated prior to my XX/XX/XXXX submission of the signed tax return. This indicates that the decision to deny my application had already been made, regardless of my efforts to comply with banks requests.

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