Consumer complaint received 2026-05-20 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Getting a credit card — Application denied
Company: NAVY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION
State: DC

Complaint narrative:
I am submitting this complaint against Navy Federal Credit Union regarding its decision to deny and restrict my access to multiple financial products and services while failing to provide a clear, adequate, or legally meaningful explanation for those decisions. Currently, Navy Federal Credit Union permits me to maintain only basic checking and savings accounts. However, I have been denied access to additional financial services and products offered by the institution. When I sought clarification regarding these denials and restrictions, I was not provided with a substantive explanation or any meaningful information identifying the basis for the institutions actions. Despite multiple attempts to obtain clarification, Navy Federal Credit Union failed to explain : The specific reasons I was categorized as a high-risk consumer or otherwise deemed ineligible for services ; What criteria or standards were used to make these determinations ; Whether consumer reporting agencies, fraud databases, or third-party screening systems were utilized ; Whether inaccurate, outdated, or incomplete information contributed to the decision ; Whether the determination was based upon internal policies, automated systems, or discretionary judgment ; What corrective steps, if any, I could take to restore eligibility for services. The institutions refusal to provide transparency concerning these adverse determinations raises significant concerns regarding fairness, accountability, and compliance with federal consumer protection obligations. I fully understand that financial institutions maintain the authority to assess consumer risk and make underwriting or eligibility determinations. However, consumers are also entitled to fair treatment, transparency, and consistent standards especially when adverse decisions materially impact access to financial products and opportunities. What is particularly concerning in this matter is that I have actively worked to improve my financial standing and responsibly manage my accounts despite experiencing financial hardship in the past. Rather than receiving individualized consideration based upon my current financial profile and banking conduct, I appear to have been broadly categorized and restricted without explanation, without transparency, and without any meaningful opportunity to address the institutions concerns. As an XXXX American consumer, I can not ignore the serious concern that implicit bias, discriminatory profiling, or disparate treatment may have contributed to the institutions handling of my accounts and eligibility for services. While I do not currently possess access to Navy Federal Credit Unions internal decision-making criteria, the institutions refusal to provide any meaningful explanation creates a lack of transparency that reasonably raises concerns regarding whether similarly situated consumers are being treated consistently and fairly. The absence of transparency is especially troubling because broad high-risk determinations can carry significant financial consequences and may unfairly stigmatize consumers without accountability or proper explanation. Financial institutions should not be permitted to impose broad restrictions on consumers while withholding the reasoning necessary for those consumers to understand, verify, or challenge the decisions being made against them. I made good-faith efforts to resolve this matter directly with Navy Federal Credit Union before filing this complaint. Unfortunately, those efforts were unsuccessful, as the institution failed to provide sufficient information that would allow me to determine whether these adverse decisions were based on legitimate and accurate information, internal error, unfair profiling, or potentially discriminatory practices. These actions have negatively impacted my ability to access financial tools and opportunities important for financial growth, credit advancement, and economic stability. Furthermore, the institutions refusal to provide meaningful explanations obstructs my ability to protect myself against potentially inaccurate or improperly interpreted information. Accordingly, I respectfully request that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau investigate this matter and require Navy Federal Credit Union to : Provide a complete written explanation identifying the precise basis for all adverse determinations and service restrictions imposed against me ; Identify all consumer reporting agencies, fraud prevention systems, internal scoring models, automated decision-making systems, and third-party databases utilized in evaluating my eligibility for services ; Provide copies of all adverse action notices, reports, records, internal determinations, and information relied upon in making these decisions ; Investigate whether inaccurate, incomplete, outdated, or improperly interpreted information contributed to the adverse determinations made against me ; Determine whether Navy Federal Credit Union complied with all applicable federal consumer protection laws and regulations concerning adverse action disclosures, transparency obligations, fair lending principles, and equal treatment standards ; Investigate whether discriminatory profiling, disparate treatment, or implicit bias contributed to the institutions handling of my accounts and eligibility for services. Consumers deserve transparency, accountability, and equal treatment from financial institutions, particularly when decisions substantially affect access to financial services and opportunities. I respectfully request a thorough investigation into this matter and any corrective action deemed appropriate. Sincerely, XXXX XXXX

Company public response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief