Consumer complaint received 2025-05-24 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Closing your account — Company closed your account
Company: BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO
State: VA

Complaint narrative:
During the federally declared disasters in XXXX XXXX Hurricanes Irma and Maria ( XXXX XXXX ), the XXXX  earthquakes, and the XXXX national emergencyI requested accommodations and relief from Banco Popular de Puerto Rico ( BPPR ), as permitted and required under multiple federal and local statutes. Despite my location in an affected disaster zone and the well-documented infrastructure collapse, Banco Popular failed to offer meaningful relief or deferment options, and ultimately reported derogatory information about my credit card to credit reporting agencies during a period protected by federal law.

Rather than complying with the required consumer protections, Banco Popular escalated the matter to a third-party debt collector, even though I had explicitly informed them not to contact me through third parties. This collection agency proceeded to contact me repeatedly. Under pressure and in a state of distress, I ultimately paid the alleged debt directly to this third party, not to Banco Popular. This occurred despite my initial dispute and request for validation and relief under disaster and consumer protection laws.

Most recently, I contacted Banco Popular to request details about the account in question, including my full account number and payment history. I was transferred to three separate departments, none of which provided the requested information. At the end of the day, I was only given the last three digits of the account number, denying me the full details of my own financial recordsrecords that they reported to credit bureaus and used to justify derogatory credit actions.

Banco Populars actions violated the following laws and regulations : Federal and Local Legal Violations 1. Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ), 15 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.

Banco Popular reported inaccurate, incomplete, and misleading information to credit bureaus.

They failed to fully verify the accuracy of the information after I disputed it.

They did not correct or delete the data even after the debt was paid.

2. Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ( FDCPA ), 15 U.S.C. 1692 et seq.

Although BPPR may not be a debt collector under FDCPA, they enabled third-party collection activity.

The third-party collector contacted me despite a no-contact request, which violates my consumer rights under 805 ( c ).

3. CARES Act ( 4021 ) and federal disaster relief provisions Prohibited reporting accounts as delinquent if payments were in forbearance or relief was requested.

BPPR failed to extend forbearance or pause derogatory reporting during the declared COVID-19 emergency and prior hurricanes.

4. Equal Credit Opportunity Act ( ECOA ), 15 U.S.C. 1691 Discriminated against disaster victims by not offering equal access to disaster accommodations.

5. FDIC, OCC, and FFIEC Interagency Guidance Strongly encouraged institutions to provide fee waivers, forbearance, and disaster-specific relief.

BPPR failed to implement or communicate any emergency relief consistent with this guidance. 
XXXX. Governor of XXXX XXXX XXXX Orders under XXXX ( XXXX ) Required banks to provide flexibility and avoid punitive actions during natural disasters. 
7. Puerto Rico Civil Code Duty of Good Faith and Transparency Banco Popular failed to provide full account documentation and obstructed access to critical financial information.

Summary of Harm and Requested Relief Banco Populars actions have caused serious and lasting harm to my credit profile, well-being, and financial integrity during a time of federally recognized hardship. They reported a disaster-related debt negatively, referred it to outside collection without consent, and then refused to provide me with basic information about my own account.

I respectfully request the immediate and permanent deletion of all derogatory information related to this account from all credit reporting agencies. Additionally, I request a written explanation and a full copy of the account history, including the original account number, transaction history, and documentation of the transfer to the third-party collector.

Failure to comply with these reasonable requests will leave me no option but to pursue further remedies through federal regulatory agencies, the Puerto Rico Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions, and other legal channels.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation