Consumer complaint received 2025-12-08 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Trouble using your card — Credit card company won't increase or decrease your credit limit
Company: DISCOVER BANK
State: AZ

Complaint narrative:
I am complaining about Discovers handling of my credit limit and the accuracy of its adverse action notices for my Discover card ending in XXXX. 

I have held this account for approximately ten years. It was originally opened as a {$2000.00} cash-secured card and later converted to an unsecured card. Despite this long history and regular use, my credit limit has remained at {$2000.00} the entire time. 

I am a XXXX consumer on long-term disability income. Across my credit file I currently have approximately XXXX active accounts/tradelines, including this Discover card. Discovers own information has shown my score in the XXXX ( around XXXX ). I requested a credit limit increase and received a denial letter from Discover dated XX/XX/XXXX. The reasons listed were : 1. Balances on bankcard or revolving accts high compared to credit limits 2. The date that you opened your oldest account is too recent 3. Balance amount paid down on your open installment accounts is too low I understand that utilization and installment balances may affect decisions. My concern is with reason # 2. This Discover account is roughly a decade old and began as a secured card. It is one of my oldest tradelines among the XXXX accounts on my report. Describing my oldest account as too recent appears inaccurate or misleading and suggests a problem with either Discovers data or its automated reason-code system. 

In addition, keeping this account at the original {$2000.00} limit for roughly XXXX years has significantly reduced its real buying power. According to published Consumer Price Index data, prices in the U.S. increased by about 36.69 % between XXXX and XXXX, meaning that {$1.00} in XXXX has the same buying power as approximately {$1.00} in XXXX. A {$2000.00} limit set around XXXX would need to be about {$2700.00} in XXXX to maintain the same purchasing power. By leaving my limit at {$2000.00}, Discover has effectively reduced the real value of this line by roughly 27 %, even before considering any changes in my risk profile. 

Under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and Regulation B, creditors must provide specific and accurate reasons for adverse actions. In my case, Discover has : Kept a former secured-card customer at a starter-level {$2000.00} limit for about ten years while inflation substantially eroded the lines real value ; and Provided an adverse action reason ( oldest account too recent ) that does not match the actual age and history of the account, particularly in the context of a credit file with XXXX tradelines. 

As a XXXX customer on fixed income, I am concerned that this practice may contribute to a pattern where ex-secured or financially vulnerable consumers are kept in a permanent low-limit tier without meaningful review or accurate explanations.

I request that the CFPB : 1. Require Discover to manually review my account, using the correct account-opening date and full history, and provide a corrected, specific explanation for my current limit.

2. Require Discover to fix any data or automated logic that produces inaccurate reasons such as oldest account too recent for long-tenured customers.

3. Review whether Discovers treatment of former secured-card customers, particularly XXXX or fixed-income consumers, results in unfair, abusive, or discriminatory suppression of credit limits, including through long-term erosion of real buying power. 
4. Ensure Discover provides appropriate ADA accommodations in its review and communication process for XXXX customers. 

I am not especially concerned about this one small financial outcome for myself. My priority is the broader class of XXXX, ex-secured, and financially vulnerable customers who may be affected by the same algorithm and practices.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation