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: SUNCOAST CREDIT UNION
State: FL

Complaint narrative:
Member # XXXX I am writing to formally file a complaint against Suncoast Credit Union for what I believe to be discriminatory lending practices in violation of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act ( ECOA ), 15 U.S.C. 1691 et seq., and related regulations, including Regulation B ( 12 C.F.R. 1002 ). 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I submitted a personal loan application ( App # XXXX ) through Suncoast system. The application was initially pending approval until a Suncoast underwriter requested and reviewed XXXX  years of my income tax return. Prior to this, I had already uploaded my drivers license, at which point the underwriter could clearly observe that I am a XXXX man. Following this visual identification, the underwriters scrutiny of my application intensified in a way that strongly suggests discriminatory bias. 

Despite my documented XXXX annual income of {$150000.00} ( with {$110000.00} reflected post-business deductions, as standard under IRS rules ), the underwriter inaccurately concluded that my income was too low to proceed with final loan approval. For reference, the average salary in the XXXX of XXXX is approximately {$59000.00} to {$63000.00} according to the most recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. 

Additionally, the underwriter cited that my total balances on credit accounts were too high. This approach is contrary to standard underwriting procedures, which evaluate a borrowers debt-to-income ( DTI ) ratio using monthly obligations, not total outstanding balances. At the time of application, my DTI ratio was slightly above 20 %, a figure far below the industry-accepted range of 36 % to 43 %. The misapplication of total balances over monthly obligations points to either gross incompetence or intentional deviation from protocol with discriminatory motive. 

The income I have reported is significantly higher than the state average and surpasses the income levels of Suncoast borrowers whom I am personally associated with. Although their credit reports show active mortgage, student, and auto loan debts, my friends and family of other XXXX backgrounds received approval for Suncoast credit products regardless of their salaries, which ranged from {$60000.00} to {$80000.00}. I, on the other hand, with nearly double the income and far less monthly liability, was denied. This demonstrates disparate treatment and potentially systemic bias in XXXX underwriting process. 

After being denied the personal loan, I submitted a credit card application ( # XXXX ) also on XX/XX/XXXX, using the same credit inquiry. This request was for a modest {$500.00} limit, yet it too was inexplicably denied. For an applicant with high income, low DTI, and a strong repayment profile, the decision defies any legitimate risk assessment. It further reinforces the appearance of intentional discrimination based on race, prohibited under federal law. 

After the initial credit denial, I proactively reached out to the Suncoast XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX, to establish open communication about Suncoasts credit processes and my denied application. To date, I have received no reply or acknowledgment of my inquiry. This complete lack of response especially after my subsequent denial raises additional concerns that Suncoasts leadership is endorsing or willfully ignoring the discriminatory practices of its underwriting department. 

I am graduate level educated and Suncoasts failure to apply consistent and objective underwriting standards, combined with its refusal to respond to denial communication, reflects a pattern that can not be dismissed as procedural oversight. It is, by all reasonable interpretation, believed to be evidence of unlawful and discriminatory lending practices. I am uncomfortable with the underwriter 's idea of attempting to substantiate a credit denial based on total balances on my credit report.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation