Consumer complaint received 2025-07-23 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Getting a credit card — Application denied
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: FL

Complaint narrative:
XX/XX/year> Consumer Financial Protection Bureau XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX Subject : Complaint Against Synchrony Ban

k Regarding Verizon Visa Card Application Denials - `` High Risk Source of Application '' Dear Consumer Financial Protection Bureau , I am writing to file a formal complaint against Synchrony Bank , the issuer of the Verizon Visa Card , regarding persistent and unresolvable denials for a credit card application. My initial application was denied with the reason stated as " High risk source of application. '' Since then, I have applied an additional four times, and all subsequent applications have been denied due to " Prior application submitted too recently. '' Even though I have called in numerous times to find out how long the reapply time is and what triggered the, " High risk source of application '' alert, I have been consistently meet with we don't know or my personal assumption, " were just not going to tell you ''. The core of my complaint lies with the initial " High risk source of application '' denial, which appears to be a pre-screening flag preventing my application from even reaching a creditworthiness assessment.
To illustrate after reporting the issue directly to XXXX, I even followed XXXX XXXX advice to apply in person at a XXXX store, providing my identification. This was done because I thought that a fraud alert requiring additional ID verification on my credit report potentially may have caused this. Even this in-store application resulted in the same " Application submitted too recently '' denial, and notably, no credit pull was ever performed on my credit report, despite a Synchrony bank representative telling me she could see in the system my credit was pulled and the reason for the most current denial. This strongly indicates the issue is not related to my credit history or score, but rather an internal flag within Synchrony Bank 's system. 

I have repeatedly contacted the Verizon Visa department at Synchrony Bank to understand what triggered the " High risk source of application '' error. Despite my persistent inquiries, representatives have consistently stated they can not disclose the specific reason for this flag or offer any actionable guidance on how to resolve it. Furthermore, when asking about a suitable timeframe to reapply to avoid the " Prior application submitted too recently '' denial, I was informed that they are " required to tell everyone to go ahead and apply no matter what, '' which is contradictory and unhelpful given the repeated denials for applying too frequently. I listen to this advice for applications 2 and 3.

This situation has created an insurmountable barrier to applying for the Verizon Visa Card. That I am left to assume can only be derogatory and discriminatory in nature as it lacks any justifiable reasoning or corrective action. Synchrony Bank has denied my applications based on an internal " high risk '' flag, yet they refuse to explain the nature of this flag or provide any steps I can take to clear it. This leaves me in a perpetual cycle of denial without any path to resolution, despite being a legitimate applicant attempting to follow their processes with a credit score well over XXXX XXXX XXXX  XXXX, as of today. 

I request the CFPB 's assistance in compelling Synchrony Bank to : Provide a clear and specific explanation for the " High risk source of application '' flag on my profile.

Offer concrete, actionable steps I can take to resolve or clear this " high risk '' designation.

Provide clear guidance on a reasonable timeframe for reapplication once the " high risk '' flag is addressed, without triggering further " Prior application submitted too recently '' denials.

Ensure I have a clear, unobstructed path to apply for there publicly offered credit products and be judged by my creditworthiness fairly.

Thank you for your time and consideration of this matter. I look forward to your assistance in resolving this issue.

Sincerely, XXXX XXXX XXXX

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