Consumer complaint received 2025-12-03 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a company's investigation into an existing problem — Was not notified of investigation status or results
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: KS

Complaint narrative:
Threats, Coercion, and Attempted Extortion for Credit-Pull Authorization by Citi Executive Response Unit XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XXXX On XX/XX/2025, at approximately XXXX XXXX, I received an email from Citis Executive Response Unit from a representative named XXXX ( Citi Reference Number : XXXX ). 

In this communication, I was told that Citi needed to perform an additional credit check in order to even attempt processing a credit line increase request. This was alarming because Citi had already conducted an unauthorized hard/soft credit inquiry on XX/XX/2025. My request was specifically for a manual review of my accountnot another automated credit pull. The XXXX inquiry should have been sufficient for any legitimate review, especially given that Citi has been pulling my credit every month without my consent. 

1. Coercive Pressure to Authorize Another Credit Pull During the exchange, XXXX attempted to pressure and coerce me into granting authorization for an additional credit check. She presented it as though I had no choice if I wanted any request for a credit line increase to even be considered. 

This was inappropriate because : Citi had already pulled my credit weeks earlier, and Citi repeatedly claims they automatically pull my credit every month for account review, meaning no additional consumer authorization should have been required. 

Her statements created the impression of extortion, essentially telling me : You must authorize another credit check right now, or nothing will proceed. 

This was delivered in a high-pressure, ultimatum-style manner. 

2. Threat That Filing CFPB Complaints Would Result in Account Termination During the same interaction, XXXX also implied that if I submitted any additional complaints to the CFPB, Citi could or would terminate my account. 

The statements were made in a way that made me feel : intimidated, manipulated, and pressured not to exercise my rights under federal law. 

The implication was clear : If I continued seeking regulatory help, I would be punished with account closure. 

This is deeply concerning and appears retaliatory. 

3. Retaliatory and Unfair Conduct Threatening a consumer with adverse actionsuch as account terminationbecause they file a regulator complaint or exercise their FCRA rights may constitute : Unfair or deceptive acts or practices ( UDAAP ) Retaliation Interference with a consumers right to seek regulatory assistance Misuse of authority by the Executive Response Unit Such conduct can have a chilling effect on consumers who are attempting to resolve legitimate disputes. 

4. Additional Context ( Pattern of Conduct ) This XX/XX/XXXX incident fits a larger, escalating pattern of misconduct by Citi, including : Recurring monthly credit pulls without my authorization or consent Refusal to stop these pulls even after I explicitly requested it Use of my credit information to deny increases, solicit other products, or for unrelated purposes Information being passed to or sold through data brokers And now, coercion and implicit threats to discourage me from contacting regulators This pattern raises serious concerns regarding Citis compliance with FCRA, UDAAP, consumer privacy standards, and ethical obligations.

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 non-monetary relief