Consumer complaint received 2025-09-14 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Fees or interest — Problem with fees
Company: NORTHWEST BANCSHARES INC
State: NY

Complaint narrative:
Subject : Formal Complaint - Fraud Department Error Destroyed My Credit Score - Dear Northwest Bank Office I am writing because your bank 's mistakes have severely damaged my credit score and your customer service has refused to help me. 

Last year, there was a fraudulent charge of {$100.00} on my account. Your fraud department handled it correctly at the time : you reversed the charge, closed the old account, and sent me a new credit card. 

However, your system made a critical error during this process. You did not transfer my automatic payment setting from the old account to the new one. 

When I logged into your mobile app, it showed me the history from my old account, including all my past automatic payments. Because of this, I had every reason to believe my new card was set up on auto-pay just like the old one. I trusted your system. 

While I was on a one-month vacation in XXXX, a payment was missed on the new account because your bank failed to set up the auto-pay. When I returned to XXXX, I was shocked to learn you had charged me a late fee and, even worse, had already reported the missed payment to the credit bureaus. This caused my credit score to fall by XXXX points. 

When I called to explain this was your error, the agent I spoke with could see the old account 's history but told me the new account was not set up for auto-pay. He refused to reverse the late fee or fix the credit reporting, essentially blaming me for your bank 's mistake in not transferring the auto-pay after you issued the new card. 

To make matters worse, your branch told me they had " sent a mail, '' which I did not receive because I was traveling. This is not a valid excuse for the error your fraud department made. 

Frustrated and seeing no other option, I asked to close the account. I was told I could not close it unless I paid the {$28.00} late fee that I did not owe. I felt I had no choice, so I paid it under pressure. Closing the account then caused my credit score to drop another XXXX points. 

In total, your bank 's error has cost me XXXX points on my credit score and {$28.00}. 

This is unacceptable. I am a victim of your bank 's internal failure. I should not be punished because your fraud department did not properly set up my new account after yours was compromised. 

I have attached a photo of my app showing the history of automatic payments from my old account as proof.

I demand that you immediately : 1. Refund the {$28.00} late fee I was forced to pay.

2. Contact all three credit bureaus to completely remove the late payment you reported.

3. Fix my credit report to show the account was closed in good standing by the customer.

4. Send me a letter confirming that all of this has been done.

I expect this to be resolved within 15 days. If it is not, I will have no choice but to file formal complaints with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ( CFPB ) and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency ( OCC ).

Sincerely,

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