Consumer complaint received 2025-12-19 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a company's investigation into an existing problem — Investigation took more than 30 days
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: TX

Complaint narrative:
UPDATED CFPB COMPLAINT ( REVISED ) Complaint Against : American Express To the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, I am submitting a follow-up and expanded complaint regarding American Express for ongoing and unjustified reductions to my credit line, despite my account being in excellent standing and despite having already filed a prior complaint with no meaningful response or resolution.

I am an American Express cardholder with a long history of on-time, auto-drafted payments and responsible account management. I have never missed or been late on a payment. At the time of the initial adverse action, my account had a credit limit of {$12000.00} with a balance of approximately {$5700.00}, well within reasonable utilization.

After making a legitimate and necessary charge of approximately {$880.00} for a dental emergency, American Express notified me that my account was under review and abruptly reduced my credit limit to {$6000.00}. I previously filed a complaint regarding this action, as it was taken without adequate justification and caused immediate harm to my credit utilization ratio and credit score.

Since that filing and without any response, explanation, or resolution from American Express the situation has continued to deteriorate : My credit limit has been repeatedly reduced from {$6000.00} to {$5800.00}, while my balance remains approximately {$5700.00}, effectively placing my account at or near maxed-out utilization through no action of my own.

My cash advance limit, which had previously been {$1000.00}, has now been reduced to {$25.00}, again without explanation, notice, or any history of misuse.

These actions have dramatically distorted my credit utilization ratios and caused further credit damage, despite my continued perfect payment history.

At no point have I engaged in risky financial behavior, excessive spending, missed payments, or any conduct that would reasonably justify these ongoing reductions. Instead, American Express appears to be actively shrinking my available credit to match my existing balance, a practice that artificially inflates utilization and penalizes responsible cardholders for using credit exactly as intended.

These continued reductions especially after the filing of a CFPB complaint raise serious concerns about automated, algorithmic credit suppression practices that function as de facto penalties rather than legitimate risk management. This pattern effectively traps consumers by reducing limits around existing balances, making it impossible to restore healthy utilization ratios even with responsible behavior.

Equally concerning, American Express has failed to meaningfully respond to my original CFPB complaint, while continuing to take actions that worsen the harm.

I respectfully request that the CFPB : 1. Investigate American Expresss ongoing and repeated credit line reductions on my account.

2. Require American Express to provide a clear, specific, and documented justification for each reduction.

3. Require American Express to cease further unilateral reductions absent demonstrable risk.

4. Require restoration of my prior credit limits or other corrective action to mitigate the credit damage caused.

5. Review whether these practices constitute unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices ( UDAAP ), particularly as they relate to automated risk algorithms and post-complaint conduct.

American Expresss actions have caused unnecessary financial harm, credit damage, and distress, despite my continued responsible use and flawless payment history. I am seeking regulatory review and intervention because normal customer service and prior complaint channels have failed.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation