Consumer complaint received 2026-04-10 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems — Other problem
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: LA

Complaint narrative:
CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU COMPLAINT AGAINST AMERICAN EXPRESS Filed : XX/XX/2026 Related Complaints : XXXX ( filed XX/XX/2026 ) ; Addendum filed XX/XX/2026 Company : American Express National Bank XXXX XXXX Blue Cash Preferred ( XXXX ) ; American Express XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ) -- - I am filing this third complaint to document specific federal statutory violations by American Express XXXX have come into sharper focus as I have reviewed the full record of their communications. Specifically, American Express has violated the Equal Credit Opportunity Act ( ECOA ) as implemented by Regulation B, and the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ), in connection with adverse actions taken against my accounts beginning XX/XX/2026. -- - I. THE XX/XX/2026 EMAIL IS NOT AN ECOA-COMPLIANT ADVERSE ACTION NOTICE On XX/XX/2026, American Express XXXX XXXX an email with the subject line : " Make a payment now to avoid a reduction details inside. '' This email stated that my account was under review for a possible credit limit reduction, and that the review was based on and I quote directly " your payment history, including payments made in relation to your current debt with American Express, as well as your credit scores and other credit bureau information. '' This language does not satisfy the requirements of XXXX and XXXX XXXX. Specifically : XXXX. Regulation B requires that adverse action notices disclose the specific principal reasons for the action taken. Regulators have explicitly identified statements citing " internal standards, '' " credit scores, '' or vague references to " credit bureau XXXX '' as insufficient. American Express 's notice does none of what the law requires it references categories of information without identifying a single specific factor. XXXX. The FCRA, XXXX XXXX, requires that when a creditor takes adverse action based in whole or in part on information obtained from a consumer reporting agency, the creditor must disclose : ( a ) the name, address, and telephone number of the consumer reporting agency that furnished the report; and ( b ) the key factors that adversely affected the consumer 's XXXX XXXX. American Express explicitly cited " credit scores and other credit bureau XXXX '' as a basis for this action, yet disclosed neither the identity of the reporting agency nor the specific factors affecting my score. This is a clear violation of FCRA XXXX XXXX. -- - XXXX. THE PAYMENT DEMAND STRUCTURE IS COERCIVE AND INCONSISTENT WITH A LEGITIMATE REVIEW PROCESS The XX/XX/XXXX email did not merely notify me of a pending review. It conditioned the continued functionality of my account on a payment of {$2900.00} by XX/XX/2026 a three-day window. At the time this demand was made : - My account was current with no missed payments - My minimum payment of {$230.00} was not due until XX/XX/2026 - My utilization was approximately 40 % - I had not defaulted on or violated any term of my cardmember agreement The email stated : " We won't take the action stated above if you make a payment of {$2900.00} by XX/XX/2026. '' This is not a credit review. This is a payment extraction mechanism applied to a current account under the cover of a review process. A legitimate adverse action process does not offer to cancel its own findings in exchange for an immediate large cash payment. XXXX XXXX XXXX. AMERICAN EXPRESS CAN NOT CLAIM INCOME VERIFICATION AS THE BASIS FOR THIS ACTION The full email record demonstrates that income verification was never legitimately connected to this review : - XX/XX/2026 : American Express sent a generic, mass-marketing email to my Gold Card account ( XXXX ) asking me to " confirm your income '' annually for potential credit limit increases. This email contained no reference to any review, no urgency, and no connection to account status. It is a standard promotional template. - XX/XX/2026 : The adverse action email makes XXXX mention of income verification. The stated bases are payment history and credit bureau XXXX exclusively. - XX/XX/2026 : American Express sent another generic income update marketing email this time to my XXXX XXXX XXXX account ( XXXX ) using the identical promotional template language. This email was sent after my account had already been functionally restricted for over XXXX weeks, and after I had filed a federal CFPB complaint on XX/XX/2026. These XXXX emails, taken together, establish that income verification was never part of this review process. The XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX emails are standard mass-marketing communications disconnected from any specific account action. The XX/XX/XXXX adverse action email does not mention income at all. American Express can not retroactively reframe this action as an income verification issue when their own written record contradicts that characterization entirely. Furthermore, directing a consumer to a message center to optionally submit income information after an account has already been restricted, after a CFPB complaint has been filed, and using a generic marketing template does not constitute an adverse action notice or a legitimate opportunity to respond before adverse action is taken. -- - XXXX. THE FUNCTIONAL RESTRICTION THAT BEGAN XX/XX/XXXX RECEIVED NO ADEQUATE NOTICE AT ALL On XX/XX/2026, before any formal adverse action notice was issued : - My card was declined at a point-of-sale transaction at XXXX- An XXXX XXXX XXXX {$1200.00} using Membership Rewards points was declined and canceled - My Membership Rewards redemption functionality was silently restricted The XX/XX/XXXX email referenced only a possible future credit limit reduction. It did not disclose that charging privileges would be suspended immediately or that Membership Rewards access would be restricted. The phrase " temporary disruptions to your spending '' does not constitute adequate disclosure of an immediate, functional account suspension. No separate notice was ever issued for the Membership Rewards restriction. -- - V. ADDITIONAL ADVERSE ACTIONS TAKEN XX/XX/2026 ALSO FAIL THE SPECIFICITY REQUIREMENT On XX/XX/2026, American Express formally reduced the credit limit on the Blue Cash Preferred ( XXXX ) to {$12000.00} and assigned a XXXX XXXX XXXX of {$1300.00} to the Gold Card ( XXXX ). The notices for both actions stated only that the decisions followed " a recent review '' and directed me to the message center for reasons. Neither notice identified specific principal reasons as required by Regulation B. Neither disclosed whether a consumer report was used or identified the reporting agency and adverse score factors as required by FCRA Section XXXX. XXXX XXXX VI. CUMULATIVE HARM As a direct result of these actions on a current, non-delinquent account : - My Blue Cash Preferred utilization increased from approximately 40 % to approximately 97 % overnight due to the XX/XX/XXXX limit reduction a manufactured XXXX XXXX harm caused entirely by American Express 's action, not by any change in my financial behavior- I lost access to charging privileges and earned rewards benefits for approximately XXXX weeks with no lawful disclosure of the reason- I lost a high-value transaction of {$1200.00} due to undisclosed rewards restrictions- I have received no communication that satisfies the specific notice requirements of XXXX, Regulation B, or FCRA XXXX XXXX at any point during this process -- - REQUESTED RELIEF XXXX. A determination that American Express violated XXXX XXXX by failing to provide specific principal reasons for adverse action on both the XX/XX/XXXX functional restriction and the XX/XX/XXXX formal limit reductions XXXX. A determination that American Express violated FCRA XXXX XXXX by failing to disclose the consumer reporting agency used and the specific score factors underlying these actions XXXX. Restoration of account functionality and credit limits to their pre-review status pending a lawful review process conducted with proper notice XXXX. A goodwill correction request to all three major credit bureaus to remediate the utilization spike caused by the manufactured limit reduction XXXX. Proper accounting and restoration of Membership Rewards benefits affected by the undisclosed restriction XXXX. XXXX that no negative credit reporting will result from this action while the account remains current My account has been current at every point during this period. I have not missed a payment, violated any term of my agreement, or been provided with a single communication that meets the legal standard for adverse action notice under federal law.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation