Consumer complaint received 2025-06-11 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Incorrect information on your report — Account status incorrect
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: TX

Complaint narrative:
In XXXX XXXX XXXX, I was affected by the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX which XXXX XXXX identified as a Natural Disaster. 

I requested assistance from Citi, I was offered a lower interest rate, and a {$99.00} month payment, but only if I agreed to close my account. 

This was concerning to me because Citi elected to close my account in XXXX XXXX XXXX, and failed to offer a settlement or a decrease of my interest rate. 

During this conversation, I was informed that owed {$190.00}, so I wanted to know if I needed to pay that amount in addition to the {$99.00} to not get reported as late to the credit bureaus again. The agent refused to provide me with a clear answer. 

I called back spoke with someone else, who kind and forthcoming and stated that I needed to make an additional payment or I would be reported late. I made that payment the same day. 

Here are the agents and notes I took on XX/XX/XXXX in order to pay the right amount of money to avoid adverse credit reporting : XX/XX/XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX no longer amount due minimum due {$11.00} minimum due {$99.00} Citi {$380.00} {$180.00} pay today Conf XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX I received a letter from a Citi XXXX, ( attached ), stating that I did not receive deceptive information, nor was I discriminated against, but I did not receive a letter about the terms and conditions of the new agreement. But, this was not true, even the additional {$99.00} payment could have resulted in negative credit reporting that XXXX advised me to pay. 

Directly after I received this letter, I began receiving harassing phone calls from Citi late at night on a daily basis in violation of Fair Debt Collections Practices Act. 

I filed with a harassment complaint via XXXX XXXX XXXX website in XXXX XXXX XXXX, and the calls stopped. 

In XXXX XXXX XXXX I requested a due date change for around the XXXX of the month with all of my creditors, including Citi, because my pay date changed ; unfortunately, the due date change never occurred, nor did I receive a letter regarding the request. XXXX was the Citi representative I spoke to. All of my other creditors changed my due date with no problem. 

XX/XX/XXXX Citi : Waiver for National Disaster Applied : No Due Date Change XXXX of the month Citi will me with in Contact XXXX business days XXXX XXXX XXXX Communication Only In XXXX of XXXX, my father was diagnosed with a terminal illness, so I was not my normal self. I was caring for him and going to the hospital often. 

Citi normally sends monthly statements to me via email because I am signed up for electronic communication with Citi Bank via the XXXX XXXX. 

Unfortunately, Citi failed to send any emails stating that I missed a payment, but I did receive an alert from my credit watch service stating a negative entry on my credit report had been made. 

I contacted a Citi XXXX on or around XXXX XXXX XXXX  and she validated that I was signed up for electronic communication, and confirmed that no late payment notice was emailed prior to any missed payments. She also stated that she did not know why, and it was indeed a bank error, as they are required to send notices via the means of communication the accounted holder has signed up for, and normally receives their notices, and a correction should be made immediately. 

Unfortunately, Citi has never changed my due date, nor did sent late notice to my email about a missed payment, but for the third time reported me to the credit bureaus. Nor have the late pays been removed as of today, XX/XX/XXXXXXXX 

I have always maintained a XXXX XXXX  score or higher majority of my life and prior to XXXX. At age XXXX, Citi has dropped my credit score a total of XXXX or more points. I now have a XXXX credit score, which will remain until I am XXXX  years of age, unless Citi is held accountable. 

This forced me to do research regarding all consumer protection laws, upon completion I realized that Citi had violated the Covid Cares Act, FCRA, ECOA, E-Sign Act, and the FDPCA.

COVID CARES ACT : The CARES Act, which was signed into law on XX/XX/XXXX, Act amended the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ) to stop adverse credit reporting during the XXXX crisisbut only under specific circumstances. ( 15 U.S.C. 1681s-2 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( F ). ) If you made an agreement for payment relief before you fell behind, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security ( CARES ) Act required the creditor to report your account as current on your credit reports. 

Specifically, the creditor had to continue to report your debt as current if you were up to date on the debt when the creditor agreed to : * let you defer XXXX or more payments * let you make a partial payment * forbear any delinquent amounts * modify a loan or contract, or * give you any other assistance or relief. 

The law defined " covered period '' as the period starting XX/XX/XXXX, until the later of 120 days after the enactment of the CARES Act or 120 days after the end of the national state of emergency declaration. The XXXX national emergency declaration ended XX/XX/XXXX. So, these credit limitations and protections under the XXXX XXXX expired on XXXX XXXX XXXX 

While the credit reporting requirements and limitations discussed in the article below have expired, if a creditor violated this law during the effective period and damaged your credit, you can file a dispute with the credit reporting bureau, and you might have cause for a lawsuit against the creditor. 

In XXXX XXXX XXXX, I was current and provided a Forbearance by Citi ( letter attached ), but Citi Cards violated The COVID Cares Act Laws during the effective period and damaged my credit in XX/XX/XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. 

I was financially struggling, but had found employment, and paid on time from the time during the forbearance period. 

I fell behind because my new job did not provide a paycheck for 60 days, I am in education. I informed Citi and still made payments every month, and even XXXX payments in XXXX XXXX XXXX, but unbeknownst to me Citi raised my interest rate in XXXX XXXX XXXX when interest rates were at their lowest ( image attached ), and reported me late in XXXX XXXX XXXX in violation of its own 60 day credit reporting policy, and dropped my credit score by XXXX points ( image attached ). 

After the dual payments, I requested a due date change in XXXX XXXX XXXX  to align with my new pay periods, and Citi reported me late again to all the CRAs in XXXX XXXX XXXX ( This is all happening during the effective Period of the XXXX XXXX ). 

Citi was not done with me, because in XXXX XXXX XXXX, Citi closed my account, which lowered my credit score AGAIN. 

Citi didnt bother to offer me a settlement nor did they lower my interest rates, Citi kept my interest rate the same for XXXX in a half years until XX/XX/XXXXXXXX XXXX 

Citi is aware that closing a consumers account will negatively affect their credit score because closing the account will lower the amount of available credit a person has and this will increase the percentage of available credit the consumer is using. 

Additional Violations : XXXX XXXX : In retaliation for exercising my right not to receive phone calls in XXXX XXXX XXXX, Citi choose to also violate the XXXX  Act for failing to email me a late and/or delinquency notice as per my electronic disclosures agreement. I stopped getting paper statements in XXXX, and my disclosures are sent to me monthly. Banks must adhere to XXXX XXXX requirements, including providing adequate disclosures and obtaining proper consent for electronic communication. 

FCRA : The FCRA, as implemented by Regulation V, imposes certain requirements on entities that furnish information about consumers to consumer reporting agencies ( CRAs ). Failing to provide notice via electronic means, then reporting information is a violation of accurate credit reporting. 

XXXX : The XXXX, as implemented by Regulation B, generally prohibits discrimination in any aspect of a credit transaction, including furnishing credit information, and contains certain specific requirements for creditors who furnish credit information. 

XXXX : causing telephone to ring or engaging any person in telephone conversation repeatedly or continuously with intent to annoy, abuse, or harass any person at the called In the past XXXX years, since XXXX, Citi has provided me with less-favorable financial products, including credit and charge card terms that were inferior, imposed stricter credit cutoffs, failed to adhere to The Covid Cares FCRA Act by reporting adverse information to my credit reports during the effective period twice, and cancelling my card when I was gainfully paying and communicating every step of the way regarding what I could pay, and even paying duplicate payments in XXXX of XXXX, after they illegally raised my interest rate during when interest rates were the lowest in history. Citi also had differentand worsecustomer and account management services, and collections practices when managing my account. Citi then closed my account and increased and kept my interest rate at 29.99 % during the height of XXXX, and kept it at the rate until XXXX of XXXX. 

In addition Citi Bank never offered, before or after cancellation, any form of debt forgiveness, while I was paying, and while I am still paying the full debt on a monthly basis. 

And, after an almost XXXX year relationship with Citi, who earned XXXX % interest on all my purchases, and on average around {$60.00} per month for its XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ; One would think that they would have some level of integrity and empathy. 

It really takes a depraved, inhumane, immoral person to do these types of malicious actions because an XXXX woman stated that she felt discriminated against on a phone call during a very difficult time that affected the whole world. 

The retaliation worked very well. They should pat themselves on the back. I will be XXXX before I can improve my credit if Citi is not forced to adhere to the law. 

XXXX. Reopen my credit card. 

Thank you for investigating and implementing compliance on this matter. 

Sincerely, 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 non-monetary relief