Consumer complaint received 2025-11-27 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Improper use of your report — Reporting company used your report improperly
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: AL

Complaint narrative:
Synchrony Bank Improper Adverse Action, Use of Stale Credit Data, and Resulting Consumer Harm Subject : Improper credit line decrease, inaccurate adverse action notice, use of outdated credit data, and resulting financial harm. 

Summary of the Issue Synchrony Bank lowered the credit limit on my Sams Club Mastercard account using outdated and inaccurate credit information obtained from XXXX. Synchrony pulled my credit report again six days after the stated score date but still used the earlier, stale score to justify the limit decrease. The reasons listed in the adverse action notice do not match the actual credit data in my XXXX  report, resulting in misleading and non-compliant adverse action disclosures in violation of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act ( ECOA ) and the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ). 

This action created direct financial harm, including the need to close the account and potential negative downstream effects with other creditors. 

Details and Timeline XX/XX/XXXX Synchrony states they obtained a credit score from XXXX  dated XX/XX/XXXX. The adverse action notice shows my credit score as XXXX. 
( Source : Synchronys letter dated XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX, noting : Your credit score : XXXX. Date : XX/XX/XXXX. ) XXXX Statement MidXXXX XXXX Between XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX, I paid down approximately {$60000.00} in credit card balances, dramatically reducing my utilization to below 33 %. 

XX/XX/XXXX XXXX Account Review Inquiries section shows that Synchrony Bank/Sams Club Dual Card pulled my XXXX  credit report again on XX/XX/XXXX. 
( Source : XXXX  report, inquiries section. ) View Credit Report _ XXXX  XX/XX/XXXX Synchronys Adverse Action Notice Synchrony lowered my credit limit to {$290.00} despite my prior balance being {$290.00} at the time. 
The reasons Synchrony provided included : Too many revolving accounts with high balances Balances on bankcards are too high Too many bankcards with high balance compared to credit limit Ratio of non-real estate loan balances to real-estate secured loans is too high XXXX  Statement These reasons were no longer true based on my drastically improved credit utilization at the time of their second pull on XX/XX/XXXX. 
XX/XX/XXXX My XXXX  File My full credit report shows updated balances reflecting major payoffs across multiple accounts, contradicting the adverse action reasons provided by Synchrony. 
( Source : XXXX  Consumer Disclosure dated XX/XX/XXXX. ) View Credit Report _ XXXX  Why This is a Violation 1. Use of Stale or Incorrect Credit Information ( FCRA, 15 U.S.C. 1681e ( b ) ) Synchrony had access to updated credit data from XXXX  as of XX/XX/XXXX, but used a score dated XX/XX/XXXX instead. This means their adverse action was based on inaccurate, outdated information despite having more recent data available. 

Synchronys letter even states : While the date of the credit score may not be recent, your score has likely not changed significantly This is demonstrably false because my balances changed by tens of thousands of dollars. 

2. Inaccurate or Misleading Adverse Action Reasons ( ECOA Reg B 12 CFR 1002.9 ) Adverse action notices must accurately reflect the actual factors used in the creditors decision. 
The reasons Synchrony provided do not match my actual credit data from the corresponding time period. My balances and utilization had materially changed by the date of their most recent credit pull. 
This makes the adverse action notice non-compliant. 

3. Unfair or Deceptive Practice Resulting in Harm ( UDAAP ) Synchronys inaccurate CLD forced me to : Close the account immediately due to the unreasonable drop to a {$290.00} limit ( below my prior balance ). 
Suffer reputational damage with other creditors who view XXXX  as risk flags. 
Experience potential negative impacts from being forced to close a long-standing revolving account. 
These consequences constitute real financial harm, not hypothetical. 

4. Synchrony Pulled a More Recent Credit Report But Ignored It The XXXX  file clearly shows a Synchrony/Sams Club inquiry on XX/XX/XXXX. 
However, they still issued an adverse action using a score from six days earlier, despite major changes to my credit profile. 
This contradicts the requirement that adverse action decisions reflect the actual information used. 

What I Am Requesting I respectfully ask the CFPB to require Synchrony Bank to : Provide a corrected adverse action notice based on accurate, current information. 
Explain why

they used a 6-day-old score when they pulled a newer report. Investigate the compliance failure
involving inaccurate reason codes and stale data. 
Review for potential relief, including reversal of the credit line decrease or removal of negative behavioral flags affecting other lenders. 

Attachments/ Supporting Evidence - Synchrony Bank Adverse Action Letter ( XX/XX/XXXX ) - Showing stale score date ( XX/XX/XXXX ) and inaccurate reason codes. 

XXXX Statement XXXX  Report ( XX/XX/XXXX ) Showing Synchronys XX/XX/XXXX inquiry and updated, accurate balances contradicting Synchronys claims. 
View Credit Report _ XXXX  Screenshot of XXXX  Account Review Inquiries Showing Synchronys XX/XX/XXXX pull ( Sams Club Dual Card ). 

Closing Statement Synchrony made an adverse credit decision using outdated, inaccurate information even though they had obtained a more recent report. Their disclosures do not reflect my actual credit profile and have caused documented harm. I ask the CFPB to review this matter and require corrective action.

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