Consumer complaint received 2026-07-19 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems — Problem with customer service
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: FL

Complaint narrative:
Formal CFPB Dispute Narrative To : Wells Fargo Bank , N.A . XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX RE : Willful FCRA Violation, Deceptive Trade Practices, and Failure to Verify Consumer Authorization XXXX. Statement of Facts & Material Omissions On XX/XX/year>, I submitted a digital request for a routine Credit Limit Increase ( CLI ) on my Wells Fargo credit card account ending in XXXX. The Wells Fargo app/user interface, application flow, and submission screens completely lacked any clear and conspicuous disclosure stating that this action would trigger a hard inquiry on my credit profile. A decade-long course of dealing across multiple financial institutions, including prior actions with Wells Fargo , established a clear baseline that routine credit limit increases are evaluated via soft inquiries unless explicit, affirmative consent for a hard pull is requested and granted. I never granted such consent. XXXX. Failed Internal Investigation & Refusal to Produce Documentation Upon identifying the unauthorized hard inquiry on my credit file, I immediately contacted Wells Fargo and exhausted your internal escalation chain of command. Representatives from Wells Fargo issued a final determination claiming that I " authorized '' the hard pull. I explicitly requested that Wells Fargo provide the specific terms and conditions authorizing this hard credit pull, along with the precise documentation or digital audit logs proving my authorization for this credit limit increase. Wells Fargo has completely failed to provide it. XXXX. Legal and Regulatory Deficiencies A financial institution can not legally claim a " permissible purpose '' under the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ), 15 U.S.C. 1681b, based on an unverified, unsubstantiated assertion of digital consent. Maintaining that an authorization exists while refusing or failing to produce the documentary evidence upon a formal consumer request demonstrates a facially unreasonable investigation and constitutes a willful violation of federal law. XXXX. Clear Demand & Notice of Intent to Litigate If Wells Fargo possesses a legally binding, clear, and conspicuous disclosure that I signed or checked on XX/XX/year>, you are required to produce it in response to this complaint. If Wells Fargo can not or will not produce the definitive digital XXXX XXXX proving explicit consent within fifteen ( XXXX ) business days, I demand that your corporate office issue an immediate electronic deletion code to Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion to scrub this unauthorized inquiry from my consumer credit files. Please accept this complaint as formal notice that if this unauthorized inquiry is not removed promptly, I will bypass further administrative bureaucracy and move this matter directly to formal civil litigation. I will pursue full actual damages, statutory and punitive damages for willful non-compliance under 15 U.S.C. 1681n, and all available attorney 's fees. Consider this your final opportunity to cure this violation.

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