Consumer complaint received 2026-05-28 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: IL

Complaint narrative:
Subject : Formal Complaint Regarding American Express Adverse Actions, Credit Reporting Harm, and Cross-Account Account Restrictions To Whom It May Concern, I am submitting this complaint regarding what I believe to be excessive, harmful, and self-perpetuating adverse actions taken by American Express across both my personal and business accounts beginning in XXXX and continuing through XXXX. I am a long-time American Express customer with : * XXXX personal American Express credit cards * XXXX business American Express credit cards XXXX XXXX American Express business line of credit Throughout this period, I continued making payments on my accounts. While there were isolated occasions where payments may have been made a few days after the due date, I consistently made payments, maintained active accounts, and generally kept accounts current. Many accounts were also enrolled in automatic payments. Beginning around XX/XX/XXXX, American Express began taking aggressive actions across my business accounts despite the accounts remaining active and being paid. At the time : * My XXXX XXXX account carried a higher balance, but payments were continuously being made. * American Express began denying transactions on my XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, and XXXX XXXX accounts. * Shortly afterward, American Express began substantially reducing credit limits. Examples include : XXXX XXXX Card : * Credit limit reduced from {$33000.00} to {$6400.00} in XX/XX/XXXX * Balance at the time was approximately {$5900.00} XXXX XXXX XXXX : * Credit limit reduced from {$5000.00} to {$2100.00} in XX/XX/XXXX * Balance at the time was approximately {$1000.00} Both accounts were enrolled in automatic payments, and approximately {$200.00} per week was being paid toward these balances. These actions significantly increased my utilization ratios despite active repayment efforts. The adverse actions then spread to my business line of credit. Business Line of Credit : * Original limit : {$25000.00} * Balance at the time : {$0.00} On XX/XX/XXXX : * American Express reduced the line to {$4100.00} and increased the interest rate * The stated reason was : According to our records, your credit limit was recently reduced on XXXX or more of your American Express accounts. In XX/XX/XXXX : * Despite the line still having a {$0.00} balance, American Express further reduced the line to {$2000.00} using the same reasoning. This created a circular pattern in which American Express repeatedly justified new adverse actions based on prior reductions that it had already initiated. Additional concerning actions occurred on personal accounts. XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX : * This account was rarely used. * On the XX/XX/XXXX statement, the balance was approximately {$150.00}, primarily from the annual fee. * The account previously had a credit limit of approximately {$5700.00}. On XX/XX/XXXX : * American Express reduced the limit to {$1000.00}. The stated reasons included : * The balance on XXXX or more of your accounts is too high relative to their limit. * You have too many accounts with balances. As a result of reducing the limit below the existing balance, American Express effectively created an over-limit condition that later negatively impacted my credit profile and score. Similarly, my American Express XXXX XXXX, which historically did not have a preset spending limit, was assigned a spending limit of approximately {$2800.00} on XX/XX/XXXX while the balance was slightly above {$3000.00} despite ongoing payments being made. The stated reasons included : * The proportion of your American Express balances that you have paid in recent months is too low. * The balance on XXXX or more accounts is too high relative to their limit. * You have too many accounts with balances. Most concerning was what occurred in XX/XX/XXXX. I was briefly late on my personal XXXX card, which was an account I rarely used and had historically maintained in good standing. Shortly afterward, on XX/XX/XXXX, American Express suspended my business line of credit. The stated reason was : Your account ( XXXX ) with American Express is or was past due. At the same time : * My XXXX XXXX account was current * My business accounts were not seriously delinquent * American Express nevertheless began denying charges on business accounts that remained in good standing After I paid approximately {$110.00} toward the XXXX account, American Express restored the business line of credit on XX/XX/XXXX. This sequence strongly suggests that American Express was taking adverse action against business accounts based on temporary issues involving unrelated personal accounts. The cumulative effect of these actions has been devastating : * My credit score reportedly declined from approximately XXXX in XX/XX/XXXX to approximately XXXX * American Express reported accounts as over-limit after reducing limits below existing balances * My utilization ratios increased primarily because available credit was repeatedly reduced * My ability to obtain financing to responsibly consolidate and repay balances has been significantly impaired * These actions negatively impacted both my business operations and personal financial stability I

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation