Consumer complaint received 2026-03-25 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems — Other problem
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: PA

Complaint narrative:
I have a Bank of America credit card ( account ending in XXXX ) with an established credit limit of {$29000.00}. I never opted in to over-limit transaction authorization as required under the Credit CARD Act ( Regulation Z 1026.56 ). Despite this, over a four-week period in XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX, Bank of America authorized approximately {$54000.00} in charges, exceeding my credit limit by approximately {$25000.00}. All of the over-limit charges were transactions with XXXX XXXX XXXX, an online " sweepstakes casino '' operated by XXXX XXXX, a XXXX XXXX company. XXXX XXXX XXXX is currently the subject of class action lawsuits alleging it constitutes illegal gambling, and multiple state attorneys general including XXXX XXXX and XXXX have declared the sweepstakes casino model to be illegal gambling disguised behind a dual-currency system. XXXX XXXX has been specifically named as a defendant in an XXXX class action filed in XX/XX/XXXX. I have been a cardholder for XXXX years and barely used this card outside of the gambling transactions. My typical monthly spending was minimal or unused. The dramatic change in spending pattern repeated, high-frequency charges to a single online gambling platform, all above my credit limit should have triggered the bank 's fraud detection and risk monitoring systems. The fact that the merchant operates in XXXX of the highest-risk categories for consumer financial harm, and is the subject of active legal challenges nationwide, makes the bank 's failure to flag these transactions even more troubling. While I understand that under XXXX ( j ) a card issuer may authorize over-limit transactions at its discretion even without consumer opt-in, the bank 's decision to authorize {$25000.00} in over-limit charges constituted a de facto extension of credit without the ability-to-pay assessment required under XXXX. The bank effectively granted a {$25000.00} credit line increase nearly doubling my limit without performing any income or debt-to-income verification, and directed that additional credit toward a legally questionable gambling platform while I was in a state of compulsive financial distress. I sent a formal dispute letter on XX/XX/XXXX and a follow-up letter on XX/XX/XXXX. The bank has offered a payment plan on the full {$54000.00} balance but has refused to reduce the amount owed in any way. Interest and late charges continue to accrue. I am requesting that Bank of America waive the {$25000.00} in over-limit charges, refund all interest and fees attributable to the over-limit portion of the balance, correct any negative credit bureau reporting caused by the inflated balance, and offer a hardship interest rate on the remaining balance. This dispute concerns specifically the {$25000.00} in charges that were authorized beyond my established credit limit. I am seeking relief from charges the bank chose to authorize to a platform facing nationwide legal challenges as an illegal gambling operation without my authorization for over-limit transactions and without following the legal requirements for extending additional credit. I am filing parallel complaints with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the XXXX Attorney General.

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