Bank messing up my credit over payment confusion. What should I do?

Credit cards Forum
1

Hey everyone,

I’m losing it over this situation, and I’m hoping someone here can give me advice. I always pay my bills on time, and my credit was almost 800 until recently. Now Fifth Third Bank says I’m delinquent on a credit card, but everything looks fine on my end.

They’ve been saying this for over a year, but I’ve been making payments. I even went to the branch in October (despite being physically disabled) and was told it was all fixed. Now my credit score tanked to 531, and my other cards are dropping my limits.

Turns out a teller changed my auto-pay settings to pay the full balance instead of the minimum. Since I didn’t have enough in that account, it overdrafted twice. Every time I called about it, they said it was a clerical error. I only found out the real issue today. I’ve already made payments to cover it, but I’m scared about what happens next.

Any advice on how to fix my credit and get the bank to stop this madness? I’m really worried about my refinance plans.

Thanks in advance.

2

Have you checked your credit reports from Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian? They’ll show what’s being reported and might help you figure out what’s happening.

3

Try to gather all your statements going back to when this started. Compare them to your records and see if you can spot where the issue began. That’ll be key in fixing this.

4

Moses said:
Try to gather all your statements going back to when this started. Compare them to your records and see if you can spot where the issue began. That’ll be key in fixing this.

Thank you. :pray:

5

It sounds like the payments you made might not be hitting your credit card account. Double-check your statements. Are payments actually showing as received?

Also, how are you paying—through a bill pay service, the bank’s website, or another method? Sometimes payments get misapplied to a different account.

If visiting the branch is difficult, know that under ADA regulations, the bank has to make reasonable accommodations for you. You can file a complaint if they’re not helping. Also, ask the bank to trace the payments and see where they’ve been going. This could be a case of funds getting stuck in limbo somewhere.

6

@SarahAmos
If that’s the case, wouldn’t her statements show a balance getting worse, not that everything’s fine?

7

David said:
@SarahAmos
If that’s the case, wouldn’t her statements show a balance getting worse, not that everything’s fine?

I wonder if there’s a second account under her name—could be fraud or even a mistake.

8

@Dolph
Good point. But if she went to the branch and they said it was fixed, I’d think they’d catch that.

9

David said:
@Dolph
Good point. But if she went to the branch and they said it was fixed, I’d think they’d catch that.

I wouldn’t always trust the branch to get it right. Not every employee digs deep. I work at a bank and I’ve seen mistakes slip by.

10

David said:
@Dolph
Good point. But if she went to the branch and they said it was fixed, I’d think they’d catch that.

“Fixed it” could just mean they told her it was fixed to get her out the door.

11

Could it be identity theft? Maybe someone opened a second account in your name.

12

Graydon said:
Could it be identity theft? Maybe someone opened a second account in your name.

I’d pull your credit report ASAP. If there are strange accounts, that might explain it. You can check free at annualcreditreport.com.

13

@YukiJane
Definitely use annualcreditreport.com. It’s free and legit.

14

Dispute the delinquency with all three credit bureaus. This forces the bank to respond and might light a fire under them to fix it.

15

Try contacting the bank’s ombudsman or executive office. They handle things branch managers can’t. Sometimes reaching out to the CEO’s office directly gets results.

If nothing else works, consider filing a CFPB complaint.

16

This is why I don’t trust automatic payments. I set them to pay the minimum but still make manual payments for the full amount each month. This way, the auto-pay only kicks in if I forget.

17

File a complaint with the Comptroller of the Currency. Banks hate dealing with them.

18

Washington said:
File a complaint with the Comptroller of the Currency. Banks hate dealing with them.

Thank you for the link!