B of A Secured Credit Card -DECLINED!

[pmac2014]

In an effort to rebuild my credit after a few years of health issues and hospital bills, I applied online for a B of A secured card back in January and was sent a letter saying I was declined.  I called customer service in April ( I know, I probably waited too long!) to find out why I was declined for a secured card when I have a healthy savings account balance and a Merrill Lynch account & was told to write to "card services- credit operations incoming"  in Pheonix AZ. I sent a l letter inquiring why i was declined and included my current B of A account information, but have not heard back from them and it's been about a month.  I called card services today 5-12-14, to follow up and find out if any progress had been made and no one had any informtaion for me- I was passed around a few times only to end up at a department that was closed! Any ideas how to contact these people or should I just go into my local branch?  Ive been working on my credit score since then as well and I have increased

EX from 527 in January 2014 to 604 in May 2014.

TU from  543  in January 2014 to 625 in May 2014  

EQ  from 529 in January 2014 to 583 in May 2014

 Rebuilding my credit has been like having a second full time job, but I am determined to get my score back to where it was once respectable!! If anyone has any suggestions on the B of A secured card, I would really appreciate the input!

THANKS!

[sjt]

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@pmac2014 wrote:

In an effort to rebuild my credit after a few years of health issues and hospital bills, I applied online for a B of A secured card back in January and was sent a letter saying I was declined.  I called customer service in April ( I know, I probably waited too long!) to find out why I was declined for a secured card when I have a healthy savings account balance and a Merrill Lynch account & was told to write to "card services- credit operations incoming"  in Pheonix AZ. I sent a l letter inquiring why i was declined and included my current B of A account information, but have not heard back from them and it's been about a month.  I called card services today 5-12-14, to follow up and find out if any progress had been made and no one had any informtaion for me- I was passed around a few times only to end up at a department that was closed! Any ideas how to contact these people or should I just go into my local branch?  Ive been working on my credit score since then as well and I have increased

EX from 527 in January 2014 to 604 in May 2014.

TU from  543  in January 2014 to 625 in May 2014  

EQ  from 529 in January 2014 to 583 in May 2014

 Rebuilding my credit has been like having a second full time job, but I am determined to get my score back to where it was once respectable!! If anyone has any suggestions on the B of A secured card, I would really appreciate the input!

THANKS!

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http://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Credit-Cards/Backdoor-Numbers/m-p/408066/highlight/true#M136936

Above is a link to Backdoor numbers. There is a number for Bank of America Secured Cards.

[pmac2014]

sjt,

Thank you so much! I'll try it right away and let you know how it goes!

pmac

[sjt]

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@pmac2014 wrote:

sjt,

Thank you so much! I'll try it right away and let you know how it goes!

pmac

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Good lick. Be prepared to anser questions they may have from your credit report and explain your situation.

[EMax]

Pmac, definitely call the backdoor number to the secured department! I, too, was declined for a BofA secured card back in December 2013 but I called to do a recon and after asking me some questions about my history and circumstances they were able to approve me for a secured card! My scores at the time were much lower than yours are right now. 

Good luck to you on your continued credit journey and let us know how it goes!

[sjt]

Keep us posted on your phone conversation with them.

[Whitneyy]

Hi.

Have you burned BOA in the past? I have read that some can't get approved because of issues with them in the past. Is this the only secured card that you're interested in?

[pmac2014]

Thank you for all of your input on getting a secured B of A credit card.  After calling the "back door" numbers that were suggested and actually going to my branch to inquire about a secured card, I was finallly approved! I was given a $500 credit limit and a bump of 12  points on my FICO scores!  Thanks again for the very helpful suggestions.  

Pmac

[Kenny]

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@pmac2014 wrote:

Thank you for all of your input on getting a secured B of A credit card.  After calling the "back door" numbers that were suggested and actually going to my branch to inquire about a secured card, I was finallly approved! I was given a $500 credit limit and a bump of 12  points on my FICO scores!  Thanks again for the very helpful suggestions.  

Pmac

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Congrats! It shows that persistence truly pays off.

[pmac2014]

Whiteneyy,

Hi, No I have not burned B of A in the past.  I just figured that because I have my checking, savings & retirement accounts with them I thought they would be easier to get a secured card with.  However, when I applied with them earlier this year, my credit scores ranged from 527-543.  I guess no matter how much of a savings account you have, your score trumps savings!  Since then, my fico scores range from 600-640 (with TU being the highest), so I’m sure that helped a lot.  As far as applying for other cards, I did apply for a Cap 1 card at the same time as the B of A, however they recently sent 2 different letters regarding confirmation of income and confirmation of address and I responded to those and should know something within10 days.

Pmac