No credit card required
Browse credit cards from a variety of issuers to see if there's a better card for you.
I happen to live in the BBVA Compass footprint, and I decided to open a checking account to put myself on their radar. Once I'd done so, I checked my prequals for credit cards and saw I was preapproved for a $7,500 Clear Points card. Terrific! I'm not looking for another rewards card at the moment, but I did have a couple of small balances that I wouldn't mind consolidating onto one card. I submitted the application and I was approved.
No problem until a few business days later. I received an email informing me that my online account access had been closed "at my request." When I tried to reopen it, I was told I had no account with them. They had already taken (and it had cleared) a $100 deposit from me to open my checking account.
So of course I called. I spoke to five different people, and no one could tell me anything. Some told me that my application was still pending (untrue; my checking account had been OPENED -- I was able to access it online -- and the credit card had been APPROVED). Others told me that my entire account was "on hold" for reasons they were, for whatever reason, unable to share with me. One person, eventually, told me that it looked like my account had been caught in their fraud filter. When I finally received a letter two weeks later, that was what it indicated -- my accounts, all of them, had been shut down for fraud.
Around the same time, I opened a share savings account with a local credit union, and they needed me to call them to verify my info. The representative I spoke to told me that my IP address had tripped a flag. I live in a rural-ish area and use a janky wireless internet provider that often shows me in places up to 800 miles away (I live in central TX; it's showed me in both New Orleans and St. Louis before). My credit union was able to verify that I was a real person and I was who I said I was; BBVA Compass apparently had no interest in doing the same. They never even called? They just closed my accounts, took ages to refund my deposit to checking, and left me with a hard pull on my credit report and nothing to show for it.
There is a BBVA branch less than 10 miles from me. Does anyone have any experience with something similar? Is it worth going in to the branch and proving I am who I say I am, or should I just write them off -- will it even matter? A friend of mine told me he had opened a checking account there with a five-figure deposit and they shut him down for the same reason -- fraud -- so I don't even know if it's worth bothering. I'm just so irritated by the HP that accomplished nothing.
Things are starting to get out of control with the fraud protections banks are taking so that they don’t get hit with money laundering charges. It’s going to be a rough time to open bank accounts for awhile.
The banks want nothing to do with anything that looks unusual right now. Your IP address very well could have been the problem. I went through a fraud verification mess myself last month with BECU and finally just gave up after hours of phone calls and multiple faxes. BBVA doesn’t offer anything special with their deposit accounts really but their credit cards are nice. It’s really up to you if you want to try to salvage things, just beware their branches aren’t exactly known for being great either.
Since you were approved for both products it's worth a shot to go to the branch and spend an hour sorting it out.
bring at least 2 forms of ID and some utility bills with you to show them.
Since this isn't the first babnk you've had issues with maybe it's time for a different ISP???? or at least a VPN that's somewhat local when applyiing.
@howellco2 wrote:
I got a BBVa card 6 months ago and its sitting in a drawer they are to lazy to even fix their auto pay issue and customer service tells you a different lie everytime your not missing anything
Not sure what you're talking about with auropay. I setup autopay once I had a balance and it's working flawlessly. I did have to send a form to them to have it added but it's working just fine. The only thing I don't like about it is if you make a manual payment they still take the autopay amount out in addition to the MP.
@AnonymousWell, I didn't have an experience like yours, but I did have a pleasant experience opening a BBVA checking account in branch.
I got a mailer with code for their Clear Points Visa in late March and was instantly approved online with decent $6100 CL. There's also a BBVA branch about 15 miles from my rural area, so I had it in mind to open an account with them and try them out. As luck would have it in April they had a $200 bonus for Arizona in branch new accounts so I stopped by and opened an account. The branch manager opened my account, and with a BBVA credit card all I needed was my drivers license, and I funded the account with a $100 check from a local credit union. No problems at all and as I moved a direct deposit to them I already received the $200 new account bonus. So I recommend stopping by your branch and hopefully they'll straighten it out for your.
BTW, in my rural area I also have long range wireless. The online ads that try to "personalize" with naming your location place me in a variety of small towns in the area, but all within a 20-30 mile radius so it's never tripped any IP fraud alerts.
@Anonymous wrote:
I recently tried to open an account with PMCU on-line. My account was also flagged for fraud. After the app, I had zero access but wanted the account, so I went in branch to see if I could fix things. I had earlier tried calling and emailing but got different answers with each contact (I don't think the people on the phone have access to much info).
So, in branch I went.
It took forever (seriously. I think I had like 2 birthdays in there). The csr had to speak with the manager and then someone higher up the chain on the phone.
Fortunately, I brought everything that I could think of: actual social security card, last electric bill, driver's license, birth certificate, passport. She only needed my social and proof of address.
She uploaded my items and we waited. Another birthday.
Finally, all done. I don't think I can do this more than once a year.
Basically, it's a pain if you get a fraud flag but can be sorted out in Branch, if that's what you want.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!